Palestinians Call for Coordinated Arab Stance on Israeli BrutalitiesA senior Palestinian official here on Tuesday called on the Arab countries to coordinate their stances on Israel as the Jewish state is continuing its brutal actions against the Palestinians."The Arab countries should make concerted efforts to support the Palestinian demand for halting Israeli aggressions against them," said Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator, after his talks with the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa. Erekat, also Palestinian minister of local administration, said that he had discussed with Moussa the "aggravating" situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, which has been caused by continued Israeli aggressions against Palestinian towns and villages. Earlier Tuesday, an Israeli helicopter gunship fired air-to- surface missiles on Palestinian houses in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, killing four Palestinians whom the Israeli military termed as "terrorists." The missile attack came after a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives, killing himself and two Israelis near the northern Israeli city of Haifa Monday evening. Israeli tanks had also shelled the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm overnight in retaliation for the Haifa bombing incident. Erekat said that an Arab follow-up committee will convene to deal with the current developments in the Mideast region at the AL headquarters on Wednesday, voicing hope that it will take a decision to support the Palestinians. The committee was set up at the Arab summit held here last October to follow up the implementation of moral and financial aids pledged by the Arab leaders to the Palestinians. It comprises foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian National Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia, as well as the AL chief. |
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