The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Sunday declared a state of emergency in all the Palestinian-controlled areas following a series of suicide bombings in Israel by radical Palestinian groups.
The PNA considered any organization or group that fails to respond positively to its decisions be illegal, according to a statement issued after an emergency meeting, chaired by PNA Chairman Yasser Arafat, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"The PNA decided to declare a state of emergency all over the Palestinian territories and instruct the public security organs to put the new emergency acts into immediate force," the statement said.
"It considers any organization or group that fails to respond to the declaration be illegal, especially those that serve the extremist forces in Israel and claim responsibility for bomb attacks against Israeli civil targets," the statement added.
Meanwhile, the PNA leadership also instructed the security forces to track down the perpetrators and executors of the recent bombings and bring them to justice.
"Out of our concern to the Palestinian people and their higher national interests, we urge the people to respond fully to our decisions in order to prevent Sharon's government from going on with its bloody designs aimed at undermining our national interests," said the statement.
The PNA further urged the international community to "adopt an urgent measure to save the Middle East peace process and deploy UN observers in the Palestinian territories as soon as possible."
(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2001)
