Israel Must Immediately Withdraw From Palestinian Lands: Mubarak

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 05, 2002

Israel Must Immediately Withdraw From Palestinian Lands: Mubarak

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed on Thursday that Israel must immediately withdraw from the Palestinian self-rule areas, while urging the United States to do its utmost to prod Israel to do so. Mubarak urged the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories, lift its siege on Arafat and return to the negotiating table.

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Egypt urges Israel to withdraw from Palestinian

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed on Thursday that Israel must immediately withdraw from the Palestinian self-rule areas, while urging the United States to do its utmost to prod Israel to do so.

"Israel has taken an advantage of the current campaign against terrorism to brand as terrorism the Palestinians' legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation," Mubarak said in a televised national speech on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Meanwhile, Israel has made some influencing powers sympathize with Israeli attempts to eliminate the democratically elected leader of the Palestinians," Mubarak said.

The Egyptian president accused the Jewish state of trying to have a new Palestinian leadership that may be more responsive to whatever solution it is trying to impose.

"What Israel has been conducting has violated all international legitimacy resolutions and breached all agreements reached with the Palestinian National Authority ... all these raised a question about Israel's intention on the (Middle east) peace process," he said.

Egypt supportive of middle east peace

"Egypt's commitment to peace is unswerving, ... Egypt has been supportive of an Arab peace plan based on a Saudi peace initiative, which aims to urge Israel to make more efforts toward peace," he said.

"Egypt had warned Israel of severe consequence of reoccupying the Palestinian territories and harming the Palestinian leadership ... but Israel has not heeded the warning, or implemented relevant U.N. resolutions," he said.

Mubarak's remarks came one day after the Egyptian government decided to sever all relations with the Israeli government, except those at diplomatic level, to show support of the Palestine cause.

Such an Egyptian move was in response to an Israeli siege on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his office building in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which has entered its seventh day.

Israeli tanks rolled into Ramallah and shelled Arafat's compound Friday morning, marking the beginning of sweeping military offensives in the West Bank.

Arafat has still been besieged by Israeli troops and tanks despite a mounting call by the international community for Israel to lift its siege on Arafat and fully withdraw from the Palestinian lands.

US urged to push peace process

In Thursday's address, Mubarak said that he has sent two letters to U.S. President George W. Bush since last Friday, urging the U.S. administration to promptly intervene to stop the Israeli attacks.

"The United States, a major sponsor of the Middle east peace process, should take up its responsibilities in the respect," he said.

Mubarak urged the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories, lift its siege on Arafat and return to the negotiating table.

"It is high time that Israel listened to the voice of reason and drew upon past lessons and looked into the future," he said.

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The retaliation has had grave consequences on peace and stability in the region and has aroused serious concerns in the international community. >>Full Coverage

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