Let's, uh, go now to our studio and let's, uh, talk to Ismail Patel, who's chairman of the Friends of Alaks, a pro-Palestinian press group.
And thank you for joining us. And I mean there has been the sudden claim of responsibility from a previous un, previously unknown group. But Israel's continuing to blame Hamas and targeting its response against Hamas.
Well, let me step up the … by condemning the tragic death of the three people; but we should also remember that during the same period, Israel has killed six Palestinians and just this morning an 18-year-old boy you saw had been murdered by the Israelis. And this relentless force against, eh, the Palestinian communities has to also be condemned. And we being an international community should rise up against it, taking sides on this. This cycle of violence must stop and we must bring the two sides to the negotiation table. The fact that Israel has blamed Hamas is unsubstantiated; there is no evidence. And they are using that as a pretext to continue their relentless attack and collective punishment of the people in Gaza.
There have been rocket strikes though into the Israeli territory out of the, out of Gaza.
I know that; there has been. And this is a reaction again, this is the cycle of violence that I've mentioned earlier that is continuing. And we have to ensure that we do not take sides. As I mentioned the Israeli relentless oppression of the Palestinian people have been continuing for many, many years now, for nearly a decade on the people of Gaza. And the Palestinians are suffering this relentless violence not only on a weekly basis or daily basis but they are living it on every minute, through sieges, through curfews, through harsh ammunitions, through collective punishment and we have to stop this.
And the Israeli authorities say this was a bungled kidnap attempt and it calls Hamas has form on taking the Israeli hostage as a … ship in negotiations. And is Hamas is behind this? Israel has been provoked, hasn't it?
Hamas has never taken responsibility for the kidnapping of these three children. And Hamas says in the previous when they have kidnapped one Israeli it actually took responsibility for that. And therefore we are hearing the Israeli version of the fact that Hamas should take responsibility when Hamas has categorically refused. We should also take into account the fact that the kidnapping took place in West Bank, and Israel is now attacking Gaza and people then of Gaza though have not, are not capable of entering the West Bank at all. There is a separative ridge of erective barrier.
I hear that you are calling for restraint on both sides. What are your concerns about how much this could escalate and what the consequences could be?
Of course what would happen is a cycle of violence which would be perpetrated at any territories on and would give further pretext for Israel for its relentless violence against the Palestinians and carry on further killings and murders of the Palestinians, and would be further away from peace and reconciliations between the two groups. We have to make sure that we stop this condemnation or pointing at things of one group of people, and bring both of them together to a negotiation table for all the justice and peace in the region.
Ismail Patel, Friends of, the chairman of Friends of Alaks, uh, group. Thanks very much for joining us.