13 September Scottish Friends of Palestine Press Release

Scottish Friends of Palestine expresses its concern at recent developments in occupied Palestine.

Scottish Friends of Palestine expresses its concern at recent developments in occupied Palestine.

It questions those actions taken by Israel, the US, the EU which not only effectively deny the Palestinian people under occupation any political representation other than that which Israel and the US approve, but also denies those under occupation the tenuous hold on life represented by charities which are now proscribed, particularly by the US.

SFoP condemns the assassination and attempted assassination of political and religious leaders whose only proven "offence" has been to vocally oppose and to advocate struggle against the occupation.

To attempt to murder the housebound, quadraplegic Sheikh Yassin is nothing short of cowardice. To murder Ismail Abu Shanab, the Hamas pragmatist who had openly advocated living alongside Israel, defies logic - unless Sharon and his government have no interest in peace, except on their own terms.

SFoP rejects and refutes the "spin" placed upon the recent resignation of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister. To put the blame on the shoulders President Arafat may be convenient for the agendas of Bush and Sharon, but ignores the reality of the past few weeks.

PM Abbas' hard won ceasefire by the resistance groups was never acknowledged by Israel, the occupation continued as usual with a bit of window dressing here and there. In particular the accelerated practice of the occupation forces in using battlefield armour to attack civilian areas in pursuit of alleged offenders was a clear display of contempt by Sharon for the efforts of PM Abbas.

Essentially a US/Israeli appointee whose first task was to address the concerns of the occupier and not his people, Abbas was never given a chance. SFoP expresses concern over the banning of charitable institutions which provide a lifeline to the Palestian under occupation. In particular it questions the freezing of the funds of the UK charity, Interpal, by the Charity Commission.

Apart from the general frenzy of ill-will towards those charities who may (or may not) have connections with Islamic foundations, no justification is offered. Given the dire situation facing the Palestinians under occupation, their need for charitable donations in order to survive, the approriate procedure should be to investigate first, before instituting a freeze.

Finally, SFoP must now question the outcome of recent events. With Palestinian political figures: either fair game for a bloodthirsty occupier or demeaned and marginalised in the eyes of their own people by the murderous activities of the occupier face or as in the case of the charismatic Marwan Bargouthi, kidnapped into Israel to face charges the basis of which, because of "security considerations", will never see the light of day in any Israeli court what does the political process now offer the Palestinian people?

SFoP poses another question. We all know where the US and Israel stand on the matter. But where does Tony Blair, who not so along ago was promising to address the situation in occupied Palestine as a matter of priority, stand? Where does the EU stand?

If the Middle East is not to collapse into an inferno of hate and hopelessness then SFoP urges

1] EU support for steps to be immediately taken to create the conditions necessary to hold free and fair elections in the occupied Palestinian territories (as was planned for the start of 2003)

2] EU support for an international presence (under the control of the UN) in the occupied Palestinian territories

Hugh Humphries Sec Scottish Friends of Palestine (0141 637 8046)

Scottish Friends of Palestine was formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent attacks on the Palestinian refugee communities. It is an independent organisation with no political or religious affiliations.

SFoP supports the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty. These rights have all been acknowledged by the United Nations.

SFoP campaigns for immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all territories illegally occupied, including East Jerusalem. We work for educational, social and cultural links between the Scottish and Palestinian peoples.

End of Press Release

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