Fatah is skeptical over Israel's willingness towards regional calm

Sunday April 27, 2008 18:43

by Rami Almeghari - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas cast doubts Sunday over Israel's willingness towards calm, and denounced the Israeli military escalation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, faxed to press from the West Bank city of Ramallah, the party condemned the Israeli military actions against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and said that Israel is apparently unwilling to maintain a state of calm in the region.

" In a time, Palestinian President Abbas voices strong commitment to a comprehensive mutual calm, the Israeli army continues to inflict death and destruction on the Palestinian people", read the statement.

The statement also pointed out a series of meetings, Abbas has recently held with his Egyptian counterpart, Husni Mubarak, saying that the Egyptian role has been a major supportive of the Palestinian people to end the Israeli aggression.

The moderate major Palestinian party called on the American administration, the United Nations and the Quartet committee for Middle East peace to intervene immediately for stopping the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people.

" the party is committed to principles of Palestinian national work, in consistence with the prisoners' document, which preserves the higher interests of the Palestinian people".

Yesterday, President Abbas ended a three-day visit to Washington, but he came out with no pledges from the part of the American administration with respect to realizing a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.

The Fatah's statement came also after Israel rebuffed on Friday a ceasefire initiative, the rival Hamas party in Gaza had submitted on Thursday to Egyptian mediators.