By Izzat Ramini
Albawaba.com – Ramallah
The Palestinian Nationalist and Islamic Powers, the name given for the coalition of 14 factions steering the Intifada, have voiced their dissatisfaction with the latest contacts between the Palestinian leadership and “[Israeli outgoing premier Ehud] Barak the criminal.”
In a statement Sunday, the Intifada leaders urged the Palestinians to escalate resistance against the Israeli occupation, and warned against moves to contain the outcome of the uprising.
“At a time when the blessed Intifada has begun to leave its fingerprints, embodied in the crisis in the Israeli domestic politics and the economic, and political and human losses on the Israeli side, international and regional efforts have intensified to contain the achievements of the Intifada through paving the way for peace negotiations,” said the statement.
According to the Palestinian movements, the promises being given by Barak’s government are only a means to save its neck, and are no more than political maneuvers aimed at election gains. They warned the Palestinian leadership against “clearing the name of Barak,” who is still killing the Palestinians and assassinating their leaders.
They also urged the Palestinians to “boycot all the Israeli products that has a Palestinian or Arab substitute,” and stressed the need for “coordinating national efforts to ease the suffering of those harmed [by the Israeli economic siege] and find jobs for the unemployed.”
The groups, which include President Yasser Arafat’s Fateh, proposed setting up a “social solidarity fund to be run by honest people.”
The nationalist and Islamist powers expressed their appreciation for the Iraqi leadership’s decision to allocate a billion euros from the oil revenues as aid for the Palestinians, and called on the “PLO and the concerned parties to press the UN for approving the Iraqi donation and speed up its implementation.”
Arafat said on Sunday that separate Israeli and Palestinian delegations would hold talks with US officials in Washington in the coming days, reported AFP.
Two delegations will go to Washington in the next few days to examine with the US administration the ways of supporting and safeguarding the peace process and confirming what has already been concluded," Arafat told reporters in Gaza.
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo told AFP that a Palestinian delegation will go to Washington on Tuesday to explore with the US administration the possibility of resuming peace talks with Israel.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
