Fresh scuffles broke out on Wednesday between Israeli and Palestinians delegates to the Earth Summit here over a map illustrating the encroaching desert which showed the West Bank as part of Israel.
The trouble erupted when the Jewish National Forum, an ecologist group, produced the map to illustrate the problem of desertification.
”You have no right to do this. What are these lies? You are showing our occupied territory as part of your state,” blasted Khader Shkinat, a lawyer representing Marwan Barghuti the leader of
the Fatah movement.
”You talk about sustainable development when you are killing our children, stealing our water and preventing us from leaving our homes,” he shouted from the back of the room.
The Palestinian delegation — from Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus and other West Bank cities — travelled to the Earth Summit to drum up international support for their cause.
They shouted out anti-Israeli slogans, with cries of ”Murderers, Nazis, Liars!” at the Israelis present, who responded angrily.
But members of the Israeli delegation shouted back: ”Nazis, us? Stop your own terrorists first” and demanded an end to the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which has now lasted nearly two years.
Fighting broke out in the room, involving members of other delegations, and police had to step in to throw out the Palestinian delegation.
It was the third such skirmish between
pro-Palestinian activists and Israelis at an event organised by non-governmental organisations from around the world on the fringes of the summit.
Pro-Palestinians clashed on Tuesday with Israelis showcasing the widespread use of solar energy in their region.
On Monday police ordered yelling Jewish students out of a meeting of Palestinians campaigning to free Barghuti, a top aide of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who is on trial in an Israeli court on charges of terrorism and murder. – Sapa-AFP
For more on the summit visit the Mail&Guardian Online Jo’burg World Summit Special Report