By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Dec 29, 2004
Senior “Palestinian” figures Tuesday said Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was a victory for the four-year terrorist campaign against the nation’s Jewish population.
They also said the Israeli retreat would not result in a cessation of attacks emanating from the coastal strip, and in fact would probably lead to an increase in violence.
Right wing legislators, army commanders and analysts have long warned that a full-scale evacuation of Gaza would provide the Palestinian Arabs with a great deal of motivation to continue their efforts to annihilate the Jewish state.
Terror’s victory
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s intention to surrender the Gaza Strip in the face of unrelenting Islamic terror means the Oslo War has resulted in triumph for the Palestinian Arabs, jailed Fatah terror boss Marwan Barghouti said Monday.
Barghouti made the comment while visiting with senior “Palestinian” security figure Mohammed Dahlan at a prison facility in central Israel.
Barghouti, who only recently dropped out of the PA presidential race, is considered one of the most popular “Palestinian” leaders, and his words are expected to carry great influence.
One state solution
Another “Palestinian” leader to receive increased airtime following the death of Yasser Arafat is Farouq Kaddoumi.
Kaddoumi took over for Arafat as head of the Fatah organization, which controls the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking to Iran’s Al Aram television station this week, Kaddoumi admitted that acceptance of Israel was a temporary tactic leading to the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state.
“At this stage there will be two states. Many years from now, there will be only one,” Kaddoumi said with confidence.
He pointed out there were “300 million Arabs, while Israel has only the sea behind it.”
Violence won’t end
Regarding Israel’s planned Gaza retreat, Kaddoumi told Jordan’s Al-Arab daily in April that the move meant “the Palestinian resistance [terrorism] had forced [Israel] to leave.”
But even if Israel does leave Gaza, terror attacks against Jews “will continue,” Kaddoumi said. “Let the Gaza Strip be South Vietnam. We will use all available methods to liberate North Vietnam.”