Mustafa Al-Barghouthi Tells European Social Forum the Question of Palestine is One of the world's Conscience

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Friday September 19, 2008 18:47 by Palestine News Network - PNN
Palestinian Legislative Council member, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, says that he cannot talk about peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state that has Jerusalem as its capital. He spoke at the European Social Forum in Malmo, Sweden.

Also Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Barghouthi told European social movements and solidarity organizations that the issue of Palestine is one for the world’s conscience. “It is the most important issue in the struggle for peace and justice.”

In the forum he discussed developments in the Palestinian arena, including risks and Israeli violations. He focused particularly on settlement activity, construction of the Wall, the blockade, assassinations and arrests. “All of these violations are being committed under the guise of negotiations.”

Dr. Barghouthi also talked about the pressing need to activate the solidarity movement with the Palestinian people on an international level. “We are looking for more solidarity movements to join the Palestinian people in their struggle against the apartheid wall and the apartheid system which is in place in both Israeli and Palestinian territories.”

It is thoroughly reported that Israel is seeking to buy time to impose further facts on the ground and complete several of its expansion plans. Dr. Barghouthi said, “Since the Annapolis conference, settlers have been seizing land 38 times faster in Jerusalem and 20 times faster in the West Bank. Military checkpoints have increased since Annapolis from 521 to 620.”

Dr. Barghouthi spoke with the European Social Forum about the 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, noting that the release of 770 as a “good will gesture” was conducted at the same time that Israeli forces arrested another 3,400. “This demonstrates the policy of deception.”

He also talked about the importance of the Palestinian nonviolent resistance movement and the brutally repressive Israeli measures it faces. Dr. Barghouthi said that Israel aims to break the model of nonviolence and drag Palestinians into a cycle of violence. “The world remains silent regarding the practices of Israel.” He asked that any nation involved with importing weapons from Israel stop as it is a serious part of the military industrial complex as the fourth largest source of weapons.

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