Qatar- Palestinian Prime Minister Denounces Israel's Collective Punishment of Qabatiya

(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Ramallah February 06 (QNA) - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Saturday condenmed the "collective punishment" imposed by Israel on residents of Qabatiya blockaded for the third day in a row after three residents of the town carried out a deadly attack in Jerusalem.
"Ongoing Israeli policies of collective punishment field executions and blockading Palestinian cities villages and refugee camps will worsen the security situation in the area" Palestinian news agency (Ma'an) quoted Hamdallah as saying.
"By confining our people and suffocating them with military checkpoints Israel is violating all international laws and conventions" he added.
The Prime Minister held Israel responsible for ongoing deterioration of the situation in Qabatiya which has seen ongoing clashes between Palestinian youths in the village and military forces.
Hamdallah also denounced the death of 14-year-old Haitham Ismail al-Baw killed by Israeli forces the day before in what he termed a summary execution by Israel.
The child was shot dead by Israeli soldiers after the Israeli army said he threw a Molotov cocktail at vehicles travelling on Route 60 by the village of Halhul north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
The Prime Minister in a statement called on the international community to stop Israeli violations pointing to al-Baw’s death as the "latest" in a series of "field executions" to be carried out by Israel.
Meanwhile in Qabatiya least 13 residents have been injured by live fire during clashes with Israeli forces since the town was first sealed on Wednesday. A 15-year-old boy was also critically injured after being run over by a military jeep.
Nine Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces fired live bullets and tear gas at Qabatiya residents on Friday.
An Israeli army spokesperson said Saturday that no changes had been made to the closure which began Wednesday evening hours after the attack left an Israeli Border Police officer dead and another moderately injured.
Entrance and exit to Qabaitya’s around 20000 residents has been prevented since. The army spokesperson told Ma’an that some residents were allowed passage but in only in accordance with humanitarian concerns.
Three Qabatiya residents in their early 20s Ahmad Rajeh Ismail Zakarneh Muhammad Ahmad Hilmi Kamil and Najeh Ibrahim Abu al-Rub were shot dead during Wednesday’s attack and laid to rest Friday night.
Hamdallah’s warning that continued Israeli blockades of Palestinian areas would worsen the security situation comes as Israel has implemented closures throughout the occupied Palestinian territory following attacks on Israeli military or civilians since October.
The closures have severely restricted the movement of Palestinians whose ability to move freely throughout the occupied West Bank is already limited.
International actors as well as an Israeli military commander last month warned that such policy could exacerbate an already tense situation.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon last month criticized Israeli policy saying that it was "human nature" for Palestinians to react violently to Israel's nearly 50-year military occupation.
The UN chief condemned the series of violent attacks carried out by Palestinians in recent months but said that Israeli security measures were failing to "address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians especially young people". (QNA)