Dozens of nonviolent Palestinian activists managed to stop a meeting that was taking place at the Ambassador Hostel in occupied Jerusalem, between Palestinian and Israeli officials, and said “normalization with the occupation weakens the Palestinian cause, and beautifies the ugly face of the Israeli occupation”.The Wattan News Agency has reported that a similar meeting initially took place in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and was guarded by the Palestinian security forces in the city.
Wattan added that the meeting in Jerusalem, which came after the Ramallah meeting, even included former senior officers of the Israeli army that still occupies Palestine and oppresses its people.
Video By Wattan New
The Palestinian activists entered the hall where the meeting was taking place, just minutes after it began, and chanted slogans such as “occupiers go out”, “Palestine will be free”, and managed to break up the meeting.
Former political prisoner, author and journalist, Rasem Obeidat, said that negotiations and normalization conferences are simply meant to “beautify the image of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
“International activists and groups have been successful in many boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, managed to mount international pressure on the occupation”, Obeidat said. “This meeting comes to reduce this pressure on Israel, to beautify its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people”.
He further stated that such meetings come for the benefit of individuals who want to make private investments and profit at the expense of the Palestinian people, their blood and sacrifices.
Activist Amal Al-Obeidy from Jerusalem said that the Israelis in this meeting are former army officials and former Shabak interrogators.
“This action is a shout from Palestine rejecting normalization with the occupation; this is a meeting of surrender; normalization has proven its failure through long years of negotiations”, she stated. “We will counter normalization, we will attain our rights by resistance, and our message is that Jerusalem is, and will forever be, an Arab city.”
Activist Yassin Sbeih said that this activity, disrupting this meeting, is a message from the Palestinians in Jerusalem, rejecting normalization, rejecting all conferences that are only meant to grant legitimacy to an illegitimate occupation.
