"The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable," Annan said. (Reuters)

UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday, August 9, that the ongoing Lebanon war had distracted international attention from the "unjustifiable" Palestinian killings in the relentless Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"The secretary general is greatly concerned that the tragic events in Lebanon and northern Israel should not distract from the urgent need to work towards a solution to the current crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory," said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The UN chief deplored the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Israeli attacks in Gaza.

"The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable."

Up to 170 Palestinians have been killed, of whom 138 were civilians and a quarter children, since Israel launched a wide-scale offensive in Gaza on the pretext of seeking the release of an Israeli soldier taken prisoner by Palestinian groups.

A report by the Palestinian Monitoring Group said that July was the deadliest in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, the highest since October 2004.

A UN report said on Monday, August 7, that Gaza residents were facing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in years.

The report said that more than 70 percent of the Gazans were now reliant on emergency assistance to meet daily food needs, while prices of essential goods, such as flour and sugar, had risen by between 15 and 33 percent.

Abduction

Annan also blasted the abduction of Palestinian ministers and lawmakers by Israeli forces.

"The arbitrary arrest of many senior Palestinians -- including Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council -- is a cause of particular concern, since it further undermines the Palestinian institutions which must be preserved if a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be achieved."

Late on Saturday, August 5, Israeli forces abducted Dweik from his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Dweik, elected speaker in February following Hamas's sweeping election victory, was the most senior of more than sixty Palestinian cabinet ministers, lawmakers, mayors and politicians kidnapped by Israeli forces.

Israeli occupation forces detained eight members of the Hamas-led Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators in June.

Second Deputy Speaker Hassan Khreishe was also kidnapped by Israel but released last Sunday after a one-month detention.

Minister of Planning Samir abu Eisheh was released in mid-July, and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Wasfi Kibha was freed on Wednesday.

Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Israeli soldiers kidnapped 600 Palestinians since Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was taken prisoner on June 25.

Debate

Haniyeh called for a debate on the viability of the Palestinian Authority under the relentless Israeli abductions of officials and civilian killings. (Reuters)

The Israeli abductions of Palestinian officials and ongoing killing of civilians have raised questions about the future of the Palestinian Authority.

"The question we have to ask ourselves is the following: can the Palestinian Authority continue to operate and function in these circumstances," Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said.

He asserted that all Palestinian groups should consider the viability of the PA, which was created under the 1994 Oslo accords with Israel.

"We need to debate the future of the PA following the kidnapping of its second highest-ranking figure and an attempt to assassinate its prime minister," he told a parliamentary video-conference.

Palestinians had previously called for dissolving the PA when former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon considered expelling late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Haniyeh accused the US of seeking to undermine the PA structure by not respecting the January elections, which brought Hamas to power.

Washington has championed an international campaign to isolate the Hamas-led government, including direct aid freeze.

Israel has also suspended the customs tariffs it collects on behalf of the PA, estimated at 50 million dollars a month.

Palestinian lawmakers immediately championed Haniyeh's call for debating the PA future.

Mahmoud Musleh said dismantling the PA would force Israel to assume its responsibilities and place the issue in the hands of the world community.

Hassan Khreisheh, the deputy speaker of parliament, said the need to maintain the functions of the PA were being seriously evaluated after the Israeli abductions.

Hani Habib, a local journalist and political analyst, said Israel would find itself in the dock if the PA was dissolved.