Fatah official condemns US-led anti-Hamas resolution; says Fatah "opposes making any accusation of terror against Palestinians in any form;" condemns Arab countries’ normalization with Israel
Headline: “Shtayyeh: Fatah is ready for a full reconciliation and has faith in the Egyptian effort”
“Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner of Treasury and Economy] Muhammad Shtayyeh said two days ago [Nov. 19, 2018] that Fatah is ready for a full national reconciliation [with Hamas]… This was said during a political conference that Fatah’s Nablus branch held at the [Greek] Orthodox Church, as part of the events of the anniversary of [the death of] Martyr (Shahid) Yasser Arafat (i.e., founder of the PLO and Fatah terror organizations in the 1960s, and former chairman of the PA)…
He emphasized that the Palestinian position, which opposes the so-called ‘deal of the century’ (referring to US President Donald Trump’s as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan –Ed.), was adopted following the decisions and steps that the Trump administration actually took: closing the PLO offices, drying up the PA’s sources of funding, the attempt to stop the services of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), and the transfer of the [US] embassy to Jerusalem.
Shtayyeh added: ‘America wanted to lead us to a political massacre, through which it would eliminate the Palestinian national cause.’
He said that Trump’s plan is [for] a [Palestinian] state without Jerusalem, without the right of return for the refugees, and without the 1967 borders, while leaving the colonial settlements, and emphasized that as far as Trump is concerned, the plan is to establish the state in Gaza with geographic branches in the West Bank.
Shtayyeh emphasized that Fatah opposes the draft resolution being formulated in the American Congress to condemn the Hamas Movement. He explained that the [Fatah] Movement opposes making any accusation of terror against Palestinians in any form…
Shtayyeh also spoke about the topic of normalization. He said that it is sad to see that the Arab Peace Initiative is being ignored, and that Israeli is being given what it desires without paying the political price. He also noted that the secret normalization process has become overt, and this means that the Arab Peace Initiative has been cancelled and that the Palestinians must depend on themselves.”
Yasser Arafat – Founder of the PLO and Fatah, former chairman of the PA. During the 1960s, 70s and 80s Arafat was behind numerous terror attacks against Israelis. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East" after signing the Oslo Accords peace agreement, Arafat launched a 5-year terror campaign - the second Intifada (2000-2005) – in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Arafat died of an illness in 2004.
US President Donald Trump's administration announced on Aug. 31, 2018 that it was immediately cutting all $360 million of annual American funding to UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Explaining the decision, the US State Department said, "The fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years – tied to UNRWA’s endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries – is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years. The United States will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation."
The move came after the US froze two planned payments to UNRWA in early January 2018 for more than $100 million, and the US administration spoke about the need to reexamine and conduct a reform of the UN body. This occurred after the PA refused to negotiate with Israel and cut diplomatic ties with America following US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, 2017.
US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel - On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump added that the final borders of Jerusalem will be determined during negotiations.
The US embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv and opened in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, the anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 according to the Gregorian calendar.
“Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner of Treasury and Economy] Muhammad Shtayyeh said two days ago [Nov. 19, 2018] that Fatah is ready for a full national reconciliation [with Hamas]… This was said during a political conference that Fatah’s Nablus branch held at the [Greek] Orthodox Church, as part of the events of the anniversary of [the death of] Martyr (Shahid) Yasser Arafat (i.e., founder of the PLO and Fatah terror organizations in the 1960s, and former chairman of the PA)…
He emphasized that the Palestinian position, which opposes the so-called ‘deal of the century’ (referring to US President Donald Trump’s as yet unpublished Middle East peace plan –Ed.), was adopted following the decisions and steps that the Trump administration actually took: closing the PLO offices, drying up the PA’s sources of funding, the attempt to stop the services of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), and the transfer of the [US] embassy to Jerusalem.
Shtayyeh added: ‘America wanted to lead us to a political massacre, through which it would eliminate the Palestinian national cause.’
He said that Trump’s plan is [for] a [Palestinian] state without Jerusalem, without the right of return for the refugees, and without the 1967 borders, while leaving the colonial settlements, and emphasized that as far as Trump is concerned, the plan is to establish the state in Gaza with geographic branches in the West Bank.
Shtayyeh emphasized that Fatah opposes the draft resolution being formulated in the American Congress to condemn the Hamas Movement. He explained that the [Fatah] Movement opposes making any accusation of terror against Palestinians in any form…
Shtayyeh also spoke about the topic of normalization. He said that it is sad to see that the Arab Peace Initiative is being ignored, and that Israeli is being given what it desires without paying the political price. He also noted that the secret normalization process has become overt, and this means that the Arab Peace Initiative has been cancelled and that the Palestinians must depend on themselves.”
Yasser Arafat – Founder of the PLO and Fatah, former chairman of the PA. During the 1960s, 70s and 80s Arafat was behind numerous terror attacks against Israelis. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East" after signing the Oslo Accords peace agreement, Arafat launched a 5-year terror campaign - the second Intifada (2000-2005) – in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Arafat died of an illness in 2004.
US President Donald Trump's administration announced on Aug. 31, 2018 that it was immediately cutting all $360 million of annual American funding to UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Explaining the decision, the US State Department said, "The fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years – tied to UNRWA’s endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries – is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years. The United States will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation."
The move came after the US froze two planned payments to UNRWA in early January 2018 for more than $100 million, and the US administration spoke about the need to reexamine and conduct a reform of the UN body. This occurred after the PA refused to negotiate with Israel and cut diplomatic ties with America following US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, 2017.
US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel - On Dec. 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump added that the final borders of Jerusalem will be determined during negotiations.
The US embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv and opened in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, the anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 according to the Gregorian calendar.
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