The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine called yesterday for all Palestinian forces to hold talks to secure national unity. In the course of the talks, various subjects will be discussed, including rebuilding the national institutions of the Palestinian Authority on ‘an established political and organizational basis.’
This call came in an announcement from the political council of the Popular Front in a ceremony to mark 35 years since it was founded. In the proclamation, the Popular Front expressed its rejection of the American ‘road map’ plan, which it described as being geared towards ending the Palestinian problem. The Popular Front expressed its resolute refusal to accept a statement which Sari Nusseibeh wrote. Nusseibeh is responsible for the Jerusalem portfolio in the Palestinian Authority. He said that he would give up the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and concede on Jerusalem. In actual fact this statement, published in the Israeli papers three months ago, did not deal with the right of return for Palestinians, but only spoke of setting up an international fund to grant refugees compensation. The document also stated that, in any case, the refugees will return, but in the framework of the Palestinian state which will be founded, and not into Israel proper.
The founder of the Arab nationalist movement and of the Popular Front, Dr. George Habash, called for continuing the Intifada and for peace among Palestinian factions. He also called for Fatah (the organization led by Yassir Arafat) activists to oppose the trend of ‘destructive criticism’ against the Intifada. Habash warned that if the USA succeeds in its aggression against Iraq, it will not stop there, but carry on until it achieves complete control of Iraqi oil and of the region as a whole. He claimed it also aspires to subdue the Arab nation, to gain control of the Palestinian Intifada and to scupper the plan for Arab revival.
The call was addressed to the whole Palestinian people to oppose the doubts being heard against continuing the Intifada and military actions against the ‘Zionist enemy.’ At the end of the call, the Popular Front promised the Palestinian people that it will continue the Intifada and active resistance, “until the occupation is forced out of our land and until an independent state with its capital Jerusalem be established.”