Provided by the Government Press Office, August 1997
1997
- PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in a speech to the Palestinian legislative council: “They are
waging open war against the Palestinian people… We must confront them, we must
confront them, we must confront them. We must confront them in every sense of the
word.” (Palestinian Television, August 9, 1997) - Arafat in a speech to his Fatah movement in Gaza: “It is important that we organize our
homes and our movement so that we can more and more and more endure the coming
battle, which we shall initiate. We must say these things because great battles lie
before us, and it will now be more difficult than in the past… let us each commit one to
another and let us commit ourselves before Allah and the Palestinian people that we shall lead
the coming battle as we have led previous battles. An oath is an oath and a promise is a
promise. The whole world stands by us, while they are alone. They are afraid, but we are not.
We cling to the oath and the promise. The Palestinian people is faithful to its oath, the one
which we swore upon the first day when the initial shot was fired and the first of our martyrs
fell. I must say these things so that you will know where, how and in what direction our
movement is heading. We are marching together with the blessing of Allah, my brothers, we are
marching together to Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” (Palestinian
Television, August 5, 1997; Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, August 6, 1997) - Suleiman Roumi, member of the Palestinian legislative council: “The words “State of
Israel” should be replaced with “Zionist entity” in the Palestinian lexicon.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, August 10, 1997) - Kamel Hamid, head of Fatah in Bethlehem, at a rally: “all means are legitimate to uproot
the despicable occupation.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, August 10,
1997) - Nabil Amru, member of the Palestinian legislative council: “Mr. Ross is honoring us with a
working visit today, after the shattered body parts of the Jews were spread about in Mahane
Yehuda.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, August 9, 1997) - Sheikh Hamed Bitawi, chairman of the Palestine Religious Scholars Association and head
of the PAâs Sharia Court of Appeals in Nablus, in a newspaper interview: “That which befell
the infidel nations will also occur to the State of Israel. We are certain that Allah will destroy the
State of Israel either through natural disasters, such as an earthquake, or at the hands of the
Moslems, or both.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, July 27, 1997) - PA Youth and Sport Minister Talal Sadr: “All of Palestine is the homeland of the
Palestinian people, beginning with Acre, Haifa and Jaffa.” (Al-Hayat
Al-Jadeeda, July 22, 1997) - PA Mufti Ikrama Sabri in his weekly Friday prayer sermon at Al-Aksa Mosque on the
Temple Mount: “Oh Allah, destroy America for she is ruled by Zionist Jews… Allah shall take
revenge on behalf of his prophet against the colonialist settlers who are sons of monkeys and
pigs… Forgive us, Muhammad, for the acts of these sons of monkeys and pigs, who sought to
harm your sanctity.” (Voice of Palestine, July 11, 1997) - PA Deputy Minister of Supplies Abdel Hamid al-Qudsi in a speech before businessmen at
the Chamber of Commerce in Tulkarem: “There is an Israeli mafia which is distributing
spoiled food products under the aegis of Israeli generals in the territories of the Palestinian
Authority… they are distributors of death.” (Itim news agency, July 9,
1997) - PA Deputy Minister of Supplies Abdel Hamid al-Qudsi in a newspaper interview: “Israel is
distributing food containing material that causes cancer and hormones that harm male virility and
other spoiled food products in the Palestinian Authorityâs territories in order to poison and
harm the Palestinian population. We absolutely feel that it is an organized plan and conspiracy
which is under the auspices of the Israel Defense Forces… this is a planned and initiated war
against the Palestinian people.” (Yediot Aharonot, June 25,
1997) - Report from the daily news program on the Voice of Palestine, June 24, 1997:
“Announcer: The occupation is shooting at children, women and infants… The latest reports
reaching us from Hebron prove that the occupation forces have opened fire on children,
women and infants…”Voice of a Hebron resident: “…our enemies have no mercy and no heart… this shows that
they have no conscience. Their hearts are like stone. They are not human beings. One can
not compare them to people. They are like animals, they are like animals.” - Col. Jibril Rajoub, head of the PA Preventive Security Service, in a television interview: “If
a solution is not found to the situation and the political process is not returned to its course,
there will be severe clashes between us and the Israelis…. All options are open before us.”
