Abbas warns Israel: Don't play with Palestinian lives

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Riots break out near West Bank military prison after mass funeral procession for Arafat Jaradat; IDF confirms several Palestinians wounded by rubber bullets, says no live ammunition shot; U.S. Consulate temporarily limits official travel to West Bank; Egypt FM condemns Israel's 'inhumane treatment' of Palestinian prisoners.

By Jack Khoury and Gili Cohen | 19:19 25.02.13 |

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr condemned on Monday what he defined as Israel's inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners that led to the death of detainee Arafat Jaradat. In a statement issued by Egypt's foreign minister, Amr warned that Israeli policy could lead to loss of control and tensions not just in the West Bank but the entire region.

Jaradat died in Israel's Megiddo Prison on Saturday. Over 10,000 Palestinians attended a funeral procession for him near Hebron on Monday, where no disturbances were reported.

The foreign minister expressed his condolences to Jaradat's family and called on the international community to intervene and exert pressure on Israel to put a stop to Israel's inhumane policy regarding Palestinian prisoners.

Earlier on Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blasted Israel, warning it against "playing with the lives" of Palestinians, and accusing it of using live fire against Palestinian children, in a statement on Jaradat's death.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-warns-israel-don-t-play-with-palestinian-lives.premium-1.505722#

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1. U.S. temporarily bans official travel

Also on Monday, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem issued a statement announcing a temporary ban on official travel for American citizens due to ensuing West Bank clashes.

"Due to demonstrations occurring at locations across the West Bank, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem has temporarily limited official travel to the West Bank by U.S. Government personnel. In addition, personal travel to Bethlehem by U.S. Government personnel is temporarily suspended. U.S. citizens are advised to defer non-essential travel to and within the West Bank and to exercise an extra measure of caution during this period," the statement read.

"The U.S. Consulate General takes this opportunity to remind U.S. citizens that demonstrations, even peaceful ones, can turn violent with little or no warning. U.S. citizens should be aware of their surroundings at all times, and avoid large crowds."

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2. Abbas to Palestinian Authority security officials: Don't get drawn into Israeli violence

U.S., while closely monitoring violence in West Bank, avoids high-level involvement, telling both Israel and the Palestinians to resolve the crisis through direct dialogue.
By Jack Khoury and Barak Ravid | Feb.26, 2013 | 1:14 AM

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly met Monday evening with Palestinian security chiefs in Ramallah and instructed them to enforce calm in the West Bank.

According to a report by the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, Abbas ordered the top officials to "preserve the general security within the Palestinian Authority's territories and avoid being dragged into the cycle of violence and chaos that is being perpetrated by Israel."

In the meeting, Abbas claimed that the Palestinian defense policy has proven itself to be one that does not toe the line dictated by the Israeli "occupation" and cares first and foremost for the safety and interests of the Palestinian people.

A well-informed Palestinian source told Haaretz on Monday evening that the Palestinian leadership is not seeking a frontal confrontation that would destroy the Palestinian Authority's institutions. But no one can guarantee that the events won't spin out of control, he added, asserting that Israel and the Palestinian protesters are the ones setting the pace.

The source dismissed claims that Israel had transferred January tax funds - collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords – including funds meant to pay wages to members of the security services. Such statements are unfounded, he said, considering that the funds intended for the security services do not come from Israel, but from other countries, primarily ones in Europe.

The U.S. administration has, over the past two days, been closely monitoring the escalation of violence in the West Bank, but has avoided high-level involvement. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has not called either Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Abbas, leaving the issues to be handled by special peace process envoy David Hale, U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro and East Jerusalem Consul-General Michael Ratney.

According to a senior U.S. official, both the Israelis and the Palestinians sought American intervention shortly after the latest disturbances broke out over the weekend, but each one was told by the Americans to resolve the crisis through direct dialogue.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-to-palestinian-authority-security-officials-don-t-get-drawn-into-israeli-violence-1.505800#