JERUSALEM – October 25, 2005 – The assassination by Israeli forces of two Islamic Jihad men yesterday in Tulkarem has yet again set in motion a dangerous cycle of violence that seriously threatens the lives and rights of many innocent bystanders and that has all but extinguished the informal ceasefire brokered in January at Sharm al-Sheikh by President Abbas.

The assassination by Israeli forces of Lo-ay el-Sa’di, said to be a leader of al-Quds Brigades (the armed branch of Islamic Jihad) and of Majed Sameer al-Ashqar, allegedly also a member of the same armed faction, is regrettable, illegal and counterproductive. These men were denied fair trials in a court of law and were killed without having been proven guilty of any crimes. Worse still, their deaths have led to an entirely predictable and avoidable escalation of violence that has shattered the ensuing truce and that gravely affects the rights and lives of the residents of Tulkarem, which remains under strict curfew.

Islamic Jihad responded to the assassinations yesterday by calling for “blood for blood” and by launching 25 crude Qassam rockets at the Israeli town Sderot. Although the rockets caused no casualties, the Israeli air force retaliated by shelling civilian targets in Beit Hanoun and Rafah in Gaza this morning. The shelling has thus far wounded a 65 year old woman and a 4- month old baby as well as 3 other civilians, and has destroyed a building that housed a charity run by Islamic Jihad. Moreover, Israeli warplanes flew over Gaza and broke the sound barrier, further terrorizing innocent civilians.

Gaza remains restive, with Islamic Jihad still calling for revenge, and the Israeli army continuing with its violent incursions into West Bank towns. The residents of Tulkarem refugee camp continue to have no freedom of movement, and the residents of various towns in Gaza have no respite from the ongoing shelling.

MIFTAH deplores this escalating violence and its ill-effects on the essential rights of the Palestinian people, and urges Israel and all Palestinian armed forces to obey their obligations under internationally recognized laws of armed conflict, which prohibit the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and which prohibit extra-judicial assassinations. The events of the past two days clearly demonstrate the counterproductive effects of such violence, and MIFTAH further calls on all armed forces, including the Israeli army, to honor the existing ceasefire, and on the international community to not stand idle in the face of such continued breaches of international law. MIFTAH reminds all observers and parties involved that peaceful negotiations and dialogue are the only way to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace between the people of Israel and Palestine.

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH, is a non-governmental, non-partisan Jerusalem-based institution dedicated to fostering democracy and good governance within Palestinian society through promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of information and ideas and the challenging of stereotyping at home and abroad.