(Middle East Broadcasting Corp., June 20, 1997) - Abbas Zaki, member of the PA legislative council and the Fatah central committee: “There
is a plan which was prepared by the Palestinian leadership with the aim of confronting Israelâs
intransigence… The Palestinian people is ready for a confrontation and is prepared to make
additional sacrifices… the people are in a state of preparedness.” (Al-Sharq
al-Awsat, June 16, 1997) - Muhammad Dahlan, head of the PAâs Preventive Security Service in Gaza, in an
interview with the Hamas newspaper Al-Risallah: “The presence of Hamas on Palestinian
territory is very important for building the Palestinian homeland.” (cited in
Haâaretz, June 15,1997) - statement issued by Fatah after an emergency meeting on June 14, 1997: “The policy of
settlements and land confiscation constitutes organized state terror against the Palestinian lands.
The Palestinian people have the right to react to settlement terror via all means.” (Voice of Palestine, June 14, 1997) - lead editorial in the Fatah organizationâs newspaper: “Only the uprising of the masses
and the intifada in the Palestinian homeland in September 1996 enabled the Palestinians to hope
for international and Arab support. It is this intifada which compelled the Israeli side to
implement the Oslo Accords. What distinguished this intifada was its official nature. Palestinian
security forces took part side by side with the masses. Only once the flow of blood began and
Israelis died at the hands of the security forcesâ gunfire did Netanyahu understand that his
assumption that the Palestinians and Arabs did not have other options was baseless. Only then
did he understand that he must get used to new realities…. Revolutionary violence, which
enjoys international legitimacy as a struggle against occupation, is the option that must be put
on the discussion table. This is the option that will bring about a breakthrough in the current
impasse and breathe new life in to the agreements.” (cited in Al-Hayat
Al-Jadeeda, June 4, 1997) - PA Justice Minister Freih Abu Middein at a press conference in Ramallah explaining that
the death penalty imposed on Arabs who sell land to Jews will be applied to Israeli Arabs: “It is
our right to ban the sale of land (by Arabs to Jews) in Lod and Ramle and other cities inside the
1948 borders.” (Agence France Presse, May 27, 1997) - Arafat in an interview with a Russian newspaper (Novoya Vremya, May
25, 1997):Q:Is it possible that the Palestinians will return to the armed struggle?Arafat: Anything is possible.Q: Including the armed struggle?
Arafat: It is not possible to foresee what will happen to the entire region, not just in
Palestine.
The entire region is in danger and on the verge of complete chaos, as a result of violations of
the peace agreement by Israel.Q: In your opinion, is Hamas a terrorist organization?
Arafat: The Hamas movement is one of many patriotic movements.
Q: Even its military wing?
Arafat: Even its military wing. One should not forget that the movement took an
active part in the intifada. - Yusuf Abu Sneineh, preacher at Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a Friday prayer sermon: “The struggle
we are waging is an ideological struggle and the question is: where has the Islamic land of
Palestine gone? Where is Haifa and Jaffa, Lod and Ramle, Acre, Safed and Tiberias? Where is
Hebron and Jerusalem?” (Voice of Palestine, May 23, 1997) - Poem read on the Voice of Palestine, the official PA radio station, on May 22, 1997 during
the morning news program “A New Day” as part of a series of “Songs of the Homeland”. The
same poem was read on the Voice of Palestine during the September 1996 riots:”O our beautiful land imprisoned in a cage and surrounded by wolves,My shaded garden, the tormentors have destroyed you,and the dogs have settled in you, O Jerusalem, O my city,
With my notebook and pencil and the fire of my rifle I will shatter the cage,
I will kill the wolves and plant the flag,
The dogs will not bark in the heroic cities.”
- PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Feisal Husseini in a newspaper interview: “Israel is
attempting to obstruct peace. If Israel continues to succeed in this approach, then she is
destroying the peace process. The only option remaining for us will be an alternative option…
war. Allow me to say that it takes only one side to start a war. At the end of the path on which
Israel is proceeding, a declaration of war awaits.” (Al-Ittihad, May 18,
1997) - PA Mufti Sheikh Ikrama Sabri in a newspaper interview: “The Zionist entity exists on
seized land. The Jews remain enemies because they expropriate lands, build settlements and
pay high sums to buy properties. They are the greatest enemies of us Muslims.” (The New York Times, May 18, 1997) - Statement issued by the PA cabinet in Nablus on May 16, 1997: “We did not pay with the
dear blood of thousands of martyrs so that the Israeli government could establish settlements on
our land in the name of peace. We have sacrificed in the past and we will be ready to sacrifice
again in the future for the sake of liberating our land and returning it to the bosom of the
Palestinian nation and for the sake of establishing an independent Palestinian state whose capital
is Jerusalem.” (Voice of Palestine, May 17, 1997) - Imad Mazen Izz al-Din, the PAâs Political Instructor for National Guidance: “We shall
always stand against them, threaten their future, and not permit them to expand. We shall stand
with all our might against any attempted settlement effort. If they do not implement the
agreement, we shall determine what the essential locations are in each settlement, and we will
turn the lives of the settlers into hell.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 30,
1997) - PA Planning Minister Nabil Shaath at a forum in Khan Yunis: “All options are open for
defending the land of the Palestinian people.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 30,
1997) - Arafat addressing a crowd in Tulkarem: “I now see the walls of Jerusalem, the mosques
of Jerusalem, the churches of Jerusalem. My brothers! With blood and with spirit we will
redeem you, Palestine! Yes, with blood and with spirit we will redeem you, Palestine!” (Voice of Palestine, April 28, 1997) - PA Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Abdul Rahman in a radio interview: “We must not forget that
the American administration suffers from a disease whose name is the Zionist lobby in
Washington.” (Voice of Palestine, April 14, 1997) - Arafat, in a letter to the Conference of Businessmen for Jerusalem, which was held in
Jordan: “The settlements are a declaration of total war against the Palestinian people, an open
and destructive war against our people, our land and our holy places. The Israeli settlements on
our land, in our Jerusalem and in the rest of the West Bank are a war against the peace
process.” (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 6, 1997) - PA Communications Minister Imad Falouji in an interview: “Rabin understood the situation
after paying a very steep price. After Netanyahu sees blood in the streets, he will understand,
too… Netanyahu is a beginner in politics. He hasnât gotten any big hit yet. When he gets one
of those hits, he will understand… Everyone – everyone – knew there would be a bomb before
the Tel Aviv explosion. And today, if things fail, Iâm not going to be shocked if Hamas is going
to do something else.” (Miami Herald, April 5, 1997) - Farouk Kaddumi, Head of the PLO Political Department : “The only option in this situation
is to continue the uprising since this is the only language which Israel understands.” (Al-Hayat, April 2, 1997) - Amin Maqbul, member of the Fatah Higher Council, at a Nablus rally: “All options are
open, including the armed struggle if necessary.” (Al-Quds, March 30,
1997) - Arafat in a speech before the meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers in Cairo: “Israelâs
actions are a lowly crime… The movement of Israeli tanks and armor, which ring Palestinian
cities, are a declaration of war against the Palestinian people…. According to international
understandings, this is a war situation. The only thing left for them is to use the atomic bomb.”
(Middle East News Agency and Agence France Presse, March 30,
1997) - PA Information Ministry press release of March 29, 1997: “Since the very beginning of
the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israeli governments were anxious to apply the most dangerous ethnic
cleansing theory against the Palestinian people. According to their racist ideology, the Israeli
policy makers were dedicated to capturing a land without a people for a people without a
land.” - Statement issued by the PA legislative council on March 27, 1997, just 6 days after the
suicide bombing in Tel Aviv: The Council congratulates “all the holy martyrs resulting from the
noble wave of opposition to the Israeli Governmentâs settlement activity.” (Maariv, March 28, 1997) - Marwan Barghouti, Fatah Secretary-General and PA Council member: “I donât think that
stones are violence. It is peaceful to throw stones.” (Jerusalem Post, March
26, 1997) - PA Information Ministry press release of March 22, 1997: “Israeli settlement activity is
another face of terror and its continuity only supports the Israeli terrorist policy against the
Palestinian people and land.” - Palestinian representative Nabil Ramlawi at a session of the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights in Geneva: “Israeli authorities… infected by injection 300 Palestinian children with
the HIV virus during the years of the intifada.” (Jerusalem Post, March 17,
1997) - Othman Abu Gharbiya, PA Chairman Yasser Arafatâs Adviser on National Political
Guidance, in a radio interview: “We are fighting and struggling with an enemy who is Shylock.
