PLO DELEGATION Press Release RE the recent cycle of violence in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem & the urgent need to end the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Friday March 24, 2011

Press Release:

The recent cycle of violence in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem indicates the urgent need to end the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian people. The deaths of 8 Palestinians on Tuesday, (including innocent youth ages 11, 16 and 20 who were playing football with a middle-aged man watching close by), and the subsequent bus explosion which left innocent civilians dead only serve to confirm the volatility of the current state of affairs. The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian National Authority have condemned of all acts of violence against civilians by Palestinians and Israelis alike in the strongest terms. The General Delegation of the P.L.O to the United States urges the U.S. administration and the international community to condemn the killings on both sides in equal and unequivocal terms. Ignoring violence perpetrated by the Israeli army and fanatical settlers against Palestinians civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will only encourage further violence and counter-violence.

Additionally, this week’s attempts by the Israeli government to escalate conflict are deliberate efforts aimed at diverting attention from Israeli actions on the ground and will only undermine prospects for reconciliation between our two peoples. We call upon the United States, the United Nations and the world community to exert pressure on Israel to cease its illegal settlement activities and numerous other acts of aggression which remain in flagrant violation of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. Violence cannot and will not change the reality that the Israeli military occupation sits at the core of the conflict and remains the primary reason for the lack of peace and stability in the region.