Exactly three years have gone by since the outbreak of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in September 2000. The Palestinian press is marking this date with descriptions of mass rallies in support of continuing the Palestinian resistance against what it calls the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian officials issued a number of proclamations calling to continue the resistance until “the goals of our people are achieved in the field of liberty and independence,” according to the Palestinian daily Al-Hayyat Al-Jadida. They also called to create a national united government and to gather around “the elected president Yassir Arafat in the face of the occupation’s hostility.”
Several mass rallies supporting the Palestinians were reported, such as in Nablus where thousands gathered to hear a speech delivered on behalf of Chairman Arafat calling for the continuation of the uprising.
Around 10,000 Palestinians and Lebanese demonstrated in Al-Ba’s refugee camp in south Lebanon, expressing solidarity with the uprising, continuing the resistance and supporting the Palestinian interest, the daily reported.
Egyptian associations, citizens and political organizations rallied supporting the Palestinian struggle, and demonstrations were seen in many other large cities and capitals around the world, including London, Paris, Istanbul, Damascus, Beirut and several European countries, calling to end the alleged occupation both in the Palestinian territories and in Iraq.
The General-Secretariat of the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions issued a proclamation on the occasion of the third anniversary of the uprising, expressing support for the Palestinian struggle, which it claims is linked to the frontier of defending the rights of the Arab people, as well as their holy sites and their dignity, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
“Despite the dire conditions which emerged as a result of collective punishments, curfews, checkpoints, arrests and demolitions of infrastructure…our Arab people in Palestine will continue their struggle with determination,” the proclamation stated.
They also blamed the “hostile Israeli deeds, which represent the terror policy of the state against the defenseless Palestinian people in order to break their will and rule them.” The confederation called on the international community to force the Israelis to withdraw from Arab land in the Palestinian territories, the “Syrian Golan” and to ensure an independent Palestinian state.
The Fatah organization printed several notices on the front page of Al-Hayyat Al-Jadida on Monday marking the third anniversary of the Intifada. The notices praised Marwan Barghouthi, Israel’s most senior Palestinian prisoner, and Chairman Arafat and called to continue the struggle against the occupation.