Dr. Ashrawi : The toxic Israeli campaign seeks to destroy Palestinian statehood and the chances of peace

As the international community seeks to cooperate in combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Israel is exploiting the situation to expedite de facto annexation of Palestinian land while providing protection and cover to armed Israeli settlers in their terror attacks against defenseless Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank. 

This is what the member of the PLO Executive Committee Dr. Hanan Ashrawi said in a statement sent today to Syria Times e-newspaper.

She added: “As part of its escalating plans to enforce the notorious E1 settlement project, Israel has further announced the construction of a new apartheid road near the illegal settlement of “Maale Adumim,” despite international warnings that this project will annex large areas around occupied Jerusalem and would destroy the territorial contiguity of Palestine.

Concurrently, Israeli settlers have sharply increased their terrorist attacks throughout the occupied West Bank under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. Most recently, Israeli settlers have repeatedly raided Mount Al-‘Orma near Nablus in an attempt to take over the area with the active participation of the Israeli army. The Palestinians of Beita-Nablus have faced repeated assaults with courage and determination despite the great cost and suffering they have endured.  

The latest victim of this escalation is 15-year-old Mohammed Hamayel who was shot and killed by Israeli live fire. Additionally, scores of injuries and cases of suffocation were reported, caused by Israeli army and settler attacks.

Furthermore, the closed-off Bethlehem area, which is the epicenter of Palestine’s COVID-19 outbreak and under strict measures of quarantine, has been targeted by Israeli settlers who uprooted at least 1,200 olive and vine trees as part of their ongoing environmental terrorism. At the same time, the Israeli army stepped up the expansion of the massive settlement bloc of “Gush Etzion” to complete the siege and isolation of occupied Jerusalem.

While the world is preoccupied with combating the dangerous spread of the lethal virus, one must not ignore the toxic Israeli campaign seeking to destroy Palestinian statehood and the chances of peace.”

Basma Qaddour