‘Deep regret’ over Palestinian minister’s death

THE foreign ministry on Thursday expressed its deep regret over the death in the West Bank of a Palestinian Authority minister.

In a statement, the ministry noted that the need for the circumstances of the incident “to be independently investigated.”

“Yesterday’s events demonstrate the dangerous situation prevailing in the region and underline the need for restraint and for an early re-launching of peace negotiations leading to a final settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the statement added.

The press release conveyed the condolences of the government and the people of Cyprus to the family of the late Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein and to the Palestinian people.

Abu Ein died on Wednesday after being grabbed by the neck by an Israeli policeman at a West Bank protest, an incident that has raised tensions with Israel.

Abu Ein was laid to rest yesterday after receiving a Palestinian state funeral.

His death came at a time of heightened tension between Israel and the Palestinians following months of violent unrest in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.