Peace and occupation can't meet

It is another crime and not the last one in the Israeli collective killing series against the Arabs. It constitutes a continuation of the ugly crime committed by Jewish settler Baroch Goldstein against Arab worshipers in the Hebron mosque three years ago, which killed more than 30 Palestinian citizens and occurred -- like the present crime -- under the eyes and protection of the occupation authorities.

Surprisingly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed after this new crime that he will not sign an accord on Hebron if complete security for Jewish settlers in the city is not guaranteed, at a time the whole world agrees that the Palestinians are the ones to need security after provocations and aggressions of the Jewish settlers went beyond all limits.

Such Israeli actions, full of racism and hatred against the Arabs, are the same provocative actions that target required peace in the region. They also confirm that Jewish settlements in the Arab territories constitute the prime obstacle to peace.

Netanyahu and all his ruling team have affirmed that they will go ahead with expanding settlements in the occupied Arab territories, whether in the Golan, West Bank or Gaza Strip -- which indicates that Israel continues in challenging the will of peace, international resolutions and the U.S. land-for-peace principle.

The world community, particularly the United States, is required to put an end to such Israeli uncontrolled behavior because it is no more acceptable to keep silent as Israel is exploiting such a silence in pushing the region into explosion.

Yesterday's crime, as all previous Israeli crimes, affirmed that peace and occupation cannot meet and that settlements are time-bombs able to explode at any time -- which make impossible to achieve peace because settlements are the result of occupation.

-- Ath-Thawra, Damascus