We must know that he is Shylock.” (Voice of Palestine, March 15,
1997) - PA Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman: “From now on, resisting settlements will not
be through words, condemnation or complaints to the UN Security Council.” (Washington Post, March 10, 1997) - PA Information Ministry press release of February 26, 1997: “The Ministry of Information
warns the Israeli government and its settlers that their crime will not pass quietly and that the
Palestinian people has the right to defend itself and its land.” - PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Feisal Husseini: “If Prime Minister Netanyahu decides to
build in Har Homa, this will be a declaration of war on the Palestinians.” (Yediot Aharonot, February 18, 1997)
1996
- PA Information Ministry press release of November 14, 1996: “Naturally, the Palestinian
people attains the absolute right to express its willingness to achieve independence through its
intifada, which was crowned with the declaration of independence.” - Hani al-Hasan, advisor to Chairman Arafat, at a memorial service for Fathi Shikaki, the
slain leader of Islamic Jihad: “Fathi Shikaki is a giant among the giants of the Palestinian people,
one of the giants of the nation. He believed in Islam and he spread it. He was the teacher of
generations who understood that where there is unity there is victory, and where there is fear
there is defeat, without connection to the views that one holds.” (An-Nahar,
Oct. 29, 1996) - Arafat in an October 21 speech at the Dehaishe refugee camp: “We know only one word:
jihad, jihad, jihad. When we stopped the intifada, we did not stop the jihad for the establishment
of a Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem. And we are now entering the phase of the
great jihad prior to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state whose capital is
Jerusalem…. We are in a conflict with the Zionist movement and the Balfour Declaration and all
imperialist activities” (Yediot Aharonot, Oct. 23, 1996). - Arafat to a delegation of Hebron Arab notables urging the use of violence: “Have you run
out of stones in Hebron? Prepare the stones.” (Voice of Israel, Oct. 21,
1996). - Arafat in an October 10 speech before the Palestinian Council: “Negotiations have
achieved nothing up until now. As a consequence, we must be ready in every way to confront
all possibilities. You must understand what I mean by this.” (Near East
Report, Oct. 21, 1996) - Arafat in an interview with the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam, calls for “mass
confrontations in all cities and villages to confront the Israeli aggression against Al-Aksa
mosque” (cited in the New York Times, Oct. 4, 1996) - Arafat to Palestinian security forces in Gaza on September 24: “They will fight for Allah,
and they will kill and be killed, and this is a solemn oath… Our blood is cheap compared with the
cause which has brought us together and which at moments separated us, but shortly we will
meet again in heaven… Palestine is our land and Jerusalem is our capital” (Maariv, Oct. 4, 1996). - On August 30, Muhammad Dahlan, a senior Gaza PA security official, said: “The
Palestinian Authority does not exclude the return to the armed struggle, and it will then use its
weapons.” (cited in the Jerusalem Report, Nov. 28, 1996) - On August 6, Arafat called Israel a “demon” and urged Arabs to use “all means” at their
disposal to fight Israel (The New York Times, Aug. 7, 1996). - Arafat to a rally in Gaza: “We are committed to all martyrs who died for the cause of
Jerusalem starting with Ahmed Musa until the last martyr Yihye Ayyash.” (Jerusalem Post, July 28, 1996) Musa was the first member of Fatah to be
killed in 1965, and Ayyash, known as “the Engineer”, was the mastermind behind a series of
Hamas suicide bombing attacks prior to his death in January 1996. - PA Mufti Sheikh Ikram Sabri in a sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque: Palestinians should “rise up
with all their might against the occupation.” (Jerusalem Post, June 14,
1996) - Arafat threatening Israel with violence: “If Israel rejects our demands there will be a
reaction and we have a 30,000 man armed force.” (Israel Radio, June 7,
1996) - Arafat alleging that a secret Israeli military group, OAS, was behind terror attacks against
Israelis: “We have clues that some of the recent operations in Israel were carried out in
