Khaled Osaily. خالد العسيلي رئيس بلدية الخيل السابق خالد العسيلي
Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily met on the 27th of July with Mr. Igor Pogacar, Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the PNA and his accompanying delegation. The delegation visited Hebron in order to get better acquainted with conditions in Hebron and particularly in its Old City as well as to discuss means to activate economic ties and cooperation between institutions in Hebron and their counterparts in Slovenia. The meeting was also attended by members of Hebron’s Municipal Council.
Following his words of welcome, Osaily spoke in detail about the political situation in Hebron, the city’s division into two parts and the continuing occupation of its Southern part. This situation negatively affects development and service-related projects in the area due to closures and hurdles imposed by occupation authorities which hinder the work of municipal crews, he said. Osaily also compared between urban development in the city’s northern areas and the dire conditions in its southern part. He then invited his guest to take part in the inauguration of the new municipal indoor sports hall which shall take place next Friday and shall be attended by PM Salam Fayyad.
“All policies implemented by Hebron Municipality are in line with the plans we have drafted for developmental, infrastructural and service-related projects. This can clearly be seen in the Northern parts of the city while its Southern parts remain under occupation and suffer tremendously due to the presence of settlers. The Israeli occupation and the presence of settlers have delayed the execution of some projects and hindered the optimal execution of many others. The international community must take a real positive stance to show solidarity with Palestinians and to safeguard their history and holy places. Many freedom-loving people in this world reject all forms of discrimination and call for the respect of humanity and for the implementation of international laws and treaties which guarantee the rights of Palestinians to live in freedom and to put an end to the last occupation in the world”, Osaily said.
Mayor Osaily also touched upon existing Palestinian-Slovenian ties and means to strengthen them as well as to create ties between Slovenian municipalities and Hebron Municipality.
Mr. Pogacar affirmed Palestinians’ right to live in peace and freedom and reiterated his country’s support to Palestinians and to their rights stipulated by international bodies. “We provide humanitarian assistance especially to Palestinian children in Gaza and we look forward to enhancing cooperation with and support to our friends the Palestinians with whom we enjoy historical ties. We also look forward to commercial and economic cooperation which serves our common interests”, he said.
The visiting delegation then toured the Old City accompanied by Mr. Kamal Al Dweik, member of the Municipal Council. The tour included the Old City and Al Ibrahimi Mosque and aimed at getting a first-hand account of conditions in the area.
