The Palestinians In Their Own Words
Palestinian Quote Sheet #51
18 September 2005
On the desecration of synagogues in Gaza:
"We are Muslims and our religion and traditions don't allow
us to desecrate or destroy places of worship."
--- Under-Secretary of the PA Foreign Ministry Abdullah Abudllah
(Al-Jazeerah.info and the Palestine Media Center,
7 September 2005, before the destruction took place.)
"There are no synagogues here."
--- Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority.
(The Jerusalem Post, 12 September 2005.)
"We won't allow any Wailing Walls [that the Jews might
return to] on our blessed land."
--- Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official in Gaza.
(The Jerusalem Post, 12 September 2005.)
"The people have the right to do what they are doing."
--- A Palestinian police officer who watched crowds set
fire to the Netzarim synagogue.
(Ha'artz, 13 September, 2005.)
"These last 48 hours [during which the desecrations began]
were a test and I think we passed."
--- Palestinian cabinet minister Ghassan al-Khatib.
(Reuters, 13 September, 2005.)
On making peace with Israel after the Disengagement:
"We will continue our martyrdom operations [terrorist
attacks] inside Israel until all our lands are liberated,
by God's will."
--- Muhamemd Hijazi, commander of one of the Fatah-affiliated militias in Gaza. Fatah is the PLO faction under the control of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
(The Jerusalem Post, 12 September, 2005.)