cooperation with the OAS in Israel.” (Jerusalem Post, April 30,
1996) - PA Ministry of Information, in a statement issued to the media on April 22, comparing
Israelâs actions with those of the Nazis: “While the Israeli government is speaking about the
atrocities committed against the Jews at Auschwitz, Birkenau and Dachau concentration
camps… it is directly involved these days in weaving plots and causing two major catastrophes
to their neighbors… Our homeland was transformed into a big concentration camp…” - Arafat claiming Israel supplied weapons to terrorist groups for suicide bombings against
Israelis: “These weapons could be obtained only from high authorities with great influence on
the Israeli side.” (Jerusalem Post, March 22, 1996) - Arafat asserting that Israel armed Hamas and Islamic Jihad to carry out attacks against
Israelis: “We must remember that these organizations were created by Israel, which also
distributed arms to them, so are we supposed to collect the arms Israel distributed?” (DPA German News Agency, Feb. 28, 1996) - PA Planning Minister Nabil Shaath at a symposium: “If the negotiations reach a dead end,
we shall go back to the struggle and strife, as we did for 40 years. It is not beyond our
capabilities…. If and when Israel will say, `That’s it, we won’t talk about Jerusalem, we won’t
return refugees, we won’t dismantle settlements, and we won’t retreat from borders,’ then all
the acts of violence will return. Except that this time we’ll have 30,000 armed Palestinian
soldiers who will operate in areas in which we have unprecedented elements of freedom”
(Jerusalem Post, March 15, 1996). - Voice of Palestine on February 28 asserted that suicide bombing attacks against Israelis
were the work of Israeli Knesset Member Rehavam Zeevi “and the Israeli extreme right-wing
organization Eyal.” (cited in the Jerusalem Post, March 15,
1996) - PA Planning Minister Nabil Shaath, in an interview with Le Monde: “I am convinced, like
Arafat, that these attacks could not have been carried out without cooperation from Israeli
extremists.” (cited in Haaretz, March 6, 1996) - Selim Zaanoun, acting chairman of the Palestinian National Council, at Arafatâs
inauguration: “We are returning to Palestine, and we are passing from the small jihad to the
great jihad.” (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 13, 1996) - Arafat on Yihye Ayyash, Hamas mastermind of suicide bombing attacks against Israel: “a
hero of the Palestinian people” and a “martyr.” (New York Times, Jan. 8,
1996)
1995
- Arafat on the intifada: “Our oath is still in force and our commitment is still valid – to
continue in the path of the heroes and the dead of the intifada.” (Jerusalem
Post, Dec. 17, 1995) - Arafat in a radio address: “The struggle will continue until all of Palestine is liberated.”
(Voice of Palestine, Nov. 11, 1995) - Arafat on pre-1967 Israel: “Be blessed, O Gaza, and celebrate, for your sons are returning
after a long celebration. O Gaza, your sons are returning. O Jaffa, O Lod, O Haifa, O Jerusalem,
you are returning, you are returning.” (Maariv, Sep. 7, 1995) - Arafat in a speech on September 3 publicly praising Abir al-Wahidi, involved in murder of
Israeli Zvi Klein in 1991, and Dalal al-Maghrabi, who took part in Coastal Road Massacre in
1978 which killed 37 Israelis: “Yes, we are proud of the Palestinian girl, the Palestinian woman
and the Palestinian child who fulfilled these miracles. The Palestinian woman participated in the
Palestinian revolution. The Palestinian girl participated in the Palestinian revolution. Abir
al-Wahidi, commander of the central region and Dalal al-Maghrabi, Martyr of Palestine. I bow in
respect and admiration to the Palestinian woman who receives her martyred son with joyful
cheering. The soul and blood for you, O Palestine!” (Israel Channel Two
Television, Sep. 19, 1995) - Arafat in August 1995: “The Israelis are mistaken if they think we do not have an
alternative to negotiations. By Allah I swear they are wrong. The Palestinian people are prepared
to sacrifice the last boy and the last girl so that the Palestinian flag will be flown over the walls,
the churches and the mosques of Jerusalem.” (Haaretz, Sep. 6, 1995; The
Jerusalem Post, Sep. 7, 1995) - Arafat in a speech in Gaza: “The soul and the blood we shall sacrifice for thee, Palestine.”
