Dr. Ashrawi on establishment of new Palestinian village of “Bab Al Shams”: “This initiative is a highly creative and legitimate non-violent tool to protect our land from Israeli colonial plans”:
PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi welcomed the initiative to establish a new Palestinian village in the area where Israel plans to expand the Ma’ale Adumin settlement. “Bab al Shams” (Gate of the Sun) was established today by hundreds of Palestinians and international supporters, including the rightful owners of the land, popular committees, youth groups and other civil society organizations.
“This initiative is a highly creative and legitimate non-violent tool to protect our land from Israeli colonial plans. We have the right to live anywhere in our State, and we call upon the international community, to support such initiatives, as well as to protect those who arebeing threatened by Israeli occupation forces for exercising their right topeaceful resistance against the illegal Israeli occupation.”
Dr. Ashrawi congratulated the organizers: “This is collective effort initiated by civil society, including youth, social, and political organizations, who came together to support the right of the owners of the land to make use of it as they see fit. We fully support and encourage non-violent popular resistance against the Israeli occupation throughout the State of Palestine.”
To conclude, Dr. Ashrawi highlighted the fact that “what this great initiative demonstrates, are the serious hardships that Palestinians face, just to live on their own land. Those who have challenged the occupation forces are being threatened simply for trying to peacefully make use of theland belonging to the occupied State of Palestine. What is happening at Bab Al Shams is reminder of the apartheid regime that Israel has imposed for the exclusive use of land for Jewish Israeli settlers all over Palestine.”