SPECIAL ALERT:
Fatah
calls for mass offensive against settlements
By Lamia
Lahoud and News Agencies
JERUSALEM
(November 14) - Fatah yesterday called on Palestinians to expel
Israelis from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and east Jerusalem tomorrow,
the anniversary of a declaration of Palestinian independence issued
in Algeria on November 15, 1988.
The summons
came despite a decision by the Palestinian Central Council (PCC)
to delay a key discussion on plans to declare an independent state.
The meeting, which had been slated for tomorrow, was postponed
because it clashed with the Islamic summit in Qatar.
A written
Fatah statement told Palestinians to"take to the streets
in order to impose the sovereignty of the Palestinian people...
on Palestinian land and to ban the entry of occupation troops
and settlers to our cities, mountains, and plains."
"These
areas will be liberated under Palestinian popular sovereignty,"
the statement said. "The people should do that by continuous
clashes to pursue the national sovereignty of the Palestinian
state on all Palestinian land." Palestinian officials said
the PCC meeting was postponed, due to Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat's schedule, but will be held sometime soon.
Marwan Kanafani,
a spokesman for Arafat, said the event is not intended to declare
a state, but to discuss the PLO Executive report on statehood.
However, sentiment on the street is very much in favor for a unilateral
declaration of statehood, according to Palestinian opinion polls.
Fatah has therefore decided it should mark the day somehow.
Fatah official
Hussein Sheikh said tomorrow's planned demonstrations are symbolic,
to show the world that the Palestinians will take their sovereignty
one way or the other. He did not rule out clashes between Fatah
supporters and the settlements.
"The
settlers have the choice to live under our rule in the Palestinian
state, or to return to Israel,"he said.
A Palestinian
security officer said he expects people to try to march toward
settlements to show to the world that they are in Palestinian
lands. He added that it is likely that settlers and the army will
open fire at demonstrators who attempt to storm settlements. So
far, the Palestinian Police has orders to stay out of riots and
refrain from shooting, Palestinian officials said.
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