PA To Call On US And World Bank Not To Support Israel's Dead-Red Canal Project
09/07/2009
The Palestine Media Center henceforth the (PMC) - under the direct
supervision of PLO Executive Committee Member Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo
www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=2615
Palestinian ministers will approach the US and the World Bank demanding a
halt to construction plans for a canal linking the Dead sea to the Red sea
including the confiscation of more than a hundred thousand dunums of
Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley.
The Ministers say two recent Israeli moves, first to announce a "go ahead"
from the World Bank for the construction of a multi-billion dollar project
to link the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, and second to begin the process of
registering 139,000 dunums of Palestinian land between the Israeli
settlement of Ma'ale Adumim and the Dead sea as "abandoned," with the intent
to annex the land to the settlement, constitute a grand move to push the
canal project forward.
Apropos to the recent Israeli moves, the Council of Ministers issued a
statement demanding the US Administration and the International Quartet
Committee adopt a firm position regarding the Israeli government actions.
"The illegal annexation of Palestinian land between Ma'ale Adumim and the
Dead Sea tightens Israeli control over the area," the statement said.
The canal plans may cause severe damage to the water systems in the Dead Sea
basin, environmentalists warned two years ago when a World Bank feasibility
study took off. Palestinians also expressed grave concern that the project
would effectively cut Palestinian residential areas off yet another water
source and leave the government out of crucial decision making over the use
of natural resources.
"If Israel does not stop this scheme, the PNA will approach the World Bank
and demand the halt of the project and will resort to the UN Security
Council and the International Court of Justice to prevent Israel as an
occupation state from confiscating the lands and transforming them into
municipality and state property in accordance with the international law,"
the statement said.
