Fatah official: “US is the enemy, Israel its advanced tool,” Israel destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque
“Fatah Movement leadership member [and Fatah Central Committee member] Abbas Zaki said in an interview with [the website of Lebanese satellite TV channel] Al-Mayadeen.net that the Arabs are incapable of carrying out a quality action against Israel, and added that Iran and its technological and military development, in addition to equations that Hezbollah has imposed, are causing the Israelis to think a thousand times before setting out on any sort of adventure, and [that they] serve as a shield for the Palestinians…
The following is the full interview:
[Question:] The Fatah Movement is among the bodies participating in the Support for the [Palestinian] Intifada Conference in Tehran. What do you intend to achieve from this conference, and how can such conferences serve the Palestinian cause?
[Abbas Zaki:] This conference is being held while the Americans and the Zionists are seeking shelter with some of the Arabs, who were silent over [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s statements and his claim that he has the best relations with them, and that the solution to the [Palestinian] issue will begin in the region and afterwards [spread to] the Palestinians. When a conference is held in Paris (i.e., the Paris Peace Conference of Jan. 15, 2017), it testifies to the interest in the Palestinian cause. However, when a conference is held in Tehran, which holds a very clear position against the US and Israel, it is a true victory for the Palestinian cause, which causes those with a conscience to feel the spiritual status of Palestine in such a way that it will constitute the kernel and the central cause in the hearts of all the Muslim and Christian believers. Therefore, this conference, which will be held in support of intifada, is a quality addition that grants a global characteristic to our Palestinian cause, regardless of the extent of the support and the surprising changes that this conference will bring to the region…
[Question:] You said that trust is put in the Arab public, but not in the Arab regimes. Do you think that we have reached a stage in which the Palestinian cause is completely absent?
[Abbas Zaki:] It may be that the Arabs are at our side in making decisions that cannot be carried out - for example, when the Arabs stand at our side, whether at the UN or at the [UN] Security Council, a resolution is made in our favor. However, we know that any Security Council resolution that is not under chapter seven [of the UN Charter] is only on paper. How many resolutions regarding the Palestinian cause were issued and received an American veto, in addition to the resolutions that were issued by the [UN] General Assembly and cannot be carried out? [UN] Resolution 3236 grants the Palestinian people the right of struggle, including armed struggle (sic., see note below), while in the eyes of the Americans we are considered terrorists. This matter necessitates a strategy and various action methods since Israel has destroyed the idea of meetings or any sort of negotiation…
[Question:] Does this mean that today you do not even have active Arab political support?
[Abbas Zaki:] We must determine that anyone who sides with America cannot serve us and cannot aid us, and they only provide aid that is incapable of influencing the enemy camp. We must wake up, and the Arab brothers who saw how their lands were destroyed one after the other must know that the enemy is the US and Israel is its advanced tool, and therefore there must not can’t be any relations between Arabs and Israelis…
[Question:] If we wish to summarize the relations between Fatah and the active parties in the region, and possibly also those who influence the Palestinian arena, what is the quality of your relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran?
…
[Abbas Zaki:] In light of the American hegemony, the Arabs cannot carry out a quality action against Israel. However, Iran, the changes that are taking place in the field of technology and weapons, and the existence of Hezbollah are causing Israel to think hard and not to set out on an adventure, and this serves as a shield for us. In other words, the Israelis cannot act freely to destroy Gaza once again, or to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque to destroy it and build the Temple, because if this were to happen, these would be the signs that herald the coming of Judgment Day.
[Question:] Can we understand from you that you view the Iranian role in the Palestinian cause, as with Hezbollah, as a guarantee and shield for the Palestinians?
[Abbas Zaki:] Anything that causes Israel to think a thousand times [before taking action] or that worries it is in our interest. We will carry out things that will worry Israel, and particularly in the war against settlement, because we cannot agree that Israel’s occupation or its gangs will continue without any cost. This is what we are preparing for. I think that it would be wise not to talk about the steps. Let’s let the ground and positions speak. Just as we surprised the world with decisions on the international level and with widely entering the global awareness, so a [surprising] invasion will take place on the ground…
[Question:] Should we be expecting steps soon?
[Abbas Zaki:] Very soon. The Israelis have all of the power, but they do not have the will to fight. Therefore, we will confront [them] with our bodies and with our masses, and we will act in a way that will cause the Zionists to understand, [even] before our friends, that this is a holy cause and that our people’s right will not be lost, and our souls are a sacrifice for freedom, independence, and liberation.”
Paris Peace Conference - A peace conference was held in Paris on Jan. 15, 2017, attended by representatives from over 70 countries, but with no representatives from Israel or the PA. The conference issued a declaration calling for a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians based on the two-state solution and praising UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Britain and Australia refused to sign the declaration, with Britain arguing that the declaration, which was made as part of the French Peace Initiative, might harden the Palestinian negotiating position, particularly given its timing right before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump’s administration. The following day Britain blocked the EU Foreign Affairs Council from adopting the declaration.
PA leaders and officials have legitimized Palestinian violence by quoting UN resolution 3236 which "recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means." The PA interprets "all means" as including violence against civilians, but has chosen to ignore the continuation of the resolution which states that the use of "all means" should be "in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations..." The UN Charter prohibits targeting civilians, even in war. Chapter 1, Article 1, opens by saying that "international disputes" should be resolved "by peaceful means."
