The police chief of occupied Jerusalem, Miki Levy, said Monday that Orient House, the PLO’s unofficial headquarters, would be closed for six months by the Israeli forces who seized it, Israel Radio reported, cited by Haaretz newspaper.
"Therefore, there is no basis to the contention that Israel is holding it forever," said Levy.
Levy was referring to a statement by Israeli Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau, who said on Sunday that the Jewish state would control Orient House "for good."
"Sovereignty and Israeli law will be applied for good to Orient House, which has been occupied to prevent terrorist activities by the Palestinian Authority in the heart of Jerusalem and this type of activity will not resume," the minister said on military radio on Sunday.
Levy’s remarks came during a strategic forum meeting convened by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
According to the paper, the Israeli security cabinet approved the closure of Orient House after the Tel Aviv bombing on June 1, but did not implement it because Palestinian President Yasser Arafat declared a ceasefire, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the cabinet Sunday.
Sharon said the PA had carried out a great deal of official diplomatic and policing activity from occupied east Jerusalem offices such as Orient House, claiming this was in clear violation of signed agreements with Israel in which the PA said it would limit official activities to areas under its formal control.
Furthermore, Sharon alleged that many of the PA's policing activities were “criminal.”
“PA security personnel kidnapped and imprisoned people, tortured them, confiscated property and sometimes even committed murder,” the hawkish prime minister claimed.
AFP's latest death tally for the Palestinian uprising against 34 years of Israeli military occupation comes out to 13 Arab Israelis, 547 Palestinians, and 146 Israelis, putting the ratio of casualties at around four Palestinians killed for every Israeli loss.
Israel’s wounded number in the high hundreds, while the Palestine Red Crescent Society puts the number of Palestinians injured at over 14,000.
Amnesty International reported early this year that almost 100 Palestinian children had been killed by Israeli soldiers, nearly all in situations where the occupation troops were under no immediate threat – Albawaba.com
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