Posted on 08/30/2002 6:58:49 PM PDT by naine
Aug. 29, 2002
Hanegbi: Anti-Israel protests threatening to 'explode conference'
Israel responded when it was attacked for the first time on the floor of the World Summit on Sustainable Development's plenary session in Johannesburg on Thursday.
But due to Shabbat, the Israeli delegation will be prevented from reacting to an anti-Israel march set to take place tomorrow during the conference's officially sanctioned day of protests.
The Palestine Solidarity Committee of South Africa, which has been coordinating anti-Israel activities at the conference, received a commitment Thursday from several South African ministers that they would attend their event, which is intended to "inspire new victories in the fight against USA-Israeli terrorism."
Environment Minister Tzahi Hanegbi met South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Thursday and told him that if South African ministers march against Israel it would "explode the conference and shift its focus to Middle Eastern politics."
Palestinian activists have tried to provoke Israelis every day since the summit began on Monday, but until Thursday the disturbances took place only in the forum of non-governmental associations and on the street, but not at the summit's official proceedings.
The incident occurred when Israel's Regional Cooperation Ministry Director-General Majallie Whbee, who is Druse, spoke to the plenum about regional development.
The PA representative stood up and asked Whbee how Israel can speak about development when the IDF is killing Palestinians with tanks. The Palestinian invited Whbee to Gaza to "see the destruction."
Mordechai Yedid, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general in charge of the United Nations and other international organizations, responded to the Palestinian on the plenum floor by calling for renewed Israeli-Palestinian dialogue.
"Israel cooperates with its Arab neighbors in several regional development programs and we look forward to deepening the regional cooperation process, but unfortunately the situation with the PA has been less encouraging, because terrorism causes serious obstacles to the promotion of sustainable development," Yedid said.
Turning toward the Palestinian, Yedid said, "The time has come to reverse the events of the past two years and build a new dynamic.
"Israel calls upon the PA to return to the path of dialogue for the benefit of regional sustainability and for realizing the self-determination of the Palestinian people."
The Palestinian responded to Yedid by saying that Israel's dialogue is the "dialogue of destruction."
Israel was also attacked by Palestinian speakers in a presentation at the NGO forum on the topic of "sustainable development in Palestine."
Israeli environmental activists at the summit condemned Hanegbi for focusing on Israeli public relations and not environmental issues.
Stuart Winer contributed to this report.
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