The Palestinian Authority government’s spokesman, Ghazi Hamamd, described the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s remarks against Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya as ‘farcical’. He called Olmert and his army ‘terrorists’ for killing Palestinian children and demolishing Palestinian homes.
The Palestinian Authority government’s spokesman, Ghazi Hamamd, described the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s remarks against Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya as ‘farcical’. He called Olmert and his army ‘terrorists’ for killing Palestinian children and demolishing Palestinian homes.
“Those who kill children, demolishes homes, commit extra-judicial assassinations, invade Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps, are the terrorists”, Hammad commented on Olmert’s accusation of Haniya as a ‘terrorist and smuggler of money to terrorist organizations’.
Hammad maintained that such accusations are indicative of the Israeli government’s confusion and perplexity after many Arab and international players welcomed the establishment of a Palestinian national unity government including Hamas and Fatah.
As for the transfer of money by the PM Haniya a few months ago through Egypt, the government’s spokesman stressed that all realize the fact that such funds have been deposited at the Palestinian treasury and are meant to alleviate the Palestinian people’s suffering.
He accused the Israeli leaders of withholding the Palestinians’ due money, referring to the tax revenues which Israel has not transferred to the Palestinian Authority since last January’s parliamentary elections. Israel still withholds approximately $800 million US dollars, due tax money revenues to the Palestinian Authority.
Hammad also stated that the Israeli government's rejection of the Arab peace initiative of 2002, which the recent Arab states summit has re-endorsed, reflected an Israeli insistence to keep up its ‘settlement’ and ‘occupation’ policies.
Referring to the Palestinian unity government’s platform, Hammad said that this government has produced a serious and applicable agenda that requires an international pressure on Israel to stop it's continued aggression towards the Palestinian people.
Palestinians announced in March their new unity government including Hamas and Fatah and other parliamentary blocs, which respects past signed agreements and accepts a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with the occupied east Jerusalem as a capital.
The latest Arab summit in Riyadah welcomed the new Palestinian government and renewed a call for just and comprehensive peace with Israel, on the basis of full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories in return for normal relations with the Israeli state.
Israel refused the call and dismissed the possibility for peace in the region in the short term, but rather expressed willingness to start negotiations with what it called ‘moderate Arab states’.
Israel still maintains military control over the West Bank and east Jerusalem, is constructing the illegal seperation Wall in the West Bank, and strictly controls Gaza’s crossing points, sea and airspace- despite the disengagement from Gaza in 2005.
