The statement by the spiritual leader of Shas, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, that Palestinians ‘should perish from this world’ was condemned as racial incitement today by the Palestinian government spokesman. Dr Ghassan Khatib called on the Irsaeli Prime Minister and the leader of the Shas political party, Interior Minister Elli Yishay, to make clear their own condemnation of the Rabbi’s sermon. Rabbi Ovadia said God should strike Palestinians with a plague. And Dr Khatib urged US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to remind Israeli leaders of her warning against statements which undermine peace talks.

The Palestinian Cabinet, chaired by PM Salam Fayyad, gave its full support for the PLO executive committee decision taken in response to the Quartet`s invitation to resume direct talks on the basis of its statement which reiterated its previous statement which affirm that Israel should halt all settlement activities and further noted that the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. The Quartet statements require all parties to act in accordance with international law and to implement the Road Map that assures all final status issues will be discussed immediately and completed within the timeframe of one year

Despite the occupation, the Palestinian people have made strong progress in building sound institutions within a stable society, on the way to statehood. The Palestinian National Authority report on the first year of the 13th Government Programme lists a series of achievements in 2009-2010, for example:

34 new schools built and 23 expanded
 11 new clinics and 30 expanded
 44 new housing projects
 16 new roads and 40 road improvement projects
 370,000 trees planted in the Greening Palestine programme