Senior Fatah Official Fayez Abu Aita: Fatah And The PLO Are Preparing On All Levels For Armed Confrontation With Israel

Fayez Abu Aita, the Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, said in a June 1, 2020 interview on Palestine Today TV (Islamic Jihad - Gaza) that the current situation that Palestinians find themselves in cannot be pinned entirely on the Oslo Accords and that Fatah and the PLO are preparing on all levels for a real confrontation and battle with the Israeli occupation.

Fayez Abu Aita: "We have heard people pinning the blame for our entire situation on the Oslo Accords. The settlements grew under Oslo, the annexation is part of Oslo, and so on. Brother, if I want to be realistic... You are a Palestinian and I believe you to be knowledgeable and to be someone who follows what's going on. The Oslo Accords really lasted for six years, 1994-2000."

Interviewer: "But they hit a wall and did not accomplish anything."

Abu Aita: "Hold on. The Oslo Accords established the Palestinian National Authority. It had had some great achievements, but Israel does not want to complete it. So what did brother Abu Ammar [Arafat] do in 2000?"

Interviewer: "He launched an Intifada."

[...]

Abu Aita: "After 2000, we embarked on a fierce confrontation that had the support of almost all Palestinians. It was the most fierce Palestinian-Israeli confrontation."

Interviewer: "Indeed."

Abu Aita: "The [bombing] operations took place in the center of Tel Aviv, in Hadera, in Haifa, and in Jaffa.

[...]

"During the six years of the Oslo process [1994-2000], we engaged in several battles, including the [1996] Battle of the Tunnel, in which dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed. You know what I'm talking about. It was the Netanyahu government."

Interviewer: "Right."

Abu Aita: "We called it the Battle of the Tunnel. It revolved around the tunnels that Netanyahu was digging under the Al-Aqsa Mosque. There were other operations inside [Israel] during these six years. When these six years were over, we launched an Intifada against the occupation and this Intifada continued until..."

Interviewer: "And the security forces participated in it."

Abu Aita: "The security forces were at the forefront. To this day half of the prisoners and martyrs... The Palestinian president [Arafat] himself participated in this Intifada, even though he had been behind the Oslo Accords. We cannot pin everything on the Oslo Accords.

[...]

"The Fatah movement in all its capacities and all the official frameworks of the PLO, from the regional committees to the Central Committee, are in a constant convening status in order to prepare and to get ready for the confrontation with the occupation. We are not joking or playing games."

Interviewer: "So this is an open confrontation?"

Abu Aita: "Yes, it is, and decisions to that effect have been made. These are not merely words. But we do not have a nuclear bomb. We can't destroy Tel Aviv at the push of a button. We have made important decisions and they will lead to a real battle with the Israeli occupation. We know how severe these decisions are and therefore, the Fatah movement and all the arms of the PLO are getting ready for that confrontation.

[...]

"It's true that we don't have nuclear weapons, but we have experience. Our elite martyrs - Qarni, Abeyat, Barghouthi, and all our fighters - have set honorable examples during the Al-Aqsa confrontation. Let no one give the Fatah movement lessons in how to fight the occupation. We are engaged in a serious and real battle with the Israeli occupation and the Fatah movement know all level, from top to bottom, are preparing themselves for this confrontation."