Press Release
In another arbitrary action, the Israeli occupation authorities paralyze the work of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Ref: 168/2000
Date: November 15, 2000
Arbitrary measures that have been taken by the Israeli occupation forces since the breakthrough of Al-Aqsa Intifada have included official institutions of the Palestinian national authorities, most notably the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Members of the PLC from the Gaza Strip have been denied access to Ramallah to participate in the sessions of the PLC. Furthermore, PLC Members from other cities and villages in the West Bank have been denied access to Ramallah to participate in the activities of the PLC, as movement between these cities and villages has been restricted.
Consequently, parliamentary activities have been halted, as sessions of the PLC could not be convened periodically, regularly and in quorum. PLC Members were forced to convene separate sessions on October 26 and November 6, 2000 both in Ramallah and Gaza. They discussed the latest serious developments of the aggression launched by the Israeli occupation forces; particularly, use of heavy weapons, tanks, combat helicopters and gunboats to shell defenseless civilians in Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. They also called on the international community to exert efforts in order to immediately provide international protection for the Palestinian people, and to establish an international commission of inquiry to investigate the horrible crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians.
Following prolonged negotiations between the Palestinian National Authority and Israeli authorities after the imposition of a total closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip on February 25, 1996, all PLC members were issued VIP Category 2 cards. The closure included tight restrictions on the movement of people, goods and vehicles between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including on that of PLC members traveling between the West Bank and Gaza Strip in order to attend the sessions of the PLC. These restrictions caused the postponement of sessions and obstructed the work of the PLC and its committees on numerous occasions.
According to the stipulations on the VIP Category 2 card, “the bearer of (the) card is a V.I.P. in the Palestinian Authority, who is authorized to enter Israel and the territories under the administration of [the] Israeli Military Government and is not required to obtain a personal permit …No routine searches of the bearer of this card or his vehicle will be conducted at the checkpoints …”
Despite having such VIP cards, PLC Members have not been immunized from arbitrary measures adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people since the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada. They have been prevented from movement between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. As a result, the activities of the PLC and its committees have been halted.
PCHR reiterates its condemnation of the rampant abuses and crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian civilians, and asserts the following:
