Palestinian group rejects planned direct talks

Ramallah: The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) called on the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to reject direct talks with Israel, saying that any kind of involvement only provides a legal cover for its colonial activities.

Nazim Al Yousuf, deputy chairman of the PLF, said in a statement that Israel's accelerating aggression against the Palestinians comes at a time word about the planned direct talks is widespread. He said that Israeli aggression against the Palestinians takes many shapes in occupied Jerusalem, from colonial activities to blockading Gaza.

"There is a contradiction between the Israeli government's real agenda embodied by what the government does on the ground and the calls for direct negotiations and peace process," he said. "Negotiations have repeatedly proved to be a failure, and still the American administration is exercising unusual pressure on the Palestinian side to bring them back to the useless face to face negotiations," Al Yousuf said.

Al Yousuf said that the frequent Israeli announcements on colony constructions and expansion clearly indicate that the Israelis have been lying about the colony freeze which was the basis of the negotiations. He stressed that direct negotiations will only be used to justify Israeli crimes in occupied Jerusalem, Al Araqeeb and Jericho areas.

"Determination to launch the direct talks within a specific time covers aggressive plans to delete the rights of the Palestinians and attack the entire region," he said.