Official PA daily: Palestinians have the right to employ "all forms of struggle," "especially armed resistance"
Op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, columnist for official PA daily
“There is not a single Palestinian patriot who opposes any form of resistance, especially armed resistance. Firstly, because it is the right of the Palestinian Arab people to employ all forms of struggle until its national goals are realized. Secondly, in 1975, international law (i.e., UN Resolution 3236 of 1974, which reaffirmed the “right of the Palestinian people to regain its rights by all means in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations) guaranteed [the right of] Palestinians to employ all forms of struggle. Thirdly, the Israeli occupation and aggression state refuses to accept the option of peace and the two-state solution according to the June 4, 1967 borders, [but instead] launches one war after the other, invades and perpetrates the most heinous forms of Holocaust against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora… In addition, it continues its construction projects in its colonies, through the expropriation and Judaization of lands, rejecting and ignoring international laws and regulations. As long as [this continues,] the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves in all ways guaranteed by international laws and norms.”
Note: 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 the "international disputes" should be resolved "by peaceful means."