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, activists, political figures and civilians.

In Nablus Israeli troops surrounded an apartment building citing the rounding up of ‘wanted men’ as the reason for their military incursion into the city. Israeli troops started off by firing a missile into the apartment building killing all five ‘wanted men’, then proceeded to blowup the building atop of the dead bodies destroying all the apartments, home to many, now homeless, families which lost not only their homes but also their belongings without prior warning. As the troops were driving their military vehicles in the old city of Nablus they fired randomly at residents killing an 11-year-old girl and wounding at least six others.

In Jenin an Israeli Special Forces unit, ‘death squad’, dressed up as Arabs invaded the city of Jenin killing four Palestinian members of the AlAqsa Brigades in a clear provocative act of escalation of violence against an already battered West Bank city. Amongst the four victims were two brothers cowardly killed by the Israeli special unit.

Names of the nine Palestinians extra judicially assassinated and the 11-year-old girl killed in Nablus by Israeli troops today: Nadir IlAswad, Hani IlAqad, Mohammad Mirei, Abdel Haleem Salem, Milhim Abu Jameeleh and 11-year-old Maram Nahleh in Nablus. In Jenin the four are: Fadi Zakarneh, his brother Fawaz Zakarneh, Ibraheem Mahmoud and Mo’az Iqtate.

Israel’s escalation is aiming to provoke and enhance violence and retaliation attacks. Sharon’s government and ‘Defense Minister’ should be held responsible for the deaths of innocent Palestinians and Israelis which is a direct result of freehand policy not holding Israel responsible for daily war crimes committed against captive Palestinians living under occupation.

MIFTAH urges the international community, particularly through the established international legal mechanisms, to hold Israel fully accountable for such acts of terror. Israel's campaign of political assassinations and extra-judicial killings must be halted and dealt with as a crime against the Palestinian people, and against humanity at large.