PNA Denounces Israeli "Policy of Murder"

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) denounced on Wednesday the recent decision adopted by the Israeli cabinet to continue "the liquidation policy" against Palestinian activists.

The Israeli inner cabinet ratified Wednesday morning the policy of launching military operations against Palestinian militants as part of "the active defense" initiative despite U.S. opposition. The PNA terms this as "policy of murder".

Palestinian presidential secretary Tayeb Abdel Rahim told reporters here that the Israeli decision "shows that they (the Israelis) do not want to comply with the ceasefire."

He expressed concern that all Palestinians might be the target of Israeli murder operations.

The decision is aimed at justifying the murder of the Palestinians under the pretext of suspicion or incitement, the PNA official said.

It also shows that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is not a peace partner, who declared his opposition to the peace process since its very beginning, Abdurrehim added.

Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abd Rabbo said "giving a free rein to the Israeli Defense Forces to carry out murder operations against the Palestinian is a new extremely dangerous escalation."

"The policy adopted by Sharon government shows to everybody the real Israeli attitude towards the Palestinians and the kind of 'cooling off' Israel seeks," he told reporters.

"Israel makes use of the silence and connivance of the international community at Israel's daily crimes and atrocities against the innocent Palestinian people," he added.

"It's time for the international community to adopt a practical move to separate between the aggressor and the victim and prevent the Sharon government from persisting in this policy," he pleaded.

"Otherwise, the next step to be taken by Sharon would be to return to the mass murder of which Sharon has enough expertise," Abd Rabbo warned.

More than 40 Palestinian activists have been killed under the Israeli policy of targeted murder since the start of Al-Aqsa Intifada (uprising) late last September.

Since the ceasefire, brokered by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency chief George Tenet, took effect on June 13, 13 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed in bloody clashes between both sides.






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