Islamic Jihad's Secretary General: PLO exists to fight Israel

Monday September 22, 2008 14:36 by Rami Almeghari - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, who is based in Damascus, stressed on Sunday that the Palestine Liberation Organisation was not created to recognize Israel but rather to fight it.

Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, Islamic Jihad's exiled Secretary General

Shallah, whose group rejects any peace with Israel, told supporters during a breakfast of a 'holy Ramadan' day in Damascus yesterday, "It is called the 'Palestine Liberation Organization,' not the 'Israel Recognition Organisation' or the 'Peaceful Solutions Organisation.' The organization was established to liberate Palestine - all of Palestine, either that of 1948 or that of 1967.

Also, he was quoted as saying, "No one now knows exactly what the current Palestinian rights are. Some people believe that Gaza and the West Bank are their territories, others see Gaza only as their country, while a third group considers Ramallah as their Palestine."

The Islamic Jihad's leader emphasized the need for reviving the Palestine question with the goal of eliminating divisions Palestinians, as in the currently situation.

"We refuse any actions that would further weaken the Palestinian situation and we should not ignore the fact that Israel, only Israel has dismembered our lands," the Islamic leader explained.

He called for settling current differences between main rival parties, Hamas and Fatah, in order to achieve national unity and regain legitimate Palestinian rights.

Shallah's remarks come in the backdrop of a 15-month-old split between Gaza and Ramaallah, as Hamas has seized control of Gaza, ousting Fatah-loyal security services to Ramallah. President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah has outlawed Hamas and demanded the party to renounce control over the coastal territory.

Both Hamas and Fatah hold different political agendas; Hamas does not recognize Israel, while Fatah backs PLO-based peace negotiations with Israel.

arab world | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org