Brussels, 31/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 28 January, the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah expressed concern about the arrest, on 23 January at the International Red Cross office in East Jerusalem, of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Mohammed Totah, and the former minister for Jerusalem affairs, Khaled Abu Arafeh. Concern was also expressed for the recent arrests of PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik and of two PLC members, Khaled Tafesh and Abduljabbar Foqaha.
Pointing out that the Human Rights Council in July 2007 had, in a resolution, called for the immediate release of Palestinian legislators detained by Israel, the missions underline that the arrests “are not conducive to the confidence-building efforts (…) aiming at the resumption of direct peace negotiations between the parties”.
Arafeh and Totah had been taking part in a “sit-in” at the IRC office since 1st July 2010 in protest against deportation orders from Israeli authorities. As East Jerusalem is defined by international humanitarian law as an occupied territory, Israel, considered an “occupying power”, is banned from carrying out the forced transfer of Palestinians, for whatever motives. (CG/transl.jl)