People's Assembly supports decisions of Arab follow-up committee
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 5/21/2001

The People's Assembly has declared its support to decisions of the Arab Follow-up Committee to halt all political contacts with Israel as long as it continued escalating its unjustified acts of aggression on the Palestinian people.

In a statement Sunday, the Assembly called on the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the dangerous situation, to provide protection for the Palestinians and to urgently shoulder its responsibilities to maintain world security and peace in the light of the dangerous challenges which face the peace process and to press Israel to respect and carry out signed agreements with the Palestinians.

The Assembly said that what Israel was doing at present was tantamount to a regular war between two unequal parties which Israel is waging against the Palestinians using all heavy arms against unarmed people who use only stones to defend their legitimate rights supported by international legitimacy.

Israel wants the Palestinians to kneel down and to force them to accept Israel's peace.

The People's Assembly said in its statement that the Israeli government should know that the logic of force, imposing a fait accompli, intensifying settlement and occupying Palestinian land which is under the full control of the Palestinian Authority and killing children cannot continue and shall not realise peace in the area.

The only means to get out of this dilemma is to return to the negotiating table and give the Palestinians their legitimate and historic rights in accordance with United Nations resolutions, the statement said.

The People's Assembly said that it was following up moves of President Hosni Mubarak and his intensified and continued contacts with world leaders to contain violence and revive the peace process and activate the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative which is considered the mechanism to get out of the current situation, stop settlements and resume negotiations to reach a final solution in a definite time period.

The statement saluted the steadfastness of the Palestinians.

The People's Assembly said in its statement that building settlements and their expansion is a "war crime and a violation of the Geneva convention".

Israeli provocations and use of force does not provide security as claimed by Israel. It increases waves of legitimate resistance which was asserted by international law.

The unaccepted Israeli provocation and violation of international legitimacy and continued aggression has created a state of despair which will have dangerous consequences on security and stability not only in the Middle East area but in the whole world as well, the statement said.

The Assembly stressed that the dangerous Israeli escalation calls for international intervention, particularly from the United States which is the official sponsor of the peace process and the party which is capable of pressing Israel to abandon its aggressive policy.

The United States should activate its role and translate it into practical steps to break the cycle of violence and stop supplying Israel with American-made weapons, which Israel uses to kill Palestinians, in order to get out of the present situation.

The People's Assembly hailed the stance of 15-member European group which condemned Israeli occupation and the building of settlements and rejected products imported from Israeli settlements.

The Assembly viewed Washington's call to self-restraint and return to negotiations without conditions as a biased attitude to Israel and a denial of all international resolutions and the results of the mechanism of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

The People's Assembly called on Arab and Islamic media to address world public opinion and make it aware of the criminal massacres committed by Israeli aggressors against the unarmed palestinian people and to take measures to stop them.

The statement was read out at the People's Assembly meeting Sunday by Ahmed Abu Zeid, Chairman of the Assembly's Arab Affairs Committee. It received full support from members of the Assembly.

Kamal A1 Shazly, Minister of People's Assembly and Shura Council Affairs, declared in the name of the government that it approved all that was contained in the statement.

Previous Stories:
  Israel disguises in false cloak of int'l law, rejects withdrawal   (5/19/2001)
  Mubarak to address sixth COMESA summit Tuesday   (5/17/2001)
  Egypt calls on UN Security Council to take measures to stop violence   (5/16/2001)

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