Cairo, March 31 (IANS/WAM) The Arab League has demanded the release of all Palestinian women and children prisoners, particularly the agreed upon final batch of prisoners held by Israel since before the 1993 Oslo agreement.
In a statement marking the 38th anniversary of Land Day, a commemoration by Palestinians of events that occurred March 30, 1976, the League re-affirmed its support for the Palestinian people who are seeking to establish an independent state of Palestine within the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It called for the lifting of the siege that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel for more than half a decade in total violation of international law, according to the WAFA News Agency of Palestine.
It also called upon the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop its settlement policy.
The League reiterated its total rejection of Israel’s plans to Judaise Jerusalem and the ongoing systematic attacks on holy sites in an attempt to change the facts on the ground and change the Palestinian-Arab identity.
It further stressed that Israel must comply with UN resolutions and international law.
As the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations resumed in July last year, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinians arrested before the two sides signed the Oslo peace accord in 1993.
During the nine-month talks, Israel released 78 prisoners in three groups of 26.
However, the two sides failed to agree on a peace agreement framework that the White House proposed after Israel insisted that the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
Israel said that it would not release the last group of 26 prisoners until the Palestinians accepted extension of peace talks which are set to end in April.
–IANS/WAM
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