Egypt delegation for saving the truce; Israelis harassment of Palestinian farmers
An Egyptian delegation arrived in Gaza yesterday in a bid to nave the Palestinian truce from collapse at the time when the Palestinian leadership is exerting intensive efforts for containing the domestic front after Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen threatened to resign.
Palestinian security sources said the Egyptian delegation that includes Major General Moustafa Al Behairy, the deputy chief of the Egyptian intelligence service and Major General Mohamed Ibrahim, the official in charge of the Palestinian file will meet Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas Movement and leaders of other Palestinian factions during the three day visit.
Meantime, delegation from the central committee of Fatah Movement called on Abu Mazen in the context of efforts which are aimed at containing the domestic crisis.
Palestinian sources said that President Yasser Arafat and senior members of the committee would spare no effort to convince Abu Mazen of abandoning resignation.
Meantime, a Palestinian Auhority report said :General Secretary of Palestinian Presidency, Al Tayeb Abed Al Raheem said Tuesday in the aftermath of the Palestinian security chiefs’ talks with the Egyptian delegation in Gaza, the Israeli violations of Al Hudna potentially make matters worse.
“The problem is the Israeli violations that give reasons to some people for more reactions” Abed Al Raheem told the reporters following the meeting with Palestinian security chiefs.
Abed al Raheem asserted that all the Palestinian factions “ are fully aware of the trap Israel always tries to catch the Palestinians in”.
“It is imperative to release, unconditionally, all the Palestinian prisoners regardless their factional affiliation” abed al Raheem emphasized. He made clear that President Arafat and Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas made talks by phone with the Egyptian delegation, which currently is visiting Gaza to bolster substantially a cease fire agreement (Al Hudna) declared by all the Palestinian factions in 30 June, 2003 and to continue the Palestinian - Palestinian talks.
Also, the IPC official news agency reported that: Elsewhere in Hebron City, the Israeli occupation forces accompanied with Jewish settlers driven Wednesday dozens of Palestinian civilians out their farms in Al Ramadeen area in the extreme south of Hebron City and banned them to reach there, WAFA said. Palestinian sources follow- up Jewish settlement activities in the city affirmed that the troop of Israeli soldiers backed by military convoys, came together with a mob of Jewish settlers of Sinsana” illegitimate settlement and forced the Palestinian landlords in the abovementioned area under threat of fire, out their lands. Besides, they prevented them from pick up the harvest and notified them not to come back again. No reason has been given for such ban. Ahmed Awad, Palestinian landlord accounted that all the farmers of the area are persistently liable to the Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers frequent attacks, “they wanted to force us to abandon our lands in order to seize it” Awad said.