Euronews has been asking Palestinian factions in the West Bank city of Jenin if they think there might be a third Intifada uprising against the
ADVERTISEMENTEuronews has been asking Palestinian factions in the West Bank city of Jenin if they think there might be a third Intifada uprising against the Israeli occupation.
The dominant party in the West Bank is the secularist Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Last week, he told the United Nations that the Palestinians “…will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of peace agreements.”
Fatah representative in Jenin Jammal Jaradat told euronews: “We the Fatah movement support the people’s resistance and commit fully to attaining their goals. Fatah has the right to use any means it has, adapted every step of the way.”
The main opposition to Fatah, the Islamist Hamas movement (designated a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US) does not recognise the state of Israel.
Hamas leader Wasfi Kabaha slammed the Jewish settlements and Fatah cooperation with Israel: “Security coordination limits the Palestinian retaliation and resistance to the Israeli occupation. Most of the prisoners that Israel frees are then imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority. This is a major challenge, both for Hamas and all the other Palestinian factions.”
Then there is Islamic Jihad, whose objective is to destroy Israel; this group is also designated a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US supports an Intifada as legitimate.
For Islamic Jihad in Jenin, Khader Adnan told Euronews: “Why are our people not allowed to resist this occupation? Resistance must be united. With this Intifada, we show we disagree with the negotiations. The negotiations are out-of-date, and this Intifada must not be used to the [Fatah] negotiator’s benefit.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s position is more or less the same, according to its man in Jenin, Jaafar Abu Salah: “We support all forms of Palestinian resistance, including violent retaliation to the injustice and aggression of the occupation.”
Our correspondent Mohammed Shaikhibrahim summed up: “The division between Palestinians and the divergence of political programmes among all the factions is still a fundamental hurdle for them in their conflict with Israel. That actually serves as a brake on outright confrontation with Israel.”