The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday, said that Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s visit to Hizma checkpoint and vows to ease the travel process is an enforcement of the apartheid system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Lieberman, on Sunday, visited Hizma checkpoint into Jerusalem and promised to “streamline passage at West Bank crossings into Jerusalem, thereby easing the process for Palestinians who travel daily into the capital,” said The Times of Israel, according to WAFA.
The new Israeli defense minister said he visited the checkpoint to see for himself the difficulties facing those who use it, but the foreign ministry said the visit is simply an attempt to reinforce the existence of checkpoints, which disconnect the West Bank, facilitate Israeli settlers’ movement at the expense of Palestinians and connect illegal settlements with Israel.
Lieberman only visited Hizma checkpoint, but also addressed the situation at the biggest checkpoint in the West Bank Qalandia, through which tens of thousands of Palestinians cross daily on foot and by car.
“The problems at the Hizme and Qalandiya checkpoints, which plague residents of Jerusalem, the Binyamin Council, and Palestinians in the region, have clear solutions, both administrative and infrastructural,” Lieberman said.
However, the ministry said Lieberman tries to deceive the world by discussing “facilities for Israeli settlers and Palestinians” and neglects his repetitive Apartheid statements, which aim to create separate roads for illegal Israeli settlers and Palestinians on roads in the West Bank.
Since officially being appointed Israel’s minister of defense, Lieberman enforced several lengthy closures on towns and villages around Hebron and other Palestinians cities.
Over the years, hundreds of dunams of land belonging to Palestinians have been permanently confiscated from Palestinian owners to open new roads for the sole use of Israeli settlers in addition to hundreds of checkpoints, which obstruct movement.
The ministry condemned the Israeli policy, which aims to expand and take over Palestinians’ property and called on the international community to intervene and force Israel to cease its measures, which would eventually destroy the two-state solution and enforce occupation, settlements and the Apartheid system in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Originally under suspicion over charges of money-laundering and bribery, Lieberman was formally indicted in December of 2012, on lesser charges of fraud and breach of trust.
His party was recently the focus of a corruption probe within the Israeli political spectrum, and, more recently, Lieberman’s life was threatened with an assassination attempt.
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