(Jerusalem Post, Aug. 3, 1995) - Arafat in a speech at Gazaâs Al-Azhar University on June 19: “The commitment still
stands and the oath is still valid: that we will continue this long jihad, this difficult jihad… via
deaths, via sacrifices.” (The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 3, 1995) Arafat also praised Dalal
al-Maghrabi, one of the perpetrators of the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre in which 37 Israelis
were killed: “She was one of the heroes… She commanded the group that established the first
Palestinian republic in a bus… This is the Palestinian woman… the woman we are proud of.”
(Jerusalem Post Aug. 3, 1995) He further stated, “We are all seekers of martyrdom in the path
of truth and right toward Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.” (Haaretz, August 3, 1995) - Feisal Husseini in an interview: “There will be an intifada not just in Jerusalem, but in all
the occupied territories and in all the Middle East.” (Voice of Israel, May 21;
Haaretz, May 22, 1995) - PA Justice Minister Freih Abu Middein in a radio interview: “We have a standing
committee to follow up on the Jerusalem issue and the latest relevant developments. There will
also be popular moves to mobilize resources in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, even if this
calls for a new intifada, no matter what impact this will have.” (Cairo Radio,
May 20, cited in FBIS, May 22, 1995) - PA Justice Minister Freih Abu Middein in a speech read in Arafatâs name at Gazaâs
Shawa Cultural Center: “I say once more that Israel shall remain the principal enemy of the
Palestinian people, not only now but also in the future.” (Voice of Palestine, May 12, 1995) One
month previously, at Gazaâs Al-Azhar University, Abu Middein said, “We must remember that
the main enemy of the Palestinian people, now and forever, is Israel. This is a truth that must
never leave our minds.” (An-Nahar, Apr. 11, 1995; The Jerusalem Post, Apr.
17, 1995) - Feisal Husseini in an interview with the Egyptian weekly Al-Arabi: “If Israel continues to
undermine the path to peace there will be no other alternative but that called for by the Islamist
Palestinian opposition – the military option.” (Agence France Presse, May 1,
1995) - Arafat, at a rally in Gaza, compared the Oslo Accord with the temporary truce between
Muhammad and the Quraish tribe, which was later broken, and said, “We signed that agreement
in Oslo, and if any of you has one objection to it, I have one hundred objections.” (Voice of Palestine, April 16, cited in FBIS, April 18, 1995) - PA Mufti Sheikh Ikram Sabri: “Jerusalem is under occupation and the Moslems of the
world should liberate it by jihad and put it under Islamic and Arabic authority. The jihad is not
just a war jihad – we are talking about all means to get back Jerusalem.” (Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Apr. 7, 1995; The Jerusalem Post, May 3, 1995) - Arafat in a message marking Land Day: “We promise you, oh our great nation, and we
promise you, oh our pure martyrs, that we will continue the revolution until the victory and until
the flag of my country flies over the towers of Jerusalem. This is a revolution until victory.”
(Voice of Palestine, March 31, 1995) - PA Planning Minister Nabil Shaath in an interview with Al-Watan on February 28: “If it
becomes certain that the negotiations process with Israel is ending in failure, there will be no
option other than jihad.” (cited in FBIS, March 1, 1995) - Arafat in a speech relayed by telephone to a Hebron rally: “Our nation is a nation of
sacrifice, struggle and jihad.” (Voice of Palestine, Feb. 14,
1995) - Arafat in a speech in Gaza: “We are all on our way to die as heroes on the road to
Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Palestine.” (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 30,
1995) - Arafat in a speech in Gaza in January 1995: “All of us are willing to be martyrs along the
way, until our flag flies over Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine. Let no one think they can scare
us with weapons, for we have mightier weapons – the weapon of faith, the weapon of
martyrdom, the weapon of jihad.” (Parade Magazine, New York Newsday,
June 25, 1995) - Arafat in a speech on the 30th anniversary of Fatahâs founding: “We are going to
continue the Palestinian revolution until the last martyr to create a Palestinian state.” (AFP, Jan.
