TUNIS
By Rachid al-Gari
A senior Palestinian official on Tuesday called for international support in bringing what he described as "war criminals" to justice.
"We appeal to the free people of the world to help the Palestinian people regain their rights, halt [Israel's] fascist aggression, and eliminate [Jewish-only] settlements," Azzam al-Ahmad, the top Palestinian negotiator in indirect, Egypt-hosted negotiations with Israel, said at an international conference in Tunisia devoted to the Palestinian cause.
He said Israel's recent military onslaught on the Gaza Strip had exposed Israel's desire "to deal a blow to the new Palestinian unity government."
Al-Ahmad went on to call on all Palestinian factions to come together in order "to put an end to the [Israeli] occupation."
On July 7, Israel launched a seven-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.
Over the course of the 51-day onslaught, more than 2,150 Palestinians were killed – mostly civilians – and nearly 11,000 injured, while thousands of homes across the territory were partially or totally destroyed.
Over the same period, at least 73 Israelis – 68 soldiers and five civilians – were killed by Palestinian fighters or rocket fire.
The offensive finally ended late last month with an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire deal that was celebrated by resistance faction Hamas as a strategic victory over Israel.
www.aa.com.tr/en
