Israel calls on Palestinians to suppress resistance, strengthen security cooperation
Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai on Tuesday reiterated his call for strengthening military and intelligence cooperation between the Israeli military and intelligence systems and specialized bodies in the Palestinian government.
Mordechai's call is being made despite the stalemate in the Wye River agreement signed between the two sides. Mordechai said his government is working to increase cooperation and security coordination with the Palestinians against "violence."
He admitted that the implementation of agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinian government face obstacles.
Commenting on the message he recently received from US President Bill Clinton and the explanations concerning it in that it constitutes a US initiative to encourage what was called "moderate elements in Israel," Mordechai ruled out the message falling in this context. He noted that relations between the US administration and the Israeli government are good. He expressed gratitude toward US officials' support for Israel.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Legislative Council Hatem Abdul Qader downplayed the conditional decision taken by Mordechai to release some 30 prisoners in the Israeli jails, noting that Mordechai's decision is not enough because Israel still holds huge numbers of Palestinians exceeding 3,500.
Abdul Qader added that there are numerous Palestinians who are being held in Israeli jails without trial and without any justification, a matter which he said constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights. He stressed the need for an Israeli commitment to release all Palestinians held in its prisons.
Abdul Qader, moreover, called upon the Palestinian government to release numerous Palestinians from its prisons. He described the decision taken by the Palestinian government to release only 20 Palestinian detainees as "not enough."
On the other hand, Palestinian Authority member Hassan Asfour denied reports that the Palestinian Authority has taken a decision to postpone the announcement of establishing a Palestinian state on May 4. He described these reports as "mere lies" and "naive." Asfour added that the Palestinian Authority has not yet taken its decision in this respect.
He called on the Israeli government to commit itself to abiding by the timetables set up by agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday at dawn, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two Palestinian citizens from Toulkarem in the occupied West Bank when they tried to pass through a barrier at the entrance of Ben Gurion airport in their cars.