RAMALLAH, February 1, 2011 (WAFA) - In its weekly session, chaired by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in Ramallah Tuesday, the Palestinian cabinet strongly warned against escalation and “terrorist” attacks by settlers against the Palestinian people.

It said in a statement that the cabinet strongly condemns “the crimes of killing the boy, Yousef Musa Ikhlil, from Khirbet Safa in Hebron, and the young man, Odai Maher Qados, from Iraq Burin in Nablus.”

The cabinet also condemned the settlers’ burning cars of Palestinians in Nablus, cutting trees in Hebron and preventing the arrival farmers to their lands in the Jordan Valley.

It said “the Israeli government bears full responsibility for the settlers’ terrorist attacks against the unarmed Palestinians.”

It; also called on “the international community to shoulder its responsibilities, and the need to provide international protection to our people.”

 
The cabinet strongly condemned the decision of an Israeli military court in Ofer military camp to expel the Child, Islam Saleh Dar Ayoub, from his home in Nabi Saleh to Ramallah, and forcing his family to rent a house and install a phone line so that the occupation officer will be able to call the child to make sure he was present at home.

It considered this decision as “shameful and reflects the repressive policy and illegal practices of the occupation, which contravene human rights, especially children’s rights.”

The cabinet welcomed the decisions of Paraguay and Cyprus to recognize the Palestinian sate on 1967 borders. It also appreciated Ireland's decision to raise the level of diplomatic representation of Palestine.

The cabinet considered that these steps “promote the hope of the Palestinian people and its political leadership to continue to work to build the institutions of a Palestinian state, and to ensure the national preparedness for statehood on the border of Jun 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

The cabinet also said it was committed to holding local elections as soon as possible, and that it will be held in a single day in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It said the date of the elections to be specified at the next meeting.

The cabinet was briefed by the Ministry of Economy on its efforts to monitor prices and to prevent manipulation. The Minister of Labor, who is also chairman of a committee for dialogue with unions, briefed the cabinet in a report on the unions’ demands and the outcome of meetings with them.

The cabinet said it will continue efforts by all possible means to protect the Palestinian consumers and reduce the impact of high prices on them, especially on the vulnerable groups.

It renewed its commitment to increase the annual salaries and transportation expenses of staff of the Palestinian Authority.

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