BARGHOUTI: SETTLEMENT AND SIEGE TWO FACETS OF ISRAELI AGGRESSION

971144684 — **Barghouti: The settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem on one hand and the siege on Gaza on the other are two facets of the Israeli aggression.** (Photo: PIC)

Al-Khalil, 13 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/3 February 2015 (MINA) – Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, said settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem on one hand and the siege on Gaza on the other are two facets of the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people.

Barghouthi said, in a statement on Monday, Israel is planning and actually constructing 14,523 new settlement units in occupied Jerusalem and all over the West Bank, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

At the same time, it keeps on the crippling siege on Gaza and hinders the reconstruction of the enclave, he said, adding that thousands of displaced Gazans have been suffering from miserable health and environmental conditions.

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Dr. Barghouthi said that the conference on Gaza reconstruction was a “big deception” just like the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. It aims to cover the crimes of the Israeli occupation as well as the expansion of settlements and the attempt to liquidate the Palestinian question, according to Barghouthi.

He opined that the real deterrent to Israeli crimes requires speeding up the unification of the Palestinian people under a unified leadership, to hold Israel accountable before international courts, and to escalate the popular resistance and boycott of Israel. (T/P011/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)