JERUSALEM – December 05, 2005 – Today’s suicide bombing at a mall in Netanya, Israel, which has killed 5 and wounded at least 30 civilians, marks an appalling escalation of violence in the region, which continues to be roiled by violent Israeli army raids, reprisals and assassinations in Palestinian towns, and a continuing confiscation of Palestinian lands and rights by the Government of Israel. While groups allegedly linked to al-Aqsa Brigades and Islamic Jihad have issued contradicting statements claiming responsibility for the attack, it remains unclear which group is ultimately to blame.

No matter how great the provocations against the people of Palestine, such acts are inhumane, immoral and counterproductive, and negate the very principles of human rights and justice on which the Palestinian cause is founded. MIFTAH thus calls on all Palestinians to join us in condemning such acts, and also calls on all Palestinian factions to renounce arms and to restore the monopoly of force to the proper instruments of the Palestinian National Authority.

MIFTAH also reminds the Palestinian people that such acts do a great disservice to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause.

Lastly, MIFTAH calls on all parties and observers, national and international, to work together through a process of dialogue and negotiation to resolve the conflict in a peaceful manner.

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH, is a non-governmental, non-partisan Jerusalem-based institution dedicated to fostering democracy and good governance within Palestinian society through promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of information and ideas and the challenging of stereotyping at home and abroad.

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