Abbas advisor says PA supports “peaceful acts of resistance” but justifies Palestinian violence as “defense” and a “result of the actions of the occupation
Headline: “Hammad: ‘The latest operations are a response to the settlers’ actions”
“Dr. Nimer Hammad, political advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, stated that the Israeli escalation in Jerusalem and the West Bank are meant to drag the Palestinians into a cycle of violence. Hammad said in a statement published by the Donia Al-Watan news agency that the Palestinian defense ‘is not interested in igniting the third intifada,’ and noted that Israel is interested in violence at this stage, because it thinks that it serves its interests to show the Palestinian leadership as encouraging violence…
Hammad emphasized that ‘the leadership will support all peaceful acts of resistance,’ and emphasized that this was always the position of the leadership, especially during the latest meetings. The president’s advisor said that peaceful resistance is the best way to confront the occupation, and brought as an example an event that occurred yesterday [Oct. 4, 2015], Sunday, in Jenin, when thousands of [Palestinian] citizens stood against the occupation forces which tried to arrest one of the citizens.
In regard to the events carried out by individuals that occurred recently in Jerusalem and the West Bank (i.e., stabbing and shooting attacks against Israelis), Hammad said: ‘These responses occurred as a result of the actions of the occupation and settlers, who are brought in buses under protection of the occupation forces.’”
“Dr. Nimer Hammad, political advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, stated that the Israeli escalation in Jerusalem and the West Bank are meant to drag the Palestinians into a cycle of violence. Hammad said in a statement published by the Donia Al-Watan news agency that the Palestinian defense ‘is not interested in igniting the third intifada,’ and noted that Israel is interested in violence at this stage, because it thinks that it serves its interests to show the Palestinian leadership as encouraging violence…
Hammad emphasized that ‘the leadership will support all peaceful acts of resistance,’ and emphasized that this was always the position of the leadership, especially during the latest meetings. The president’s advisor said that peaceful resistance is the best way to confront the occupation, and brought as an example an event that occurred yesterday [Oct. 4, 2015], Sunday, in Jenin, when thousands of [Palestinian] citizens stood against the occupation forces which tried to arrest one of the citizens.
In regard to the events carried out by individuals that occurred recently in Jerusalem and the West Bank (i.e., stabbing and shooting attacks against Israelis), Hammad said: ‘These responses occurred as a result of the actions of the occupation and settlers, who are brought in buses under protection of the occupation forces.’”