Jordan Times
Monday, January 5, 2004
Muasher meets Musa, condemns Israeli Nablus raid
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher on Sunday condemned Israeli killing of Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus and expressed Jordan's concern over the escalation of violence.
Muasher said Jordan rejects Israel's “policy of assassinations,” adding that it jeopardises all efforts to revive the peace process.
Israeli soldiers on Saturday shot dead four Palestinians in one of the bloodiest confrontations in Nablus.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia on Sunday condemned the international community's “silence” to Israel's major army operation, which killed three teenagers and a 25-year-old man.
Nablus has been the scene of frequent fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians in the last few weeks.
During a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa, Muasher reiterated Jordan's warning against Israel's controversial and highly-condemned separation barrier, which cuts deep into Palestinian territories.
“It is the most dangerous obstacle facing the entire peace process,” Muasher told reporters. He said, if completed, the wall, along with Israel's “security measures,” would abort any chance for a Palestinian state and threaten the stability of the region.
Both Muasher and Mussa said they were preparing legal arguments to be presented before the International Court of Justice against the controversial barrier. “We have set up a working team in order to present our case to the international court to help it take a sound judgement,” Muasher said, adding that Jordan was coordinating with international lawyers and other Arab countries, in addition to the league, on the issue.
The UN General Assembly last month referred the “separation wall” issue to the international court in the Hague. The assembly asked the court to rule on the legal consequences of the wall which created widespread international condemnation and controversy.
The court is expected to begin hearings on Feb. 23.
Arab countries have been urged by the 22-member league to prepare their cases and submit documents to its headquarters in Cairo by the end of January.
“We believe that we have a clear responsibility to present our own case since we have been closely associated with the Palestinian issue for a very long time. The West Bank was part of the Kingdom and as such we are coordinating this effort with all Arab states and the league to make sure we present a highly competent submission to the court on behalf of Jordan,” the top diplomat explained.
Meanwhile, Musa brushed aside Israel's decision to reauthorise work permits for 29,000 Palestinian labourers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip saying it was a small gesture that “doesn't work.”
“I'm not moved by a small gesture because there are other gestures that are fully negative such as the barriers, the occupation measures, operations, the siege, settlements and the wall,” he told reporters.
The Israeli army on Sunday reauthorised work permits for 29,000 Palestinian labourers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, weeks after revoking the permits following a suicide bombing in Israel, news reports said. The permits allow the workers to enter Israel for jobs in construction, restaurants and other fields.
Israel had granted about 33,000 permits in recent months. The permits were revoked after a Dec. 25 suicide bombing near Tel Aviv.
Musa, who is on a two-day visit to the Kingdom for talks with officials on the latest regional developments, also accused Israel of “welcoming” attempts to divide the war-torn Iraq.
“Dividing Iraq is extremely unacceptable to the Arab nation, countries and the league,” he added. The secretary general hoped that Iraqis would not fall prey to “such schemes at dividing their country and to realise that their unity, and not a civil war, is what matters in such difficult times.