 (AKI) - The US must use the Middle East peace summit to put more pressure on Israel to ensure any kind of lasting peace, according to Palestinian officials.
| "But don't go puttin' no pressure on us! We got enough pressure!" |
Speaking on the eve of the US-sponsored summit in the city of Annapolis next week, several senior officials expressed concern that little would arise from the global talks. "We thought that the Annapolis peace conference would be a kind of gift to the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Fatah movement," a Palestinian spokesman told Adnkronos International (AKI), on condition of anonymity. "But in reality, at this point, the state of things is not encouraging. We hope the US will put pressure on Israel and limit the eventual damage, that could be exploited by Hamas to firm its support. Israel does not want peace."
| Ddidn't get everything you wanted handed to you on a silver platter, huh? |
Fatah spokesman Samir Nayfa said the Annapolis conference is "in the interests of the Americans, the Palestinians and the Israelis and each of the parties will commit to gaining the best possible results". According to Nayfa: "Although the results seem unclear right now, our presence at Annapolis is in the interests of the Palestinians."
But Moustafa Barghouti, deputy Palestinian leader from the progressive Mubadara Party, attacked Israel on the eve of the summit, saying Jerusalem was responsible for a "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza and "nothing will change" after Annapolis. In a telephone interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) from Ramallah, Barghouti said Israel was not " a real partner for peace" and was " confusing the international community, by advancing initiatives about which it was not serious." Barghouti said the Palestinians wanted the release of 432 Palestinian prisoners and could not discuss the creation of an independent Palestinian state while the Israeli occupation of Gaza continued.
"They just released 400 and some prisoners!"
"Those ain't the 400 and some we're talking about!"
"They're not occupying Gaza anymore, either!"
"They say they're not!" |
On his party's website, Barghouti said Israeli violations of human rights in Gaza were being ignored and he cited a list of what he alleged were recent Israeli attacks and injuries on Palestinians. In addition he claimed ten Gaza patients had died recently as a direct result of Israeli roadblocks. |