Palestinian leaders from the various Palestinian factions on Thursday were in agreement over the rejection of the US president's promises to the Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, asserting that Bush had no right to take any decision on behalf of the Palestinian people.
All leaders stressed that resistance was the only way forward in light of the existing circumstances.
Fatah
Diab Al Loh, a member of the revolutionary council at Fatah, told Al Bawaba that his movement believes that Bush's statements are very grave, adding “this is a significant change in the American stance. They [US] had previously given promises to the Palestinian Authority of a fair settlement with Israel.”
"This is similar to the Balfour declaration. This ends the American role in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute…we need the international community and the UN to intervene and mediate between the two parties. Bush's statements have proved that the US is not capable of achieving peace in the region," Loh concluded.
The Palestinian minister of foreign affairs’ secretary - Sufian Abu Zaideh – also asserted to Al Bawaba that Bush's declarations are completely rejected in principle, saying “the declaration leaves Palestinians with no other option but resistance.”
"It is very sad to see the head of the most powerful country in the world harbor so much hostility towards the Islamic world and the Palestinians in particular. The Palestinians will use all the help they can get from their friends to pressure the Bush administration to change its stance towards the Palestinian issue." Abu Zaideh conveyed.
Hamas
Hamas also described the US endorsement of Sharon's policies - "aggression" towards the Palestinian people and the revocation of the Palestinian right of return - as a violation of the rights of the Palestinian people.
A prominent leader in Hamas, Saeed Siyam, criticized the Islamic world for its silence and has demanded some sort of a reaction from them.
Siyam also added, “It is time for the Palestinian Authority to realize that America’s promises of peace are mere illusions…the only alternative is resistance.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Leader at the PFLP, Kayed Al Ghoul, told to Al Bawaba that the Bush statements have “officially ended the peace process.”
"President Bush has given himself the right to cancel international resolutions and ignore the Palestinians' internationally recognized rights that include amongst them the right of return," Ghoul asserted.
Ghoul ended his comments by demanding that the Palestinian Authority request an extraordinary meeting of the UN General Assembly to declare Palestinian statehood on the territories within the 1967 border - including Jerusalem.
The Democratic Front
The Democratic Front has always viewed the United States as biased towards Israel; however they now consider Bush's most recent statement “a major transformation in the nature of the Palestinian struggle that will significantly affect the interests of America in the region.”
"The US is no longer accepted in a peace making role. Yesterday’s biased statement proves without a shadow of a doubt that America is on Israel's side fully," Qais Abdul Karim explained to Al Bawaba.
Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad leader, Mohammed Al Hindi, considered Bush’s statements as a nullification of the US-backed ‘road map to peace’.
"Bush's declaration will not cancel our right to return to our homeland, yet we consider the statements very grave. It is very important at this stage to gather around the resistance." Hindi commented to Al Bawaba.
The Islamic Jihad leader expected an escalation in Israeli aggressions as he believes that Americans had, in-effect, given the green light for Sharon's policies against the Palestinian people. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
