Against the backdrop of the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Fatah Central Committee member Marwan Barghouti issued a message from the Israeli prison where he is incarcerated for directing multiple terror attacks in which many Israeli civilians were killed and wounded.
In his message, published in full by the Gazan internet daily Alwatanvoice.com on August 20, 2014, Barghouti urged Fatah, which he called the leader of the "Palestinian revolution," to adhere to the path of resistance in all its forms, both non-violent and violent; this, in order to end the occupation and siege, and in order to leverage the ongoing Palestinian national struggle and the attainment of independence, even at the cost of martyrdom or imprisonment.
Criticizing the policy of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah vis-à-vis Israel, Barghouti claimed that the PA's negotiations with Israel in recent years have proven ineffective in obtaining Palestinian rights, which include establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital and the refugees' return to their homes. He also called for holding Legislative Council and presidential elections with the agreement of all Palestinian factions, and for establishing a new political regime that would replace the current one, which, he said, has turned out to be impotent. Barghouti also urged Fatah to refresh its leadership, its organizational framework and its ideology.
The following are excerpts from his message: [1]
Fatah, Which Had The Honor Of Firing The First Bullet Against The Zionist Enemy, Will Also Fire The Last
"Brothers and sisters, valiant sons of the Fatah movement, greetings to Palestine, greetings to proud Fatah, greetings to the revolution and the intifada, greetings to the resistance, greetings to the steadfast stance, to the power of resistance and victory, and to freedom and dignity.
"Allow me to address you from the depths of my heart... in order to strengthen you, congratulate you and renew the commitment and vow that the banners of Palestine, Fatah and the resistance will continue to fly until our great people actualizes its right to liberty, the [Right of] Return and independence.
"This is a vow [to realize] freedom – for the free; [to continue] the struggle – for the fighters; to keep [the promises] for those who carry them out. This is a vow to the Fatah members and to all Palestinians, Arabs, free men, and friends around the world. This is a vow to continue our struggle and [to continue] in the path of our triumphant struggle. This path, paved by the pioneering Fatah in January 1965, is [like] a torch that will continue to burn and to blaze with the blood of the fighters and with the suffering of the Palestinians, until our legitimate national rights are restored...
Marwan Barghouti (image: Aljazeera.com)
"In a few more months, our pioneering movement [Fatah] will celebrate the jubilee year of its glorious founding. It was [Fatah] that kindled the Palestinian revolution of our time, and it was [Fatah] that had the honor of firing [the revolution's] first bullet and of leading the revolution, the PLO, and the two glorious intifadas. In recent decades, it has served as the Arab region's greatest school for struggle and resistance in all their forms. And just as it had the honor to fire the first bullet against the Zionist enemy, so the hands of the Fatah members – along with all the Palestinians – will fire the final bullet against this occupation, which is the most prolonged, evil and criminal [occupation] in modern human history.
"Brothers and sisters, you are part of a mighty movement that has sacrificed rivers of blood, a great number of martyrs and prisoners, and tens of thousands of wounded. You are part of the authentic Palestinian national movement, which is an inseparable part of the glorious Arab ummah, as well as a fundamental part of [all] humanity..."
Fatah Must "Pay The Price Of Leading [The Palestinians] In Blood, Suffering, Pain, Martyrdom, And Imprisonment"
"Fatah is the movement of the Palestinian people, and its destiny is to lead the Palestinian people. For this reason, it has many obligations – first and foremost, to pay the price of leading [the Palestinian people] in blood, suffering, pain, martyrdom, and imprisonment. The movement must face these great challenges, and must pioneer and lead as it always has. The first challenge is that of ending the occupation and the settlements; obtaining freedom, the [right of] return, and independence; and establishing an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital – in addition to realizing the refugees' sacred right to return to their homes and [obtaining] the release of all our prisoners [from Israeli prisons]. This is a sacred mission and our movement and fighters must devote themselves to it. It is necessary to mobilize all resources – financial and human – to realize this sacred mission, while remaining loyal to our movement's principles, its plans, our martyrs, and the sacrifices we and our people have made for the sake of future generations. Loyalty [to all these] will be obtained by adhering to the option of comprehensive resistance without rejecting any of its manners or forms. Nevertheless, logic, experience, and [the Palestinian] interest dictate choosing the appropriate form [of resistance] for each and every stage in order to attain the expected objectives...
