Israel Matzav

Fatah: 'We've never recognized Israel and never will'

JPost's Khaled Abu Toameh reports that a senior spokesman for the 'moderate' Fatah terror organization announced on Wednesday that his group has never recognized Israel's right to exist - and never will. Fatah will hold its first general assembly in 20 years on August 4 in Bethlehem.

One of the topics on the conference's agenda is whether Fatah should formally abandon the armed struggle and recognize Israel's right to exist.

"Fatah does not recognize Israel's right to exist," Natsheh said, "nor have we ever asked others to do so." His comments, which appeared in an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, came in response to reports according to which Fatah had asked Hamas to recognize Israel as a precondition for the establishment of a Palestinian unity government.

"All these reports about recognizing Israel are false," Natsheh, who is closely associated with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said. "It's all media nonsense. We don't ask other factions to recognize Israel because we in Fatah have never recognized Israel."

Asked about calls for dropping the reference to armed struggle from Fatah's charter, Natsheh said: "Let all the collaborators [with Israel] and those who are deluding themselves hear that this will never happen. We'll meet at the conference [in Bethlehem]."

Natsheh stressed that neither Fatah nor the Palestinians would ever relinquish the armed struggle against Israel "no matter how long the occupation continues." He said that Fatah, at the upcoming conference, would reiterate its adherence to the option of pursuing "all forms" of an armed struggle against Israel.

By the way, if they don't recognize Israel's 'right to exist' then the 'occupation' doesn't just mean the territory that Israel liberated in the 1967 Six Day War. It also means the land located within the 1949 armistice lines.

How's that hope and change coming along? Any comments from the State Department, Mr. Wood?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:50 PM