The Palestinians In Their Own Words

Palestinian Quote Sheet #47

On the PLO's military option:

"All options are open to the Palestinian people.... The Fatah movement did not and will not forfeit the military option, until all national lands are liberated, and the Palestinian independent state is established with Jerusalem as its capital."

--- 'Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, in a speech in the Hebron region. Fatah is Yasser Arafat's mainstream faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization. (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, 23 April 1998. Translation courtesy of Middle East Media and Research Institute - MEMRI

"If [Palestinians] do not regain their full rights and an independent state, we will not let any one in the region live in peace and security."

--- Nabil Abu Rdainah, aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. (Al-Ahram, 12 May 1998, via Reuters)

"We must always be prepared to sacrifice our blood, as in the beginning - January '65 - as we continued, and as we will continue [to sacrifice]. Fatah is a movement of blood sacrifice.... Our people gave the world a chance, and unless the world takes this opportunity, violence and havoc will come."

--- 'Othman Abu 'Gharbiya, Deputy Chief of the National and Political Guidance Bureau of the Fatah movement, speaking to Fatah members. (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, 9 May 1998. Translation courtesy of MEMRI.)

"The future is full of options... The Palestinian people expect a long and bloody phase of an overall struggle, in order to fulfill what has been agreed upon in Oslo. Israel is a state that cannot make peace, a state whose function is war."

--- Palestinian Authority Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Abd Al-Rahman (Al-Ayyam, 4 May 1998. Translation courtesy of MEMRI.)

On the function of Israeli redeployments:

"[The planned third phase of Israeli troop redeployment in the West Bank is] a matter of principle that would enable the [Palestinian] Authority to accumulate liberated lands... which would allow it to double its ability to confront [Israel] without harming the signed agreements or holding [renewed] negotiations over matters already agreed upon."

--- Statement in Our Position, the official biweekly of the Fatah movement. (Al-Ayyam, 1 May 1998. Translation couresy of MEMRI.)

To Quote Sheet #46 | To a text file of all quote sheets | To Quote Sheet #48

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