Amman, August 15 (Petra) – The Jordan Press Association (JPA) on
Saturday condemned the ongoing Israeli escalation against the rights
of the Palestinians and “acts of genocide” perpetrated by successive
Israeli governments in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.

In a statement, the committee denounced the siege and harassment of
residents of the Palestinian town of Qusra in the Nablus district.

The committee condemned steps aimed at paving the way for the
annexation of the occupied West Bank, including the transfer of
security responsibilities in Israeli settlements from the army to the
police.

It said that the Israeli violations and transferring security
responsibilities in Israeli settlements to the police eliminate
prospects for a future peace agreement with Israel.

The committee warned that the continued expansion of Israeli
settlement activity, coupled with the silence of major world powers
over the need to restrain Israel, would further destabilise the
region and undermine prospects for establishing an independent
Palestinian state.

It called on the United States to uphold its commitments to halt
settlement activity, end “massacres” in the occupied West Bank and
Gaza and preserve the existing status quo in occupied Jerusalem and
its holy sites in line with relevant international resolutions.

The committee called on journalists’ unions across Arab countries to
support Jordan’s efforts to expose Israeli violations and to stand
with Palestinians in their steadfastness on their land until the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem
as its capital.

//Petra// AK