PALIS NOT QUITE READY TO GIVE UP "ARMED STRUGGLE"

Palestinian PM Nudges, Winks (LGF)
Last week we had a sudden burst of news articles about the newly published platform of the Fatah government in the West Bank, touting the removal of the phrase “armed struggle,” and suggesting that it heralds a fundamental change in the situation. Peace in our time?

The new “moderate” Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, told reporters in Cairo today, “Sure, we took those phrases out of the platform. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more.”

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has said Palestinians have a legitimate right to resist Israeli occupation, even if the phrase does not appear in his new government program.

"We are certainly an occupied people and resistance is a legitimate right for the Palestinian people as an occupied people,” Fayyad told reporters in Cairo, where he is leading the Palestinian delegation to an Arab League meeting on Monday.

Palestinian officials confirmed on Friday that the platform of the new government omits the phrases “armed struggle” and “resistance” against Israeli occupation.

This was a change from the platforms of the previous two Palestinian governments led by the Islamist movement Hamas, which has rebuffed US and European demands that it recognize Israel and renounce violence.

“We are certainly an occupied people and resistance is a legitimate right for the Palestinian people as an occupied people,” Fayyad told reporters in Cairo, where he is leading the Palestinian delegation to an Arab League meeting on Monday.

Palestinian officials confirmed on Friday that the platform of the new government omits the phrases “armed struggle” and “resistance” against Israeli occupation. This was a change from the platforms of the previous two Palestinian governments led by the Islamist movement Hamas, which has rebuffed US and European demands that it recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad Reject PA Platform that Excludes "Armed Struggle"
Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced Sunday in Gaza their rejection of the PA's new official platform, which for the first time does not include a reference to "armed struggle" against the Israeli occupation. The platform was adopted Friday by the caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. In a statement, the two movements said: "No one can delete resistance from the Palestinians' agenda."

Hamas and Islamic Jihad also criticized the PA's decision to allow Palestinians stranded Egypt to return to Gaza through Israeli-controlled border crossings. They said they view Israeli conditions for their transfer as unacceptable. (Maan News-PA)