"We confront a cowardly occupier and foe, who does not desire peace but rather land, security, settlements and occupation [along with] peace. Such a peace will transform the Palestinians into slaves of the occupation by means of a virtual [Palestinian] authority and entity, while it [the occupation] continues to ignore our people's rights and to completely reject international decisions. This occupation will never go away and will never grant us our national rights until [occupation] becomes a losing enterprise and very costly in financial, economic, diplomatic, security, military, media and moral terms, and when it becomes an unsustainable burden for the occupation state. This will happen thanks to our people's steadfast stance and sacrifices...
"The world acts firmly and effectively only when fires are burning, and the occupation will go away only when it realizes that it is paying too high a price and that it has no future. This occupation is invalid, and it benefits from the absence of any effective resistance against it, particularly in the past decade. It [also] benefits from the [intra-Palestinian] schism, and from the weakness and impotence of the entire Palestinian political apparatus."
The Gaza War "Has Proven That The Option Of Resistance Is Proper And Appropriate"
"This was the backdrop of the new campaign of honor that our people and its resistance factions entered into in the Gaza Strip with the aim of exposing the enemy's fragility and the helplessness of its military equipped with all types of advanced weapons and technology. This military stood helpless and failing in the face of the steadfastness and the resistance, which showed leadership and professionalism that frightened the Zionist army and made it stumble and fail in its aggression and in its attainment of its goals. This campaign has proven that the option of resistance is proper and appropriate. We have always emphasized, and have repeatedly called for, a creative combination of political diplomatic action and general resistance with all its capabilities...
"The time has come for Fatah members to roll up their sleeves and take part in the biggest [ever] comprehensive resistance, with the appropriate methods and tactics, to realize the goal. Likewise, we must benefit from the wide-scale battle [now underway] in Gaza by insisting on Gaza's freedom in sea, air, and land – in order to end the occupation and the siege, and so that this battle will leverage our ongoing national struggle, the unity of the homeland, and the achievement of independence...
"The National Accord Government must be strengthened and provided with new powers, and helped to transfer its activity to Gaza, where it will be based for the next few months so it can lead the effort to unify the [political] institutions and rebuild [Gaza]. Likewise, it is necessary to activate the PLO leadership framework, with the participation of all factions and officials, to prepare for holding elections to the Legislative [Council], presidency, and the [Palestinian] National Council, so as to establish a new Palestinian regime capable of confronting the major challenges now that the impotence and weakness of the current Palestinian regime has become obvious...
"I turn to the Shabiba [Fatah Youth] everywhere and say that they are the conscience and vitality of the movement. They are Fatah's renewing spring and are at the forefront of the movement in conflict, on the battlefield, and everywhere. They are capable of spearheading Fatah's [efforts] to operate an active, calculated, comprehensive popular resistance movement – the greatest [in history] – and in leading the biggest [ever] campaign of boycotting Israeli goods and products..."
The Time Has Come To Discard "The Illusion Of Achieving Independence And Freedom With Futile Negotiations"
"Fatah is a national liberation movement and resistance movement; resistance is its spirit and raison d'être, and that any attempt to distance the movement from this fundamental essence will avail nobody...
"Fatah's basic [demand] has never been a Palestinian Authority devoid of sovereignty. It was, and will continue to be, [based on the concept that] this is our state and this is our land, and that we have a historic, national, pan-Arab, human, religious and legal right to it. Our cause is the most just cause in the universe. The Zionist occupation is destined to perish, whether this happens sooner or later... Its fate will be no better than the fate of imperialism, fascism and dictatorship. Our mighty people will pitch it into the dustbin of history...
"The time has come for Fatah to prepare for a new phase – a phase of growth, and a phase of an end to the illusion of achieving independence and freedom with futile negotiations. The failure of these negotiations became evident when they became a fig leaf for the settlements, for Judaization, and for consolidating the occupation. It is time to reexamine the tasks of the [Palestinian] Authority, [with the aim of ensuring] that they serve the system of steadfastness and resistance – for our people wants the Authority to be a bridge to independence and a state, not to stronger settlements and a stronger occupation."
"The time has come for the Fatah movement to renew its ideology, its frameworks, its institutions and its platform. [The time has come for it] to make use of brains, of people with willpower and abilities and of a talented leadership that is ready for sacrifice. Fatah will continue to be, as it was, the torch-[bearer] of struggle and resistance; the national patron and keeper of the dream that will lead our people to liberty, return and independence, [in the framework of] a comprehensive [and] genuine national unity that is a [necessary condition] for victory."
Endnote:
[1] Alwatanvoice.com, August 20, 2014.
