SF: Gaza attacks play into extremists' hands
Daily air strikes by Israelis in the Gaza strip are adding fuel to the fire for more hardline Palestinians, a senior Sinn Féin figure warned today.
After a meeting in Jericho with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekhat, former Belfast Lord Mayor Alex Maskey said Palestinians who supported the peace process felt badly undermined by the bloodshed which has seen around 130 lives lost over the past fortnight.
And he called on the international community to urge Israel to end its two-week military operation and throw its weight behind the Road Map to Peace.
As reports emerged of three more Palestinians being killed in an air strike on the Jabaliyah refugee camp, the South Belfast Assembly member told PA News: “It was clear from the meeting with Mr Erekhat today that the Palestinians right now feel that the prospect of peace is very bleak.
“Blood is being spilt on a daily basis and it is being further exacerbated by the Israelis cutting through huge swathes of Palestinian settlements with the wall they have been erecting.
“It is quite clear that Palestinians who have been promoting the peace process feel undermined each day by Israeli actions.”
In the latest incident in the north of the Gaza strip, the Israeli Army said it had killed three militants.
Around 130 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive, with a high civilian death toll.
In one controversial incident a 13-year-old girl carrying a schoolbag was gunned down by Israeli soldiers.
Israel has said the operation is a response to Palestinian rocket attacks on their towns.
Earlier today Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim indicated operations would be scaled back as a gesture to Palestinians observing the holy month of Ramadan.
“We have no desire to make it difficult for the population,” he told Israeli radio.
“The operation has met its objectives and the level of Qassam attacks has dropped considerably.”
However Mr Maskey said Palestinians were treating the Israeli minister’s comments sceptically.
“Palestinian leaders believe the offensive is only playing into the hands of more extreme groups like Hamas,” he said.
“There is a lot of distress right here, a lot of despair and a lot of anger - not just at the huge loss of life, but also at the stranglehold on the area.
“I am travelling as a foreigner and I am finding it quite difficult to get around.
“However citizens here are not able to move without papers and see their relatives.
“The Palestinian Authority is anxious to ensure that the international community does its bit.
“They want the United Nations, the European Union and the United States to really swing in behind the Road Map and follow through on their promises on humanitarian aid.
“In one case, you are talking about one of the Palestinian refugee camps housing almost a quarter of a million people.
“The international community needs to come fully in behind the road map and boost the peace process.”
Mr Maskey, who was also touring the Jerusalem and Bethlehem region, met Saeb Erekhat in the Palestinian Authority’s Negotiation Affairs Department in Jericho.
The Sinn Féin MLA said he would meet Palestinian officials on his return to Ireland and would brief his party leadership on the situation in the Middle East.
