Palestine Monitor, 12 July 2010
Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouthi said Saturday that talks with Israel have failed, speaking at a rally calling for the reopening of Ash-Shuhada Street in Hebron.

“We are here in Hebron to stress that resistance is our strategic choice as negotiations with the right-wing Israeli government have failed,” Barghouthi told party members, residents, and international peace activists gathered for the demonstration.

The former information minister said that while Israeli forces tried to stop the rally, it “succeed in its goal” in showing solidarity with Palestinian residents in Hebron’s Old City who are barred from accessing Ash-Shuhada Street, which is manned by an Israeli checkpoint.

Barghouthi praised the resilience of Hebron’s residents, who organize and participate in the weekly demonstrations.

The street falls under the H2 category of the Hebron Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and is controlled fully by the Israeli army. Palestinians are prevented from accessing the street, on which three of Hebron’s four illegal Israeli settlements are situated.