Qrei government takes oath, resistance rejects emergency case
The ministers of the new Palestinian government chaired by Ahmad Qrei took their constitutional oath at the headquarters of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Minister of the Interior Naser Yousef was late in taking his oath for emergency reasons and the same was for minister Jawad al-Teibi who was prevented by the occupation forces from leaving Khan Younis city. It is expected that the new government will within days submit its ministerial statement to the legislative council.
Before taking his oath, Qrei stressed that priorities for his government's work during this month will be the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement. He added in a press statement that the grave conditions which face the Palestinians, pushed the Palestinian leadership to announce a state of emergency and to declare an emergency government.
He stressed that the main concentration for the new government is to maintain security and impose the law. He explained that his government will not use the emergency law against the Palestinian resistance groups under any condition despite the American demands to chase the armed groups. He said he will challenged the Israeli attacks via dialogue and there will be no emergency laws.
Meantime, the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat called on the international Quartet group and the Arab leaders to move quickly in order to salvage peace in the Middle East against what he called "catastrophes committed by the Israeli army and settlers against the Palestinian villages, cities and camps."
Meantime, the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements deplored in a joint statement the declaration made by the Palestinian president to activating a state of emergency and formation of an emergency government at a time when what it described as aggression against the Palestinian people continues and expands to cover the Syrian territories.
One of the leading figures of the Islamic resistance groups Hamas, Abdul Aziz al-Ranteisi, said that the Palestinian authority responded to the US and Israeli pressure to form this government in order to declare war against resistance groups.
On the other hand, the Israeli occupation forces yesterday broke into al-Magheir village in Ramullah and imposed curfew on it. News reports said that the Israeli soldiers broke into several houses and confiscated properties and detained its occupants.
The Israeli occupation forces also broke into the house of Sheikh Bassam al-Saadi family, the commander of the Islamic Jihad, who was arrested several days ago. His son was also detained.