RAMALLAH, April 17, 2012 (WAFA) - The Palestinian Cabinet Tuesday called on the United Nations to immediately mobilize to exert serious pressure on Israel to release all Palestinian detainees, according to a cabinet statement.
The Cabinet, following its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, affirmed that Israel should treat detainees according to international conventions and covenants by granting them their rights stipulated in those agreements.
Marking the Palestinian Prisoner Day, the Cabinet expressed the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian people’s solidarity with the prisoners in their struggle and strike held today to gain their basic rights, including halt of strip-search policy, collective punishment, deprivation of visitations, prohibition of secondary and higher education, denial of newspaper access, and continuous cell attacks and maltreatment.
In addition, the Cabinet severely condemned Israeli violence against international activists, the last of which was the attack of an occupation military officer against a Danish activist during his participation in a cycling tour around the Jordan Valley on Saturday.
The release criticized Israeli ban on an international peaceful solidarity group from heading to Bethlehem to participate in peaceful activities condemning occupation and its violent and oppressive policies against our people.
The Cabinet welcomed the Quartet’s call on Israel to hold responsibility and take active measures to end settlers’ violence and incitement, including holding them accountable to their actions, welcomed the Quartet’s statement that Area-C is viable for the future of a Palestinian state and called to enable PA to conduct economic and social developments in it.
Moreover, it affirmed the importance of having the Quartet actively follow-up and create mechanisms that would guarantee Israel’s compliance to the implementation of its commitments.
The release called on the Quartet to have Israel commit to a total end of settlement activities including East Jerusalem and its surroundings, considering Israel’s continuation of settlement activities in contravention with international law and forms a genuine danger on the two-state solution and the future of peace in the region.
R.Q.
