Member of the Central Committee of the Fateh Movement, Fathi Abu Eshtayya, denounced the ongoing Israeli assaults, and stated that the army has killed 31 Palestinians, kidnapped at least 500, and demolished 208 homes since direct peace talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah were resumed in June of this year.His statements came during a press conference held on Thursday, December 19, 2013, in Beit Jala city, west of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Several international diplomats, local and international reporters attended.
Eshtayya said that peace talks aim at ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine, and establishing a Palestinian state on all territories captured in 1967, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
The official said that Israeli soldiers continued their invasions and assaults against the Palestinian communities in different parts of the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and occupied East Jerusalem, leading to this large number of casualties, arrests and destruction of homes and property.
He added that Tel Aviv has a different idea for “peace” in the Middle East and is acting on sabotaging all attempts to accomplish this goal.
“Israel is still building and expanding its illegal settlements, it is acting on foiling all attempts to accomplish peace”, Eshtayya stated, “It is using peace talks to tell the world it wants peace to avoid international pressure, but at the same time acts against the efforts to reach peace”.
“We are not looking for just an agreement, we want a true and just agreement based on international legitimacy and our fundamental rights”, the Palestinian official said, “A comprehensive agreement that brings justice, and establishes an independent, sovereign country”.
He also thanked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for what he called “relentless efforts to achieve peace”, and the positive stances of the European Union and the Quartet Committee which support the two-state solution, and called on them to step-up their decision to boycott Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestine, not only settlement products.
Furthermore, Eshtayya said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be heading to Cairo, this Saturday, “to demonstrate the developments of peace talks” to convening Arab Foreign Ministers at the Arab League.
