Press Statement Palestinian Authority Cabinet Meeting, October 4th 2010 Palestinian cabinet confirms its support to leadership position on negotiations And warns from escalated settlers attacks during the Olive Harvesting Season The Palestinian Cabinet, in its weekly meeting Chaired by Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, expressed its support to the leadership stand on the political process, as stated in its last meeting, while stressing that the credibility of the political process and its potential to achieve its basic objectives, primarily ending the Israeli occupation, require an end to all Israeli settlement activities which the international consensus states as illegal and contradictory to international law as well as constitute a major obstacle to peace making. The Palestinian cabinet reiterated Israeli government’s fully responsibility for obstructing the peace process as a result of its refusal to end its occupation and establishing a fully independent sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital and its determination to continue with its settlement policy . The cabinet stressed that in view of Israeli hard positions, Palestinian efforts should focus on enhancing steadfastness and peaceful resistance against the occupation. Such an effort had regained recognition to Palestinian national struggle and just rights and enabled public unity behind the government plan for building the state and ending the occupation and making progress towards domestic reconciliation and ending the division of the homeland and its institutions as the basic guarantee to protect the national interests. The cabinet also warned from the dangers of continued settlers terrorist acts against our people, especially preemptive to the so called partial settlement freeze, as to launch a new phase of settlement activities in light of the Israeli government refusal to renew that period. It also warned from settlers campaign of assaults against Palestinians during the olive harvesting season in all Palestinian areas. UN Human Rights Council Decision on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ : The Cabinet valued the UNHRC decision calling for endorsing the report reached by the investigation committee on the Israeli assault on the Freedom Flotilla. The report holds Israel fully responsible for the attack and deliberate killing of unarmed boarders of the flotilla. The cabinet stressed the need for an international campaign ending the siege, to follow and to guarantee free movement of Palestinians and goods to and from the Gaza Strip, which would enable the PA, with international support, to reconstruct the Gaza Strip, and would enable the operation of the safe passage that would ensure geographic continuity between the West Bank and Gaza and protect the geographical unity of the Palestinian occupied territories. Israeli Violations The cabinet strongly condemned the ongoing settlers terrorist attacks against Palestinians, which target their steadfastness and called on the international community to take direct responsibility in providing urgent international protection. The cabinet condemned Israeli army killing of three Palestinians in Bureij Refugee Camp in Gaza and the Palestinian citizen Izz El Din Saleh Kawazbe from hebron on his way to work. The cabinet also strongly condemned settlers burning of Al-Anbiya mosque in beit fujar in Hebron district, warning from the dangerous implications of such terrorist activities against our people, most recent of which was the posters placed at crossroads calling for the demolition of Burin village mosque south of Nablus. This in addition to a hit and run of two Palestinians near Nablus , Qalqilya and Hebron and attacks on Olive trees farms in Mugheer, Awarta and theft of fruits and burning of land. The cabinet also condemned the unjust ruling of an Israeli military court against the child Karam Da’na from Hebron which calls for depriving him from his family and his deportation, a matter that strongly contradicts with all international rules and a serious violation to children’s rights, as Israel continues to keep 300 juveniles from the West Bank including Jerusalem in Israeli prisons . The cabinet called on Human rights organisations and those safeguarding children’s rights to commit Israel to cancel the decision of deporting Da’na and release of all prisoners mainly children. The cabinet also condemned the settlers vicious campaign that started with the so called ‘end of the settlement freeze phase’ and the campaign included leveling of land, building new units in existing settlement, in addition to a government decision to take over 66 dunums of land near Tafuh village in Hebron District. Commitment to the ‘official vehicles’ decision The cabinet welcomed the abidance of civil servants to the decision on the use of official vehicles for official uses only noting the high sense of responsibility among civil servants that had assisted the government in moving forward in its reform and cutbacks in expenditures policy that would control running expenses and enhance administrative and financial reforms and minimize dependence on external aid without effecting the execution of the government plan on developing services and implementing developmental projects that would enhance steadfastness and provide the necessary resources that would guarantee the completion of building the institutions of the state of Palestine and achieve national readiness. Ratification of the Islamic Institution for Investment Insurance and Exports Trust Fund The Cabinet ratified the agreement of the Islamic Institution for Investment Insurance and Exports Trust Fund. The agreement entails the agreement of Al Aqsa Fund and the Islamic Development Bank to cover the share of Palestine in the Institution Capital. The institution aims at expanding the commercial dealings of member states, encourage investment and insurance as well as insure exports and compensating the insured in cases of risks and losses for all member states. Allocating land in Jenin to establish an Electricity Generation Station The cabinet agreed to allocate a land (15 dunums) of a total area allocated for the Jenin Industrial Zone, for its use of the Energy Authority to establish the Electricity Generator that serves the Jenin District and the Jenin Industrial Zone. The Palestinian Chamber of Mediation and Arbitration The Cabinet assigned the ministries of justice and national economy to present a law proposal for the establishment of the Palestinian Chamber of Mediation and Arbitration, consistent with the national strategy and vision to enhance national economy and encourage investment in Palestine. The duties of the ‘chamber’ would be to end commercial disputes both internal and externally as to guarantee an attractive environment for companies and would achieve legal and security stability and encourage international trade. END

top