Palestinian/ Israeli update 12/30/2016..too late to be useful for Palestinians

Kerry’s rebuke of Israel too little, too late: American journalist

UK criticizes Kerry speech on Israeli settlements

Senior MP Sees Resistance as Palestinians’ Only Option to Survive

Head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi renewed his country’s support for the Palestinian cause and resistance.

“Resistance is the only way for the salvation of the Palestinian people,” Boroujerdi said.

He, meantime, reiterated that nothing will come out of the talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Boroujerdi said that negotiations between Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will definitely bear no results.

“The Palestinian Authority has always suffered losses since it started to follow the dead-end path of compromising with the Zionist regime,” he added.

He added that negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Zionist regime only resulted in inking the fruitless accords of Oslo, Madrid and Camp David.

“Today, all the Palestinian revolutionaries have come to the point that the only way for salvation is resistance against Israel’s excessive demands till the freedom of all Palestinian territories,” Boroujerdi said.

He reiterated that the decision to hold the negotiations in Moscow is made by the parties of the talks and has indeed not much to do with Russia.

“The most important thing is to have Palestinians themselves handle their own affairs,” Boroujerdi added.

In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Iranian Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur Marziyeh Afkham lauded the United Nations Security Council for issuing a recent resolution against the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“The UN Security Council Resolution demanding the Zionist regime to stop the Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories reflects the concern of the international community about rights of Palestinians,” Afkham told reporters.

The Iranian ambassador to Malaysia, meantime, vowed Iran’s commitment to continue supports for the Palestinian people.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the rights of the oppressed people of Palestine at the regional and international bodies,” Afkham said.

Last Friday, the 15-member Council adopted the resolution by a vote of 14 in favor and with one abstention – the United States abstained from the vote. The resolution had been put forward by Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela.

In the resolution, the Council reiterated its demand that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard.”

The Council also underlined that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.

The resolution called for immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and destruction, and for accountability in that regard, as well as for both parties to act on the basis of international law, including international humanitarian law, and previous agreements and obligations, “to observe calm and restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric.”

It further called for compliance with obligations under international law for the strengthening of ongoing efforts to combat terrorism, including through existing security coordination, and to clearly condemn all acts of terrorism.

The Council also urged for intensification and acceleration of international and regional diplomatic efforts and support aimed at achieving, without delay a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet Roadmap and an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967.