By Xinhua,
Ramallah : An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday accused Israel of keeping obstructing any progress in the peace negotiations with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian Presidency, told reporters that “the increase of roadblocks in the West Bank proves that Israel is not serious and still puts obstacles before the ongoing negotiations.”
Abu Rudeineh made the remarks in response to a United Nations report saying contrary to what Israel had announced, the number of roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank had increased.
The report said there are at least 600 Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks all over the West Bank, which hardens the movement of the population, noting that the roadblocks had increased in the last couple of months.
“Such Israeli policy would lead to widening the gap. This policy would certainly affect the confidence in the peace process,” said Abu Rudeineh, adding that “Israel is not fulfilling its promises to the international community.”
Meanwhile, Mustafa al-Barghouti, an independent lawmaker in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), said that Israel “is misleading the world’s public opinion by saying that it eases the hardships on Palestinians daily life.”
“Our people’s suffering is mounting due to the Israeli measures. Israel restricts the daily life and announces to the media that it eases such measures,” said al-Barghouti.
He warned that “Israel procrastinates in order to win more time and use the peace negotiations as coverage to its daily crimes it commits against the Palestinian people and imposes new facts on the ground.”
The peace talks between Israel and the PNA, which envision an independent Palestinian statehood before U.S. President George W. Bush steps down in January, have made little tangible progress since relaunched at the U.S.-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November.