Abbas to Israelis: "We don’t want an Intifada and have not called for one"
Official PA TV broadcast an interview with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Israeli Channel 2
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “I told people frankly: We want to protect our holy places. To protect them peacefully, and therefore, people are going there to protect Jerusalem peacefully. Where is the tension that emerged from my mouth (This is an allusion to Israel’s claim that the present deterioration is the result of incitement by the Palestinian leadership, -Ed.)? I say: We must protect them…
We don’t want an Intifada and have not called for one. Had we wanted to call for an Intifada, we would have done so during the 50 days (i.e., Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza that aimed to destroy Hamas' ability to launch rockets at Israel). Prime Minister Netanyahu has forgotten that for 50 days, not a single shot was fired in the West Bank; and so [it was] previously as well, in the 2012 war (i.e., Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation that aimed at destroying the terror infrastructure in Gaza) and the 2008-2009 war (i.e., Israel Operation Cast Lead that aimed to stop Hamas' launching of rockets into Israel from Gaza). Nothing happened. We controlled [our] people… It is the Israeli media and many Israeli leaders that are demanding and encouraging a third Intifada. We are not for a third Intifada. We are for peaceful popular resistance to protect our rights, neither more nor less…
I say to the Israeli people: We cannot abolish one another. You will not abolish us and we will not abolish you. It is our lot to live as neighbors and we must treat each other as such. We extend our hands to you in peace. We say to the [various] layers of the Israeli people: Let us engage in dialogue, so that we may live in peace and stability… I entreat the Israeli people, which has demanded of its government not to miss the opportunity for peace – for evil is all around us, and you know the terrorism and violence that surround us… When the situation here changes; when peace comes, all manifestations of terrorism in the Middle East will cease and peace between us will return.”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “I told people frankly: We want to protect our holy places. To protect them peacefully, and therefore, people are going there to protect Jerusalem peacefully. Where is the tension that emerged from my mouth (This is an allusion to Israel’s claim that the present deterioration is the result of incitement by the Palestinian leadership, -Ed.)? I say: We must protect them…
We don’t want an Intifada and have not called for one. Had we wanted to call for an Intifada, we would have done so during the 50 days (i.e., Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza that aimed to destroy Hamas' ability to launch rockets at Israel). Prime Minister Netanyahu has forgotten that for 50 days, not a single shot was fired in the West Bank; and so [it was] previously as well, in the 2012 war (i.e., Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation that aimed at destroying the terror infrastructure in Gaza) and the 2008-2009 war (i.e., Israel Operation Cast Lead that aimed to stop Hamas' launching of rockets into Israel from Gaza). Nothing happened. We controlled [our] people… It is the Israeli media and many Israeli leaders that are demanding and encouraging a third Intifada. We are not for a third Intifada. We are for peaceful popular resistance to protect our rights, neither more nor less…
I say to the Israeli people: We cannot abolish one another. You will not abolish us and we will not abolish you. It is our lot to live as neighbors and we must treat each other as such. We extend our hands to you in peace. We say to the [various] layers of the Israeli people: Let us engage in dialogue, so that we may live in peace and stability… I entreat the Israeli people, which has demanded of its government not to miss the opportunity for peace – for evil is all around us, and you know the terrorism and violence that surround us… When the situation here changes; when peace comes, all manifestations of terrorism in the Middle East will cease and peace between us will return.”