Fatah Spokesman: Fatah will never recognize Israel

Fatah-run Awdah TV host: "Has the Fatah Movement recognized Israel in its political platform until now?"
Fatah Spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi: "Certainly not. This is not required, and we will not recognize Israel... I declare this clearly and in a satellite channel broadcast: ‘My friends, Hamas, you should not recognize Israel, you are not required to. The PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, sent a letter of mutual recognition of the State of Israel, on Sept. 12, 1993. You are not required to.’ We in the Fatah Movement have not changed our position. At the Seventh [Fatah] Conference, under threat of the occupation's weapons, we did not change [our policy]. We said that the armed resistance, popular resistance, and everything is also legitimate, but we chose popular resistance as the means that we see as the most effective under the present circumstances."
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Click here for the complete text of the Sept. 9, 1993 letter of mutual recognition between the PLO and Israel. Among other things, it states that "the PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security," and that "the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators."