Fatah seeks "true partnership" with Hamas; Neither will give up violence
Fatah seeks "true partnership" with Hamas;
Neither Fatah nor Hamas will give up violence
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Fatah Central Committee members endorse continued Fatah terror:
- Jibril Rajoub: Fatah-Hamas unity government will not give up "resistance" - i.e., PA euphemism for terror
- Azzam Al-Ahmad: Fatah principles remain "popular resistance, armed struggle, and negotiations"
Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub says the unity agreement with Hamas does not mean that Hamas has to give up its use of "resistance," i.e., the PA euphemism for violence and terror against Israel, since Fatah itself "has not given up and will not give up the resistance."
Rajoub explained in an interview on the Lebanese TV channel Al-Mayadeen that Fatah wants to achieve "national unity" based on "true partnership" with Hamas:
Al-Mayadeen TV host: "What has actually changed? Why will the reconciliation [with Hamas] eliminate the resistance, or the idea of resistance (i.e., violence)...?"
Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub: "First of all, Fatah has not given up and will not give up the resistance. We are ready to enter a dialogue [with Hamas] and to refine our positions in order to reach a general agreement... We want to achieve national unity [with Hamas] on the basis of true partnership."
[Lebanese TV channel Al-Mayadeen's YouTube channel, Oct. 6, 2017]
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Another Fatah Central Committee member, Azzam Al-Ahmad, elaborated on this, explaining that Fatah has not changed its principles which remain "popular resistance, armed struggle, and negotiations." "Popular resistance" is a term Palestinian leaders at times use to refer to violence. During the PA terror wave of 2015-2016, Palestinian Media Watch reported that Mahmoud Abbas used the term "peaceful popular uprising" to describe Palestinian terror that had murdered 14 Israelis by stabbings, car rammings and shootings.
Another Fatah Central Committee member, Azzam Al-Ahmad, elaborated on this, explaining that Fatah has not changed its principles which remain "popular resistance, armed struggle, and negotiations." "Popular resistance" is a term Palestinian leaders at times use to refer to violence. During the PA terror wave of 2015-2016, Palestinian Media Watch reported that Mahmoud Abbas used the term "peaceful popular uprising" to describe Palestinian terror that had murdered 14 Israelis by stabbings, car rammings and shootings.
Fatah uses the concept "armed struggle" to describe organized terror using rifles and bombs, as was done in the PA terror campaign from 2000-2005, in which over 1,200 Israelis were murdered.
Al-Ahmad also added that "there should be a consensus on its form," meaning that there should be agreement between Palestinian factions if and when terror tactics should be used and which tactic should be used each time:
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Fatah Central Committee member and Fatah Commissioner of National Relations Azzam Al-Ahmad: "It is the Palestinian people's right to wage the struggle against the occupation using all the methods, but there should be a consensus on its form. We have not eliminated any method from our considerations, nor from our principles since the [Fatah] Launch [in 1965] until today: Popular resistance, armed struggle, and negotiations. If violence breaks out again, Israel will be responsible for it."
[Official PA TV News, Oct. 9, 2017]