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Following are excerpts from an interview with PA representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki, which aired on Palestinian Authority TV on July 18, 2009.
Interviewer: Some people say that the Fatah movement should take steps to prevent the dissolution of the character of Fatah, the national liberation movement, within the P.L.O., or the Palestinian national authority.
Abbas Zaki: Yes, what we need now is to define the Fatah movement, and to give it the quality of a liberation movement, which is, in fact, what its character, ideology, history, principles, and goals point to. Especially now, when we are convening in Bethlehem, we want to make it clear to the world that this city is the city of sacrifice and of fearlessness in the face of fear. Our slogans must declare that we are a liberation movement.
[...]
Israel does not consider us to be a partner. Can Fatah accept a situation in which the political process treads water? It is necessary to exert pressure on the ground to force Netanyahu – just as he was forced, in 1996, to sign the Wye River agreement, and to withdraw from part of Hebron... He should be forced to recognize [us], whether he likes it or not.
[...]
We have [U.N.] General Assembly Resolution 3236, [which permits us] to use all means of struggle, including armed struggle. We also have an Amnesty International decision which denounces Israel's crimes clearly and unequivocally. We also have decisions by the Hague [International Court of Justice], regarding the [Separation] Wall and the settlements. Therefore, on the strength of international legitimacy, we will wage the campaign on all its fronts.
[...]
[Whenever you do] anything against Israel, you are a hero. When you die, there is a consensus that you are a martyr, but because of our internal state of affairs, both [Fatah and Hamas] are in hell. We don't want this hell. [The Israelis] advise us to slaughter one another. I say: No, we should confront Israel.Latest Clips
