2024/03/29 at 2:32 صباحًا
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Osaily discusses conditions in Hebron with a high-level German parliamentary delegation

Hebron Mayor, Khaled Osaily, met today at City Hall with a high-level German delegation presided by MP Burkhard Jeschke, with MPs from various German parties and representatives from KFW and GTZ, along with Mr. Goetz Lingenthal, Germany’s representative with the Palestinian National Authority and Motassem Al Ashhab of the German Representative Office, to inform them about political and living conditions in Hebron.

Having greeted the delegation, Osaily expressed thanks to the German government and the European Union for their support of the Palestinians. He specifically thanked the two German international cooperation agencies, GTZ and KFW, for their collaboration in, and support of, various projects in the Palestinian territory. For instance, the agencies had provided support to the water sector and financed the drilling of water wells in Hebron which, for many years now, has been suffering severe water shortages.

Then, Osaily talked about the situation in Hebron and the partitioning imposed upon it by the Israeli occupation. He underscored the aggressions perpetrated by settlers, their confiscation of Palestinian homes, their settlement activities at the heart of the city, which transformed it into a real prison, with electronic gates, closures and endless security measures, allegedly aimed at protecting the safety and security of settlers. He recounted the events of Al Ibrahimi Mosque massacre and the resulting Israeli measures and closures in the city’s southern part.

He explained to the delegation how the implementation of vital, basic development projects has been hampered by the procedures and obstacles imposed by Israeli occupation authorities on the region, and how such procedures restricted the freedom of movement, to say nothing of the negative impact they have of the Palestinian economy. He also mentioned the pressures put on the region’s population and merchants in view of forcing them to pack and leave, underlining the content of the report issued by Israel’s Beit Selem Institution, which mentioned the displacement of 1,000 families from the Old City and the closure of an even larger number of shops due to measures imposed by Israeli authorities on Old City residents.

Regarding the Peace Process, Osaily stated that, despite all the discriminatory policies against Palestinians, the opportunity was great to achieve peace through the efforts of President Abou Mazen, who considers peace as a strategic goal of his administration. However, the settlers’ government, presided by Netanyahu, has preferred settlement to peace and is rejecting all calls to return to the negotiation table in view of putting an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Replying to a query made by the delegation in regard to the possibility of cohabitation with the settlers after Peace is achieved, he added that there were close ties with the old Jewish community who used to live in Hebron and who was taken in and protected by Palestinians in 1929. Personal relations still exist with some of those who were born in the city and any Jew would be welcome in our Palestinian Arab city, provided that they do not come as occupiers or settlers.

Osaily also talked about the development projects which Hebron Municipality has implemented lately, such as Al Hussein Stadium, the indoor sports hall, and the water network control system, which had been inaugurated by the Prime Minister last Saturday. He underscored his special interest in the youth sector and in cultural and educational efforts aimed at bettering the prospects of the new generation and providing the facilities which would help achieve this goal and keep youths away from crime and violence.

Concerning Palestinian requests from the German government and the European Union, Osaily stated that “we look forward to more intervention on the part of Germany and the EU in pressuring Israel and the US Administration into implementing international conventions and agreements regarding the Peace Process, putting an end to Israel’s persistence on continuing its settlement activities, and finishing the Peace Process. All we seek is to achieve international legitimacy.”

At the end of the meeting, Jeschke thanked Osaily for the details and clarifications he provided and expressed solidarity with Hebron. He said that Berlin was also divided and they had gone through what Palestinians were going through in Hebron. He felt that this situation should not persist or that they should, at least, endeavor so that it does not last long. He recalled having visited Hebron as head of another parliamentary delegation in 2006 and that they got attacked by settlers. He noted that they felt the depth of the tragedy this city was going through and hoped this grim reality would come to an end. He promised that they would convey to their government and their people their account of the events they had witnessed here.”

Having exchanged gifts with the Mayor, the delegation members left for the Old City where they went on a field tour, including Old City neighborhoods and demarcation lines with the settlements, as well as Al Ibrahimi Mosque.

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