With Israel's attack on Arab-held territories in Palestine, the situation in Palestine has escalated to the point where the peace process has been virtually abandoned and there may be a full-scale war.

Since 28 September, Israeli forces have been firing on Palestinian demonstrators. Out of 97 persons who have lost their life, almost 90 are Palestinian. Had the Non- Aligned Group taken notice of the situation, perhaps Israel would have acted with restraint.

As a longstanding support of the Palestinian cause, we cannot remain a spectator nor adopt the posture of even handedness, even though our growing relation with Israel may stand in the way of our taking a forthright stand.

However, the least we can do is to condemn the killings of civilians and the air attack on Ramallah and then to call for cease-fire and revival of the peace process in a time-bound manner.