RAMALLAH (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2023) Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki says Israel should not act rashly to impose curfews in Palestinian neighborhoods unless it wants to deal with armed resistance.
Al-Maliki spoke to Sputnik on the heels of a suggestion by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that Palestinians should stay indoors during certain hours to prevent militants from attacking Israelis. Ben-Gvir also proposed arresting Palestinians for carrying weapons and enforcing the death penalty on those convicted of killing Israelis.
"Any attempts to impose curfews in any neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, the way that this Israeli minister is asking, will get negative repercussions. They have to be very careful," al-Maliki warned.
He accused the ultranationalist Israeli defense minister of acting immaturely. Ben-Gvir prompted international condemnation within days of taking office last month by visiting Al Aqsa, a holy Muslim site in Jerusalem that has been off-limits to Jewish worshippers.
Al-Maliki urged the new Israeli government to invest in talks on a two-state solution. That prospect has been dimmed by bloodshed that marred the first weeks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
"They have to come to their senses. They have to realize that the Palestinians are here to stay and that the only way is to recognize the right of the Palestinians to set determination to independence, to statehood. And the best thing to achieve that is through negotiations," he insisted.