The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) is seriously alarmed at the continuation of Israel's policy of political assassinations and extra-judicial killings against prominent Palestinian personalities and political figures.

Since the Aqaba Peace Summit took place on Wednesday June 4, 2003, Israel has carried out six extra judicial killings which resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians, 6 of them were targeted Hamas members the rest are innocent civilians including 4 women one of whom is 7-months pregnant and 3 Palestinian toddlers under the age of four.

In just the past 48-hours Israeli government has carried out 5 of the six assassinations in an obvious effort to undermine the Palestinian leadership and efforts towards achieving a cease fire in order to resume peace negotiations in accordance to the ‘roadmap.’ It is impossible to rally Palestinians behind peace when they have only witnessed an escalation of attacks by the occupier since June 4th, the day of the Aqaba Summit.

The second assassination attempt which was carried out against Abdel Azeez ElRanteesi, a Hamas political leader, resulted in a retaliatory attack by Hamas on a Jerusalem bus which left 16 people killed. Since the suicide attack in Jerusalem Israel has launched air raids against Hamas targets, again killing a large majority of civilians including women and children.

These actions by the Israeli government are irresponsible and are costing both the Palestinians and Israelis innocent lives. Ariel Sharon’s Government is inciting hate and terror through undermining the PNA and declaring a war against a minority Hamas faction while murdering innocent Palestinian women and children in the process.

Such violent actions only serve and play into the hands of the extremists who are not seeking a peaceful solution, the Israeli government from one side and Hamas from the other. The Israeli government might have finally accepted the ‘roadmap’ but it needs to rid itself of extremist settlers and their serious negative influence. Israeli extremists advocates of transfer and death to Arabs are part of the current Israeli government and in defiance of the USA are against the existence of an independent Palestinian state.

MIFTAH urges the international community, particularly through the established international legal mechanisms, to hold Israel fully accountable for such acts of terror. We call for immediate international intervention to address Palestinian security and not just Israeli security needs. We demand a monitoring and verification mechanism to include arbitration and intervention in order to assure both sides move forward with the latest internationally supported peace plan.

Israel's campaign of political assassinations and extra-judicial killings must be halted and dealt with as a crime against the Palestinian people, against peace efforts and against humanity at large.