Jericho International Seminar II cancelled
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 6/8/2005

"An international seminar organized by the Palestinian Peace Coalition to discuss the potential scenarios following the Gaza Withdrawal was cancelled as Israeli participants have failed to receive the adequate security clearance to enter Jericho, venue of the conference, the Palestinian Peace Coalition/ PPC organization said yesterday.

Some 150 Israeli peace supporters and members of the Geneva Initiative Headquarters in Israel have confirmed their participation in the conference, slated to take place at the Jericho's Intercontinental Hotel on Thursday 9 June. They applied for permits to enter Jericho as a standing order issued by the Israeli army some years ago prevents Israelis from entering Palestinian National Authority areas without special permits issued by the army. Several days of intense contacts between the Israeli headquarters of the Geneva Initiative and the Israeli army yielded no results and the conference had to be cancelled.

The way Israel disrupted the conference, said a statement issued by the Palestinian Peace Coalition/ Geneva Initiative, shows that Israel is not interested at all in allowing forces of peace from both sides to meet and discuss their future and the future of their children.

The statement said that high level officials from the Palestinian National Authority have confirmed their participation including a representative of President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei', PLO Executive Committee Member Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is also head of the PPC, and a number of Palestinian ministers and members of the PLC. From the Israeli side, would-be participants included Interior Minister Ofir Pines Baz, Yachad Party Chairman Yossi Beilin and a number of Knesset members and peace supporters.

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