| Telex for Miss Condoleezza Rice! Telex for Secretary Rice! |
GAZA, Nov 10 -- The Palestinian mainstream movement of Fatah pledged Saturday that the Palestinian people would keep defying the Israeli occupation authorities until a Palestinian independent state was established.
Marking the third anniversary of the demise of late leader Yasser Arafat, the movement said in a press release: "The Palestinian people realized that they shoulder a great responsibility and will hold high the banner of defiance and struggle till the end of the Israel occupation and the establishment of an independent state. This position runs counter to the expectations of the Israeli enemies when late leader Arafat martyred. Marking the anniversary of the demise of late leader Yasser Arafat reflects the insistence of our people including Fatah movement to realize the goals for which Arafat martyred after three years in siege," the statement issued by Fatah spokesman Ahmed Al-Tayyeb said. "Arafat's martyrdom left huge vacuum in our national life as the Palestinian people used to feel secure during Arafat's lifetime," according to the statement received by KUNA. "Arafat's message to the world on the necessity of Palestinian statehood expressed his allegiance to the homeland," it added.
Meanwhile, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of manipulating what he termed as "Hamas's coup d'etat in Gaza Strip" in the current peace talks. "Israel manipulated what has happened in the strip as a weapon against us in the peace talks," Palestine radio quoted Erekat as saying Saturday morning.
He also condemned the earlier threats by Hamas Leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar to take over the West Bank as was the case in Gaza Strip. "The threat reflects the mentality of a junta that seeks nothing but revenge," he highlighted.
| "Unlike us here at Fatah, which we are certainly not bloodthirsty dire-revenge-seeking killbots...oh, wait. We are! My bad." |