Two members of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee Thursday condemned the blatant bias of US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi condemned Friedman’s statements suggesting that only 2 percent of the West Bank is occupied by Israel and describing as “alleged” the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
“The US Ambassador to Israel has proved once again that he is completely removed from reality,” Ashrawi said.
“In addition to his long-standing support for Israeli settlements, and after referring to the “alleged occupation” of Palestinian land, he has the audacity to maintain that Israel occupies only 2% of the West Bank and that illegal settlements that carve, annex and steal Palestinian land are part of Israel,” she added.
She said Friedman has continued to visit illegal settlements and even joined the Israeli celebrations in June marking the occupation of Palestinian land in 1967.
“Not only does the Ambassador break from long-standing US policy, he is also at odds with the international legal, political and moral consensus. His positions are a mirror reflection of the settlers’ ideology in Israel’s right-wing coalition government rather than that of successive Administrations that have claimed to be invested in peace,” she added.
The PLO official affirmed Friedman “cannot impose his alternative facts or realities on an entire people that has been held captive under a brutal occupation for half a century.”
“The occupation exists. Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime. These facts and realities are not in question,” she maintained.
Calling for Friedman to be held accountable, Ashrawi stated: “If the US Administration is truly committed to peace, it will hold its Ambassador accountable for his consistently outrageous and morally repugnant attitude, actions and statements.”
“Ultimately a decision needs to be made: Is he the US Ambassador to Israel or is he part of the Israeli settlement enterprise?” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee Saeb Erekat said Friedman’s “latest statement about Israel “occupying only 2% of the West Bank” declaring that “Israeli settlements are part of Israel” is not only false and misleading but contradict international law, United Nations resolutions and also the historical US position.”
He maintained that “Israel is internationally recognized as the occupying power over 100% of Palestine, including in and around Occupied East Jerusalem.”
“Such positions undermine ongoing efforts towards achieving a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine on the 1967 border,” he concluded.
