A Palestinian minister slammed as barbaric Israel's...

A Palestinian minister slammed as barbaric Israel's occupation of its territories and said the United States was wrong to describe Israel's latest moves as self-defence.
Palestinian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath said in Cairo that the recent wave of suicide bomb attacks had been prompted by desperation in the face of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies.
"The situation continues to be very grave and threatening. There is an occupation that is unprecedented in its barbarity. People are summarily executed in the streets," he said during a visit to Egypt where he met Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher.
Israeli forces continued to battle with Arafat's security forces outside his West Bank offices in an attempt to halt a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.