The PA and its leaders consider all of the Temple Mount an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore they view any presence of Jews on the mount as an “invasion.” It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock.
The following is the full interview:
[Question:] The Fatah Movement is among the bodies participating in the Support for the [Palestinian] Intifada Conference in Tehran. What do you intend to achieve from this conference, and how can such conferences serve the Palestinian cause?
[Abbas Zaki:] This conference is being held while the Americans and the Zionists are seeking shelter with some of the Arabs, who were silent over [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s statements and his claim that he has the best relations with them, and that the solution to the [Palestinian] issue will begin in the region and afterwards [spread to] the Palestinians. When a conference is held in Paris (i.e., the Paris Peace Conference of Jan. 15, 2017), it testifies to the interest in the Palestinian cause. However, when a conference is held in Tehran, which holds a very clear position against the US and Israel, it is a true victory for the Palestinian cause, which causes those with a conscience to feel the spiritual status of Palestine in such a way that it will constitute the kernel and the central cause in the hearts of all the Muslim and Christian believers. Therefore, this conference, which will be held in support of intifada, is a quality addition that grants a global characteristic to our Palestinian cause, regardless of the extent of the support and the surprising changes that this conference will bring to the region…
[Question:] You said that trust is put in the Arab public, but not in the Arab regimes. Do you think that we have reached a stage in which the Palestinian cause is completely absent?
[Abbas Zaki:] It may be that the Arabs are at our side in making decisions that cannot be carried out - for example, when the Arabs stand at our side, whether at the UN or at the [UN] Security Council, a resolution is made in our favor. However, we know that any Security Council resolution that is not under chapter seven [of the UN Charter] is only on paper. How many resolutions regarding the Palestinian cause were issued and received an American veto, in addition to the resolutions that were issued by the [UN] General Assembly and cannot be carried out? [UN] Resolution 3236 grants the Palestinian people the right of struggle, including armed struggle (sic., see note below), while in the eyes of the Americans we are considered terrorists. This matter necessitates a strategy and various action methods since Israel has destroyed the idea of meetings or any sort of negotiation…
[Question:] Does this mean that today you do not even have active Arab political support?
[Abbas Zaki:] We must determine that anyone who sides with America cannot serve us and cannot aid us, and they only provide aid that is incapable of influencing the enemy camp. We must wake up, and the Arab brothers who saw how their lands were destroyed one after the other must know that the enemy is the US and Israel is its advanced tool, and therefore there must not can’t be any relations between Arabs and Israelis…
[Question:] If we wish to summarize the relations between Fatah and the active parties in the region, and possibly also those who influence the Palestinian arena, what is the quality of your relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran?
…
[Abbas Zaki:] In light of the American hegemony, the Arabs cannot carry out a quality action against Israel. However, Iran, the changes that are taking place in the field of technology and weapons, and the existence of Hezbollah are causing Israel to think hard and not to set out on an adventure, and this serves as a shield for us. In other words, the Israelis cannot act freely to destroy Gaza once again, or to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque to destroy it and build the Temple, because if this were to happen, these would be the signs that herald the coming of Judgment Day.
[Question:] Can we understand from you that you view the Iranian role in the Palestinian cause, as with Hezbollah, as a guarantee and shield for the Palestinians?
[Abbas Zaki:] Anything that causes Israel to think a thousand times [before taking action] or that worries it is in our interest. We will carry out things that will worry Israel, and particularly in the war against settlement, because we cannot agree that Israel’s occupation or its gangs will continue without any cost. This is what we are preparing for. I think that it would be wise not to talk about the steps. Let’s let the ground and positions speak. Just as we surprised the world with decisions on the international level and with widely entering the global awareness, so a [surprising] invasion will take place on the ground…
[Question:] Should we be expecting steps soon?
[Abbas Zaki:] Very soon. The Israelis have all of the power, but they do not have the will to fight. Therefore, we will confront [them] with our bodies and with our masses, and we will act in a way that will cause the Zionists to understand, [even] before our friends, that this is a holy cause and that our people’s right will not be lost, and our souls are a sacrifice for freedom, independence, and liberation.”
Paris Peace Conference - A peace conference was held in Paris on Jan. 15, 2017, attended by representatives from over 70 countries, but with no representatives from Israel or the PA. The conference issued a declaration calling for a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians based on the two-state solution and praising UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Britain and Australia refused to sign the declaration, with Britain arguing that the declaration, which was made as part of the French Peace Initiative, might harden the Palestinian negotiating position, particularly given its timing right before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump’s administration. The following day Britain blocked the EU Foreign Affairs Council from adopting the declaration.
PA leaders and officials have legitimized Palestinian violence by quoting UN resolution 3236 which "recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means." The PA interprets "all means" as including violence against civilians, but has chosen to ignore the continuation of the resolution which states that the use of "all means" should be "in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations..." The UN Charter prohibits targeting civilians, even in war. Chapter 1, Article 1, opens by saying that "international disputes" should be resolved "by peaceful means."
The PA and its leaders consider all of the Temple Mount an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore they view any presence of Jews on the mount as an “invasion.” It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock.
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