Khaled Osaily. خالد العسيلي رئيس بلدية الخيل السابق خالد العسيلي
A post-graduate student delegation majoring in Law and Management at Harvard University visited Hebron on the 15th of March in order to get better acquainted with conditions in the Old City, express solidarity with its residents and monitor human rights violations committed by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinians, an issue which falls within their fields of study.
Mayor Osaily welcomed the delegation at the Municipality, thanking its members for their show of solidarity with Palestinian legitimate rights enshrined in international resolutionsas well as for their humane feelings anddesire to see justice prevail and to help the oppressed.
Following a brief overview on the city’s history and threats caused by the continuing occupation, illegal and illegitimate Israeli decisions regarding Islamic holy sites, measures taken by occupation authorities in the Old City and massacres committed against unarmed Palestinians, Osaily spoke about the project to inscribe Hebron on Unesco’s World Heritage List. He called on delegation members to support this project and to join the international lobby working towards this end.
Osaily also spoke about peace prospects under the current Israeli government which he described as a “settler government”. “Palestinians are a peace-loving nation. They want their children to live in peace like all other children in the world. The Palestinian leadership extends its hands towards a just and comprehensive peace, but it seems that the other party does not wish to achieve this peace based on international resolutions, and continues to hinder all attempts to achieve a political settlement in the region. An international stance is needed to pressure Israel to put an end to its policies, force it to abide by international law and respect all that was agreed upon within the peace process. Israel’s inhumane measures which go against internationally agreed-upon human rights must also be unveiled”, he added.
Osaily then replied to questions raised by delegation members on political conditions in the city, its history, the nature of relations between Palestinians and setters, prospects for peace in the region and for the independence of Palestine as well as questions on his own vision on how to achieve prosperity and ensure a decent life to Hebron’s inhabitants.
Prior to the meeting, delegation members had toured Old City quarters, Palestinian homes adjacent to settler outposts and Al Ibrahimi Mosque, receiving a first-hand view of provocative measures imposed at its entrances.
