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Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayad (photo: Flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff July 30, 2007 |
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After drawing fire from several Palestinian factions for not including "armed resistance" in the new PA platform, Prime Minister Salam Fayad clarified Monday that Palestinians have a legitimate right to resistance against Israel.
"We are certainly an occupied people and resistance is a legitimate right for the Palestinian people as an occupied people," said Fayad from Cairo Monday. He is currently in Egypt heading the Palestinian delegation to an Arab League meeting.
Fayad explained that the reason the word "resistance" was not included in the government's new platform is because it is too often associated with "armed struggle."
"What is the essence of resistance, especially in light of the current occupation? Does is not begin with all possible efforts to strengthen the permanence of the Palestinian citizens on their land? That is precisely the government's agenda," said Fayad.
"Armed resistance" was included in the platforms of the prior two governments. The US and Israel repeatedly called on these governments to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
Fayad's government's platform, instead of referencing muqawma, which literally means "resistance" in Arabic, reiterated PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' call for a "popular resistance against the Israeli occupation."
Muqawma, generally referring to armed struggle, has been included in all PA government platforms. Popular resistance is refers to other forms of resistance, such as public demonstrations and political activism.
The new platform also stated that a future peace agreement with Israel must incorporate the pre-1967 borders, and designate Jerusalem as the shared capital of both Israel and the Palestinian state.
Several Palestinian groups were outraged by Fayad's government's decision to omit "armed resistance" from the platform, which it published Friday.
A Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) spokesman threatened Saturday to target the Palestinian Authority prime minister and his government in the same manner in which the group targets Israel.
"We will target them [Fayad's government] in the field the same way we attack Israel," stated PRC spokesman Abu Abir. "We promise to put an end to all the American-backed Palestinian personalities in the near future because of their decision to side with the Israeli enemy."
These threats have been the worst against Fayad since he was appointed prime minister by PA Chairman Abbas following Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza. PA security officials are treating the threats as very serious and taking steps to protect government figures.
Abir referred the Fayad's government as "Ramallah traitors," and said it was not representative of the Palestinian nation. According to Abir, the PRC only recognizes the authority of the unseated PA Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, based in Gaza.
The PRC, an alliance of various militant factions in Gaza, were involved in the June 2006 capture of IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip Sami Abu Zuhri joined in the censure of platform, saying. "We were not surprised by the Fayad government's decision to drop the armed resistance from its platform, because this is a government that works according to an American and Israeli agenda."
"If Fayad thinks that he can erase the word muqawma with ink he's mistaken. This word was written with the blood of our martyrs," he added.
Hamas has vowed it will persevere in its armed resistance against Israel, along with The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Islamic Jihad, who also slammed Fayad's abandonment of muqawma.
"Who does this government represent," said top Gaza Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh. "If Salaam Fayad continues to ignore the desire of the Palestinians and insists on dropping the armed struggle from his platform, then he should search for another people to govern."
According to the PRC, working towards a peaceful solution has "brought no fruits except more losses of rights."
PRC spokesman Abu Mujahed declared that armed resistance has been successful at "blocking the Zionist project for many years."
According to him, "Palestinians and their resistance movements and thousands of prisoners will always have their own platform. No one will be able to spoil our real platform. The Israeli enemy has failed over the past decades to end the armed struggle, and Fayad won't succeed in doing so." |
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