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From European Parliament

Adamos Adamou Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council

PRESS RELEASE 29/06/2006 15h

Friday 30 June 2006

Adamos Adamou Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council strongly condemns Israeli Occupation Forces retaliatory measures targeting Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel turned up the heat on Hamas, despite yesterdays Hamas statements implicitly recognizing the state of Israel. Israeli Occupation Forces round up more than two dozen ministers and MPs and sent more tanks into Gaza after launching its largest military operation the last year in order to recover a missing soldier.

Adamos Adamou considers it unacceptable that Israeli troops rounded up eight ministers and 20 lawmakers of the Hamas-led Palestinian government in overnight raids and condemns Prime Ministers’ Ehud Olmert statements warning he is prepared to take “extreme measures” to rescue the captive soldier.

The sharp escalation in hostilities has caused renewed international concern over the Middle East however the United States, which undoubtedly is Israel’s closest ally, continues to clearly blame Hamas for all the troubles

Palestinians have warned that the Israeli offensive would only trigger more bloodshed, with Hamas slamming it as “military madness” and Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas branding it collective punishment.

Adamos Adamou as Chairman of the Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council calls upon the international community to provide protection for civilian lives while at the same time strongly endorses statements made by EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner that “both sides need to step back from the brink before this becomes a crisis that neither can control”.

Brussels, 29.06.2006