RAMALLAH, Sept 28: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei marked the anniversary of an uprising on Tuesday by urging Israel and his own people to rethink tactics that have brought four years of bloodshed.
Mr Qorei called on Palestinians to reflect on past mistakes as well as successes but proposed no specific changes and did not repeat previous criticism of Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel. He accused the Jewish state of blocking peace.
The Palestinian prime minister cited Israel's killing of Palestinian fighters abroad, such as Sunday's car bombing of a Hamas leader in Damascus, as an example of 'crazy' policies.
In a sign neither side was budging from entrenched positions in a conflict that has defied every international effort to end it, a senior Israeli official declared it was the Palestinian Authority which should reassess strategy.
Mr Qorei said Israel's military crackdown in occupied Palestinian territories was a key obstacle to a peaceful resolution, but Israel insisted it was acting in self-defence and there would be no let-up until Palestinians abandoned violence.
Hamas and other groups behind a campaign of suicide bombings and shooting attacks vowed to fight on. At least 3,070 Palestinians and 940 Israelis have been killed since the uprising broke out following the visit of then Israeli opposition leader, now Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, to a disputed Al Quds holy site on Sept 28, 2000.
Violence continued as troops shot dead an unarmed Palestinian, described by witnesses as mentally ill, in a raid on Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Israeli military sources said the man approached soldiers and ignored orders to stop.
"This anniversary should make us all - the people, the factions and the Palestinian Authority - reconsider the past four years, where we went wrong and where we went right," Mr Qorei told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Mr Qorei has condemned suicide bombings in Israel as damaging to the Palestinian nationalist cause, but did not repeat this.
LAWLESSNESS: He said growing lawlessness in Palestinian areas was 'unacceptable' but reserved his toughest language for Israel. "We call upon the Israelis to reassess," he said. "Destruction of our homes and continuing the killing of our people and hunting of our activists and leaders inside (Palestinian areas) and abroad is crazy and will lead to neither security nor peace."
He was referring in part to the Damascus bombing that killed Hamas leader Izz el-Deen al Sheikh Khalil. Israeli media cited security sources saying Israel was behind it. -Reuters
YOUTH KILLED:
JENIN: A Palestinian teenager who was throwing stones at Israeli troops was shot dead by soldiers in Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday in the northern West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said. Mahmud Ibzur, 16, died after an Israeli bullet hit him in the chest during confrontations between troops and stone throwers in the camp, they said. -AFP