Khaled Osaily. خالد العسيلي رئيس بلدية الخيل السابق خالد العسيلي
Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, implied that the Quartet is preparing a plan to relaunch the peace process, in which it requests the Israeli government to turn B and C areas under its control to A areas falling under Palestinian control, in preparation for the creation of a Palestinian State.
Mr. Serry, who was accompanied by Pascal Sono, Head of UNSCO’s Ramallah office, was speaking during a visit to Hebron in which he met with its Mayor, Khaled Osaily.
At a press conference following the meeting, Robert Serry said: “If Israel is serious about the peace process and the two-state solution, and if we want to roll back occupation and to ensure the success of PM Fayyad’s program for the building of a Palestinian State, then the following should take place: a full stop to settlements and settlement activities, an end to Israeli violations in A areas in which PM Fayyad is doing a great job to ensure security, as well as turning B and C areas into A areas. Once these three conditions are met, then we could say that occupation has rolled back, which is what the International Community wants and what we want to see in the Palestinian Territories. This would have a positive impact on the execution of humanitarian, economic and infrastructure projects and on developing the region”.
Mr. Serry also said that he understood the difficult conditions in Hebron. “I know that the situation in Hebron is still difficult, but I admire achievements made by both its Governor and Mayor despite dire conditions. However, there is still a fear of Israeli security violations in Hebron, as well as of violence, settlement activities and harassments against inhabitants”, he added.
During his meeting with Mr. Serry at Hebron Municipality, Mayor Osaily explained to his guest that Israel tries to impose a status quo in Hebron in general and in its Old City in particular. More than 40 thousand Palestinians are denied a normal life because of 25 Jewish settler families living in the heart of the city. An effective solution to this problem, he said, would be to remove these settlers from the Old City, thus putting an end to a situation which has lasted for decades during which Palestinians were oppressed and denied their rights, their lives were threatened and their properties attacked. Osaily also underlined the importance of executing vital projects targeting youths in the city, in order to improve their lives and to provide them with a breathing space where they can unleash their potential and harness their capacities to build an open, enlightened, educated and developed State once given the chance to do so, proving to the world that they are amongst peace-loving people.
At the Press Conference, Osaily outlined the requests submitted to his guest. “We have submitted several requests in an attempt to serve inhabitants, including lifting checkpoints in and around Hebron, and turning C and B areas into A areas where projects can be executed and industrial zones built to serve Hebronites”, he said. Osaily added that good ties exist between Hebron and Mr. Serry who is visiting the city for the third time and who has been briefed on conditions in it and on occupation practices. Furthermore, Osaily said that Palestinians call for exerting pressure on the Israeli government so that it respects international resolutions, which is a legitimate and rightful demand. By doing so, Israel would prove that it is serious about achieving peace in the region.
