News, September 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
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Israeli Wall Is Terrifying, Palestinian Adviser Tarazi Says
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News Correspondent
WASHINGTON, 30 September 2003 — Palestinian Liberation Organization legal adviser Michael Tarazi has said that the failure of peace negotiations with Israel was ironic, since the Palestinians have no state to govern. He also said that the Israeli wall is a terrifying development.
Tarazi told Arab News yesterday the Saudi Middle East peace initiative failed because the day after the Arab League adopted Crown Prince Abdullah’s resolution, Israel invaded Ramallah. Israel is not motivated to have a peace agreement, said Tarazi.
“Their motivation for a peace agreement is because they’re desperately trying to find a way to rid themselves of Muslims and Christians — they don’t want them inside Israel. The Israeli strategy is of ridding itself of the Palestinian population, while helping itself to our land.”
“You can talk about the symptoms of violence and human rights violations, but if you’re not prepared to talk about the disease of occupation and denial of Palestinian freedom, you won’t be able to address the symptoms successfully.”
The so-called Israeli security wall around the occupied territories is a “terrifying development,” Tarazi said. “It’s a slab of concrete with watch towers and barbed wire, it has electric fences — these are the walls of an open air prison.”
He voiced frustration over the Bush administration’s criticism about the Palestinian Authority. “They’ve totally forgotten that there are legal rights that govern this conflict and one cannot fault the Palestinians because they refuse to give up their rights.”
“Many Palestinians wonder why we go through the motions — when in reality we have no state to govern.”
Tarazi criticized reports of Christians fleeing Muslim-controlled territories. “For 1,500 years Palestinian Christians have lived under Palestinian Muslim sovereignty where the Christians prospered and grew. In the past 36 years our numbers have diminished, and everyone blames the Muslims, this makes me mad,” he said.
“The Israeli occupation is at fault, not relations between Christians and Muslims. No one wants to live under occupation; many Christians have the finances to leave. The same is true about wealthier Muslims. Those who can go — do.”
The alliance between the “Christian Zionists” and the Israeli government, Tarazi, a Christian, said, “has hijacked the essence of Christianity.”
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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