The Palestinian Cabinet holds its 29th session in Abu Dis. Palestinian Prime Minister cautions that Israel is destroying the chances of peace.

The Palestinian Cabinet held its 29th session at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis today, amid rising concerns that Israel’s recent measures in east Jerusalem are a direct blow to any efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei’ held a press conference following the meeting, in which he cautioned that Israel’s confiscation of approximately 1,800 dunnums (approximately 450 acres) of Palestinian land in the east Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Mount of Olives, Al-Izariyyah, Abu Dis, and Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiyyah for the construction of the Wall and the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement poses a direct threat to the peace process and underlines Israel’s blatant violations of previous agreements, most notably the Road Map.

The Prime Minister emphasised that, while Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank could have been a constructive step towards the implementation of the Road Map, these latest measures deem the vision of a two-state solution absolutely void. Mr. Qurei’ stated that, in effect, the Israeli Government is cutting off more than 200,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites from their social, political, and economic livelihood in the city and placing them in isolated ghettos, which are geographically and economically unviable.

He urged the international community, in particular the United Sates and the Quartet, to take a clear stance on the issue and warned that Israel’s destructive measures in east Jerusalem are a direct violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people. The Prime Minister reaffirmed that the Palestinian Government is committed to the provisions of the Road Map and emphasised that “…we will not accept anything less than a viable Palestinian state on the June 1967 boundaries, side by side with Israel, with Palestinian-east Jerusalem as its capital.”

The Prime Minister also urged his Cabinet to place particular attention to the issues of Jerusalem, settlement expansion, and the Wall and to exhaust their efforts to highlight the dangers of Israel’s unilateral policies in the city.

Mr. Qurei condemned today’s attack in the southern city of Bir Al Sabe’ (Beersheba) and reaffirmed that the Palestinian Government is opposed to the targeting of civilians from both sides, emphasising that the Palestinian Authority is committed to the truce.

Finally, regarding the deployment of Egyptian forces along the Rafah Crossing, Mr. Qurei’ reasserted that this border crossing must be a Palestinian-Egyptian border without Israeli presence.

Issued by the Media and Communication Department
Palestinian Council of Ministers
Ramallah, Palestine

For further information, please contact:
Mr. Rami Bathish
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