Following is the statement issued by the National and Islamic Forces on April 14, 2001; signatories are: Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fateh); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas); Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP); Palestinian People’s Party (PPP); Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA); Palestinian Popular Struggle Front; Palestinian Liberation Front; Islamic Jihad Movement; Arab Liberation Front; Palestinian Arab Front; Popular Front—General Command; Islamic National Salvation Party; and Popular Liberation War Pioneers (Sa’iqa):

Our great Palestinian masses
Our Arab and Islamic Masses
Our heroes of the Intifada

The Zionist aggression in its various forms and colors has been exacerbated revealing the arrogant characteristics of the Sharon-Peres government. The savage shelling aiming to extradite the citizens and create empty territory to reinforce the occupation as well as the ethnic cleansing attempts practiced against our people in Hebron under extremist religious and racist pretexts and claims reveal the Zionist planning aiming to Judaize Palestine in its entirety and strengthen the siege on our Palestinian people through isolated Bantustans. These characteristics reached its peak through the statements of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which express the truth of such characteristics within the Sharon-Peres government.

It is hurtful that in light of this barbaric attack, President Bush’s administration is exercising pressure on the Palestinian leadership under the slogan of protecting the settlement process and condemns violence. It is foul equating between the savage aggression with American and internationally prohibited weapons with the popular mobilization that the Intifada represents by resisting the aggression, occupation and settlement. It is a philosophy of equating right and wrong, between the victim and victimizer; thus, it is a policy rejected by our people, our national authority, our Arab and Islamic nation as well as all honorable and free people of the world.

The security contacts that coincide with the continuation of the Zionist aggression along with Sharon’s terrorist statements that Palestinians are submissive because of the strikes of the Israeli army, constitute an insult to our people, authority and Arab and Islamic nation. America’s attempt to transform the blessed Intifada, the Intifada of al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, occupation and return from a burden on the Zionist entity and confronting aggressive schemes to a burden on Arab regimes fearing popular and mass mobilization is what is revealed by some regimes of suppressing popular mobilization supportive of the Intifada. This matter places these regimes in a position of supplementing the Sharon-Peres racist government with life oxygen on the account of poisoning the atmosphere of our Palestinian people
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The National and Islamic Powers condemn the communications that take place during this Zionist aggression and reminds of the Arab Summit decision that affirms the direct proportion between Arab support to the Intifada and the Zionist aggressive practices.

The National and Islamic Powers, affirming the importance of self steadfastness, asks all official and popular institutions to support the areas subjected to confrontations and threatened of displacement to confront the spread of settlement, judaization operations and ethnic cleansing.

The National and Islamic Powers calls upon the international community to bear its responsibility in condemning the aggression and ethnic cleansing policy by supporting in all manners the blessed Intifada and resistance of this aggression.

We call upon our masses in the Arab and Islamic nations and to the Arab regimes whose ink still had not dried from their decisions to have an Arab and Islamic position up to the level of destinational confrontation that the Intifada is leading defending the existence and future of our Arab and Islamic civilizations and legacy. This should be done by working on isolating the government of Sharon and Peres, boycotting it and refuse to receive its representatives.

The National and Islamic Powers condemns all wrong doings that give the Zionist entity any justification to divide between the Intifada and the masses particularly the shooting from residential areas amidst houses and the spread of stolen cars trade which prepares the opportunity to detonate them and catch the strugglers through it. This is in addition to smuggling and distributing Israeli products on the expense of our national products.

The National and Islamic Powers calls for the participation in the following activities:

1- Tuesday, 17 April: Palestinian Prisoner Day. Processions and activities to support the emancipation and release of prisoners without any discrimination. Activities in all territories and districts that will commemorate the martyrdom of leader Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) the Deputy Commander of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces.
2- Friday, 21 April: A day to confront the judaization, displacement, and settlements expressed through popular processions.

The National and Islamic Forces expresses satisfaction for the participation of the representatives of the NGOs, the municipalities and the unions in the framework of the national and Islamic forces which look forward to see the conclusion of forming other popular organizations to arrange their participation in that framework and in taking decisions that reflect positively on the field activities to escalate and develop the Intifada, the Intifada of the Aqsa, Jerusalem, Independence and Return.

The National and Islamic Forces