UNITED NATIONS, March 25.— The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) today expressed its condemnation before the UN Security Council regarding the increasingly worse situation in the occupied Palestinian territories due to the deadly violence being imposed by Israel, Prensa Latina reported.

Cuban ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca, president of the NAM Coordination Bureau, said that Israel is continuing military attacks against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and referred to Tel Aviv’s ongoing expansion of its illegal settlements, its construction of a border wall on the West Bank —including in occupied East Jerusalem— and the imposition of constant closures and traffic restrictions.

The Cuban diplomat, who spoke on behalf of the NAM, also pointed to the siege of the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian population, isolated and imprisoned, is suffering a serious humanitarian crisis.

Malmierca addressed the alarming increase in the number of dead, injured and displaced and homeless people, and the rate of poverty in the Palestinian territories, which is 65.8% overall and over 79% in Gaza.

“We vigorously urge Israel to end the occupation of the northern part of Al-Ghajar, a city located north of the Blue Line, and to immediately abstain from any violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” he added.

Granma 25-03-2008