An adviser to the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has urged Palestinian youth to begin a third intifada and popular strike to force the international community to re-evaluate their position on Israel and strengthen the Palestinian negotiating position.
Former presidential adviser Basam Abu-Sharif sent a statement to the Ma’an news agency on Saturday which addressed the Palestinian position in negotiations with Israel, and the role of the United States in this year’s talks.
Abu Sharif urged the youth of all of the Palestinian factions to carry out peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins until the end of Ramadan with the aim of igniting a popular intifada (uprising) and a comprehensive strike demanding ‘freedom and independence in peaceful ways’.
If Palestinians resist peacefully en masse, he said ‘the entire world will become convinced of the necessity to bring justice to the Palestinians.’
There is, he continued, an unfortunate lack of interest and international support by and for the Palestinian officials.
It is the duty of the Palestinian (National) Authority (PNA), he said, to put a programme in place that will garner support for popular struggle from around the world.
Abu Sharif called this proposed intifada the ‘Independence Intifada’.
‘This intifada will besiege Israel, and turn the tables on their constant siege on Palestine.’
This course of action is necessary, said the statement, since the international response to Israeli tactics to expand settlements and take over Palestinian land with the separation wall, is not strong enough.
The late Arafat’s presidential adviser still harbours illusions in the role of US imperialism.
The current US peace policies, said Abu Sharif, ‘Forget totally the official American stance towards Jerusalem and land confiscation and the construction of the settlements.’
Officially, Abu Sharif recalled in his statement, ‘the US rejects the annexation of Jerusalem and land confiscation and it considers Israeli settlements illegal in accordance with International resolutions’.
He said that ‘the silence and carelessness of US officials is a grave mistake.’
The people who will pay the price, he said, will be the Palestinians.
Abu Sharif called the US peace initiative ‘very lukewarm,’ and said that he rejects US President George W Bush’s initiative to establish an independent Palestinian state before the end of his presidential term.
‘The US administration is acting in an ignorant way towards Israeli acts in East Jerusalem,’ said the statement.
He explained that Israel is expanding its borders by annexing an increasing area of Palestinian lands, and harming the lives of Palestinians by building the separation wall which cuts citizens off from their families and lands.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, are preparing for a major imminent confrontation with Israel, and graduated a third class of fighters on 29 August.
The military group organised a celebration for the graduating battalion of fighters, named after the founder of the group Mahmoud Al-Khawaja.
The celebration was held in Gaza City and several leaders of the Al-Quds Brigades as well as other factions attended the celebration.
Trainees practised military shows and actions, shouting ‘death for America and Israel’ as part of the celebration.
Members of the new class also practised fighting skills such as climbing walls using ropes, manoeuvring under low-hung bribed wires, jumping over fire, blowing up an imaginary Israeli settlement and kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Senior Islamic Jihad leader Abu Anas delivered a speech at the graduation ceremony, where he highlighted the necessity of the training as part of ‘jihad’.
He added that trainees who participated in that course improved their fighting skills and tolerance under tough conditions.
l Dr Saeb Erekat, head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, has said that it is unlikely that a Palestinian-Israeli agreement or written document will be reached in September, as some circles are saying.
Meanwhile, he confirmed that a meeting would be held on Sunday, between President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss the course of the negotiations between the two sides.
Erekat said: ‘The gap still exists between the Palestinian and Israeli positions on all the final-status issues, which are Jerusalem, borders, refugees, settlements, water and security.
‘Therefore, it is unlikely that an agreement or a written document will be reached in September.
‘The issue is not a “bazaar” or a market.
‘The issue is about rights.
‘We must secure our rights in any agreement that will be reached.’
He emphasised that the issue is about the content of what is written.
In this regard, he indicated that the Israeli positions make it difficult to say that anything written could be reached.
Erekat was thus referring to what Israeli sources have been saying, namely, that the Palestinian and Israeli sides are seeking to reach a written document ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in late September, when the international Quartet will meet on the ministerial level on the sidelines of the meeting.
Erekat said a meeting between President Abbas and the Israeli prime minister will be held at the latter’s residence in West Jerusalem.
He added that the meeting will be held in the presence of Ahmad Qurei, head of the Palestinian negotiating team, and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
All negotiation issues will be reviewed, in addition to discussing the implementation of the first phase of the roadmap, including halting the construction of settlements and the wall, removing the checkpoints, and repatriating the Church of the Nativity deportees from abroad and Gaza.
Erekat added: ‘President Abbas will demand the release of more prisoners from Israeli prisons, especially sick prisoners, minors, women and elderly inmates.
‘He will also demand the release of Marwan al-Barghouthi, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and Dr Aziz al-Duwayk, Speaker of the PLC, as well as brothers Ahmad Sa’adat and Fu’ad al-Shawbaki and other jailed political leaders.’
He went on to say: ‘We hope that a new group of prisoners will be released soon on the occasion of the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.’