1, 1995) He further stated, “We are all seekers of martyrdom… I say to the martyrs who died,
to the martyrs who are still alive, we hold to the oath, we hold to the commitment to continue
the revolution…” (Palestinian TV Jan. 1, 1995)
1994
- Arafat in an address to the Organization of the Islamic Conference: “The glorious Islamic
solidarity together with our peopleâs jihad is an additional inducement for the realization of our
hopes.” (Voice of Palestine, Dec. 15, 1994) - Arafat at a rally in Gaza: “Our people will continue with its jihad.” (Haaretz, Nov. 22, 1994)
- Arafat during a speech in Gaza: “Today, we are celebrating our independence for the first
time on Palestinian land, and we will continue to celebrate on Palestinian lands that will be freed
from the Zionist enemy. We will take all open and freed land, and we will establish our state on
those territories from which the Israeli enemy leaves.” (Yediot Aharonot,
Nov. 16, 1994) - Arafat in a letter to Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Yassin and Hamas terrorist Sheikh
Hunam, who killed 14 Israelis in an attack on Bus 405 in 1989: “My brother, Sheikh Yassin, my
brother the holy Sheikh Abdelhadi Hunam, I recognize your participation in the struggle to free
Palestine. Because of you, Palestine is free.” (Haaretz, Oct. 5,
1994) - Arafat in a letter to Saddam Hussein: “The Palestinian people will continue their war until
the establishment of a state whose capital will be Jerusalem.” (Yediot
Aharonot, July 24, 1994) - Jibril Rajoub in an interview: “We will continue to fight until the creation of a state with
Jerusalem as its capital.” (Agence France Presse, May 31,
1994) - Rashid Abu-Shbak, a senior PA security official, on pre-1967 Israel: “The light which has
shone over Gaza and Jericho will also reach the Negev and the Galilee.” (Yediot Aharonot, May 29, 1994) - Jibril Rajoub in a lecture at Bethlehem University: “We sanctify the weapons found in the
possession of the national factions which are directed against the occupation…. If there are
those who oppose the agreement with Israel, the gates are open to them to intensify the armed
struggle.” (Yediot Aharonot, May 27, 1994) - Arafat at a mosque in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 10, 1994: “The jihad will
continue… You have to understand our main battle is Jerusalem… You have to come and to
fight a jihad to liberate Jerusalem, your precious shrine… No, it is not their capital. It is our
capital.” (Israel Radio, May 17, 1994; Jerusalem Post, May 18, 1994) Arafat further stated that
the Oslo Accord was akin to the temporary truce between Muhammad and the Quraish tribe,
which was later broken: “This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement
which had been signed between our prophet Muhammad and Quraish, and you remember that
the Caliph Omar had refused this agreement and considered it a despicable truce… But the same
way Muhammad had accepted it, we are now accepting this peace effort.” (Haaretz, May 23, 1994) - Jibril Rajoub in an interview: “Rabin has to remove all the settlers from the West Bank and
Gaza and transfer them to hell.” He also warned: “We shall distribute weapons to the Palestinian
residents and return to the armed struggle.” (Yediot Aharonot, March 4,
1994) - Arafat during a speech in Gaza: “The heroic intifada, which has entered its seventh year,
is an extension of the 29-year-old Palestinian revolution and will go on relentlessly… It is
continuing, continuing, continuing.” (Associated Press, Jan. 7,
1994)
1993
- Arafat in a radio address: “It is a revolution until victory, until victory, until victory.”
(Algiers Voice of Palestine, Dec. 31, 1993) - Feisal Husseini in a speech at Bir Zeit University on November 22: “Everything you see
and hear today is for tactical and strategic reasons. We have not given up the rifle. We still have
armed gangs the areas and if we do not get our state we will take them out of the closet and
fight again.” (Maariv, Nov. 24, 1993) - Voice of Palestine report: “Yasser Arafat stressed the continuation of struggle until the
Palestinian flag is hoisted over Jerusalemâs walls.” (Voice of Palestine, Oct.
24, 1993) - Arafat in a speech on Jordanian TV: “Palestine is only a stoneâs throw away for a small
Palestinian boy or girl.” (Jordanian TV, Sep. 13, 1993) - Arafat asserting that the Oslo Accord is part of the PLOâs 1974 phased plan for Israelâs
destruction: “ will be a basis for an independent Palestinian state in accordance
with the Palestine National Council resolution issued in 1974… The PNC resolution issued in
1974 calls for the establishment of a national authority on any part of Palestinian soil from
which Israel withdraws or which is liberated.” (Radio Monte Carlo, Sep. 1,
1993)
