Israel Matzav

Fayyad's life threatened by fellow 'Palestinians'

'Palestinian' Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's life has been threatened by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and various militias including Fatah's own al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (according to Israel Radio, but not listed in the article quoted below) as a result of the publication of yesterday's Fatah platform that does not include reference to the mukawama (a term generally associated with armed struggle) against Israel.

"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," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip.

"If Fayad thinks that he can erase the word mukawama with ink he's mistaken. This word was written with the blood of our martyrs."

Abu Zuhri expressed "astonishment" that Fatah had agreed to the platform. "We urge Fatah to take a clear and brave stance toward the policy of the Fayad government, which is acting against the national aspirations of our people."

Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various armed groups in the Gaza Strip, accused Fayad of "legitimizing the occupation and of surrendering Jerusalem and the rest of the territories to the enemy."

Dubbing Fayad a "traitor," Abu Mujahed said the armed resistance had succeeded in "blocking the Zionist project for many years." Fayad, he added, may drop anything he wants from his platform, "but the 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."

Abu Abir, a notorious warlord in the Gaza Strip, threatened that his men would target Fayad and "his treacherous gang" in the West Bank.

"We will target them in the field the same way we attack Israel," he said in response to the government's failure to endorse the armed struggle. "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."

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Islamic Jihad also condemned the Fayad government, vowing to continue terror attacks on Israel.

"Who does this government represent," asked Khaled al-Batsh, a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip. "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."

He said the Islamic Jihad never asked Fayad to support the armed struggle or to carry a rifle and fight Israel. "We knew he would never do such a thing," al-Batsh added. "So why is he now placing getting involved in this sensitive matter? Our response should be to establish a mukawama government."

Jamil Muzher, a representative of the PFLP, described Fayad's decision as a "humiliation" for all Palestinians who died or were imprisoned while fighting Israel.

"The armed struggle is a strategic option in facing the Israeli occupation," he said. "As long as Israel continues to occupy our lands, we are entitled to fight."

The problem is that Hamas won the last election and there is really no legal basis for Fayyad's government. Survey after survey shows that the 'Palestinians' support 'armed struggle.' So whom are we fooling?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:19 AM