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Why
can’t we destroy all these
homes in one
operation?–
Shimon Perez
British
Ambassador “Proud” of His Comments
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM –
The British ambassador to
Israel, Sherard Cowper-Coles, said he is “proud” of his comments that were published Monday in which he described the
Occupied Palestinian Territory as “the biggest detention camp in the world.”
He told Ha’aretz Monday that the comments he made that were published in the Yedioth Ahronot daily, were
“exaggerated, but broadly true.”
“The territories are the largest detention camp in the world, in which 3.5
million people live,” Israeli daily Yediot
Aharonot said citing him Monday.
“You have reduced the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip to two vast concentration camps, you are imposing collective house arrest on hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and you are hunting down innocent people in the streets,” the ambassador told the Israeli daily.
The ambassador made his comments during a meeting with the Israeli general overseeing the administration of the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, Amos
Gilad.
Cowper-Coles
was reported criticizing Israel for
continuing to build illegal
settlements, for “the unnecessary
humiliation and harassment” of
Palestinian civilains at checkpoints,
unnecessarily uprooting trees and
making life difficult for the
international welfare organizations.
According to Ha’aretz, his comments, which he says he does not regret, were made “in the spirit of friendship.” He said he was “very shocked” by what he has seen in the territories, “as anyone else who visited there would be.”
The Israeli paper also quoted the
Ambassador as telling Israeli officials that Israeli treatment of ordinary
Palestinians was “absolutely unacceptable.”
Moreover, he said Israel was acting “in violation of the Geneva convention” and accused Israeli forces of displaying
“instances of a lack of professionalism” amid reports of soldiers looting property during military operations in Palestinian cities and towns.
On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres admitted that TV images of Israel’s rampage against
Palestinian civilians were creating a lot of hatred for Israel in Europe.
Peres, who said Israel was being
“quietly boycotted in Europe,” reportedly asked, “Why can’t we destroy all these homes in one operation?” fearing the bad publicity it accompanied.
Two other Israeli officials made similar remarks highlighting anti-Israeli feelings in Europe.
on this website:
Three
Israelis accused in New York of Ecstasy
smuggle
Ecstasy:
A gift from “our best friend and
ally”…Ultra-Orthodox
couriers ran drugs for major
international ring, reports
Reuters