Israel destroying peace process

Israel has again resorted to what it is best at: Deception. Merely hours after it freed a group of Palestinian prisoners from its jails, Israel announced plans to build hundreds of new colony homes on land that Palestinians want for a future state, a UAE paper commented on Friday. ''It is not just that. Israeli troops shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian on Thursday during a raid near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Seven other Palestinians have been shot dead in the territory by Israeli troops since peace talks resumed in July. The latest killing is another example of how Israelis use excessive force against Palestinian civilians in utter disregard for their lives, The Gulf Today wrote in its editorial today. ''The sequence is almost a mirror image of Aug.13 when a first tranche of 26 prisoners were freed and Israel immediately announced construction of more than 2,000 new settler homes, mostly in East Jerusalem, the Sharjah-based daily said. ''Direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians stalled in September 2010, after Israel refused to extend its freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. The two sides resumed negotiations this August following efforts by United States Secretary of State John Kerry. The release of the Palestinian prisoners was part of a deal worked out by Washington to revive the negotiations.'' The construction plan, the paper added, has naturally infuriated Palestinians who feel that Israel is undermining newly re-launched peace efforts. The international community too has joined the condemnation. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has deplored the announcements of further Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and has pointed out that activity is contrary to international law and constitutes an obstacle to peace. ''Washington has cautioned that the plan will not create a "positive environment" for negotiations. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has warned Israel that any action that could hamper or undermine the on-going negotiations must be avoided. ''Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest move on settlements will only destroy the peace process. The settlements are illegal under international law. Israel has to listen to the voice of the international community and immediately end all such deplorable activities. It should also dismantle outposts erected since March 2001. As spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeina, rightly put it, the settlement move is a clear message to the international community that Israel is a country that does not respect international laws,'' The Gulf Today concluded.