Following the terror attack in Kfar Saba this morning (Thursday), Hussein A-Sheikh, General Secretary of Fatah in the West Bank interviewed on the Al-Jazeera television network, put the blame firmly on the Israelis.
The attack, carried out by a member of the Al-Aq’sa Martyrs Brigade military division of Yassir Arafat’s Fatah, caused the death of one Israeli, and thirteen others were wounded. Throughout the interview A-Sheikh refused to regard the Palestinians as guilty of the attack, blaming it on “the occupation government.”
A-Sheikh emphasized that over the past three months there have been no attacks against civilians, a fact that demonstrates unprecedented restraint on the part of the Palestinian organizations. This is in spite of the continuing crimes of the occupation, he said. “The Palestinian land is soaked in the blood of women and children” he stated, adding “the Israeli government has drawn up a plan to transfer Palestinians to Iraq and to demolish thousands of Palestinian homes.” He also said the Palestinian government and people should not tolerate this plan, nor the continuing Israeli crimes.
The interviewer inquired whether attacks like that in Kfar Saba, when carried out at a time when the Palestinian Authority condemns harming civilians, implicate the existence of disagreements and opposing views in Fatah. A-Sheikh responded “absolutely not… we oppose harming civilians… but the death of Palestinian women and children on a daily basis is something that shouldn’t be tolerated.”
When asked how this action will affect the duties of Abu Mazen’s government, A-Sheikh responded that the security issue is the responsibility of the occupation. “It is unthinkable that the occupation will have the benefit of security while the Palestinian people have no security or peace… we are victims of the occupation, the crimes and the terror which is organized by the occupation government… this is why the tasks Abu Mazen’s government faces are extensive and significant… we must continue the reforms plan while strengthening the Palestinian people in a way that will enable them to face up to the Israeli aggression.”
The interviewer pointed out that the Israeli government announced it will not resume negotiations before Abu Mazen’s government proves it is capable of maintaining security and preventing actions such as this attack. At this stage, A-Sheikh again removed all responsibility from the Palestinians. “The ball is now in the hands of the U.S. They must insist that Israel stops the aggression… the responsibility for security is in the hands of Israel and the U.S… and this is the first demand of the Palestinian government and the Palestinian people.”