JERUSALEM – Following the horrific suicide bombing last week in the Israeli city of Natanya, Israeli authorities have implemented a series of ruthless and equally horrific policies that are counterproductive and amount to collective punishment of innocent Palestinian civilians.

Since the incident at Natanya, and as a direct result of the Israeli Defense Minister's direct orders, Israeli air and ground forces have resumed the illegal policy of targeted killings that has already claimed the lives of 3 Palestinians and injured scores of innocent by-standers. Moreover the Israeli cabinet has 'temporarily' cut off all its contacts with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and suspended discussions about the bus convoy link that was meant to link the West Bank to Gaza.

MIFTAH condemns Israel's recent practices in the Palestinian Territories, and calls on the international community, specifically the Middle-East Peace quartet, not to stand idle before Israel's renewed escalations.

MIFTAH welcomes David Welch's (the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs) as well as Quartet's Mideast envoy James Wolfensohn's comments condemning Israel's refusal to follow through with the provisions of the Gaza accord that Dr. Rice brokered.

Finally, MIFTAH would like to see that the International community translate its pledges into reality.

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.