Following is the statement issued by the National and Islamic Forces on December 17, 2000; 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 masses,
Our Arab and Islamic masses,
At the time when the blessed Intifada started making impact in terms of the deterioration of the internal political crisis of the Israeli aggressive state and its human, economic and moral losses because of the Intifada, there are international and regional active efforts that aim to besiege the activities of the Intifada and contain it through preparations to resume the negotiations according to the previous futile formula. The collapsing Barak's government seeks to save itself through launching false and deceiving promises and calling towards a return to the negotiations table in the context of its election campaign that aims to deceive the Israeli, