Middle East Desk
Report
RAMALLAH: Palestine on Friday called on the international community to end the Israeli settlers’ assaults on the Palestinian citizens in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement that it condemns the Israeli settlers’ attacks on several Palestinian citizens’ vehicles on Thursday night north of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The statement said that Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving north of the city, wounding four Palestinians, including a pregnant woman in serious condition. The statement held the Israeli government fully responsible for the settlers’ attacks.
The ministry warned of the serious consequences of such attacks. It added that the settlers’ assaults “are part of the Israeli occupation forces assaults on our people and their properties.”
“We call on the world to put an end to these assaults. The lives of the Palestinians became less important. Some countries still don’t hold Israel responsible for its crimes,” the statement said.
The ministry accused Israel of exploiting the world’s current situation to increase its assaults and crimes against the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday vowed to achieve intra-Palestinian reconciliation and national partnership to end internal division, official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Meeting with the heads of all Palestinian factions, Abbas pledged to make the necessary arrangements for convening the Palestinian Central Council as soon as possible, the report said.
“Until that time we’ll agree on the necessary mechanisms to end the division and achieve reconciliation and national partnership in a time-bound manner and with the participation of all,” Abbas said. He urged all Palestinian factions, particularly Fatah and the Islamic Hamas movement that controls Gaza Strip, to initiate an inclusive dialogue to approve mechanisms to end the division based on the one-people and one-political-system principle.
Abbas said that the meeting was held “at a very dangerous stage, in which our national cause is facing various conspiracies and dangers,” referring to Israel’s illegal annexation plan, the US Mideast plan, and the projects to encourage Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel.