UNITED NATIONS/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 7 August — The UN General Assembly passed a resolution yesterday expressing grave concern over Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian cities and the “dire humanitarian situation” facing Palestinians.
The resolution, drafted jointly by European Union and Palestinian envoys and approved 114 to four with 11 abstentions, demands the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian cities and towns and stresses the need for free access to Palestinian areas at all times by medical and humanitarian relief organizations. It “condemns also all attacks against civilians on both sides.”
The UN call, however, had little effect on the ground. Israel assassinated two Palestinian fighters and threatened to strip Arab Israeli activists of citizenship. The Israeli Supreme Court also rejected an appeal from Palestinian families to stop the military’s demolition of homes belonging to relatives of resistance fighters.
Commenting on the death of the two Palestinians, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: “There was a routine arrest operation in Jaba’a village. Two suspects escaped. A chase ensued and the two were killed.” Witnesses said they saw a helicopter gunship opening fire at a car. Both belonged to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Israel said it planned to take the unprecedented step of revoking the citizenship of Israeli Arabs connected to “terrorist groups”. The move follows recent punitive measures against Palestinians, including demolition of houses belonging to bombers and threats to exile members of their families.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai proposed implementing for the first time a long-standing law allowing him to annul citizenship and residency rights, saying he was considering using it against three Arabs.
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on a rash of petitions that the demolitions ranked as “military operations”. The court also ruled that the army did not have to give any warning to the families beforehand because “it would put soldiers lives in danger”. About 50 families appealed to the court out of fear the army might raze their homes.
Hard-line Palestinian groups yesterday lashed out at an Israeli proposal to the Palestinian Authority (PA) aimed at winding down 22 months of violence, even as the PA mulled the offer floated in the highest-level security meeting in months.
In Washington, the State Department said that Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet a Palestinian delegation that is visiting Washington Thursday and Friday.
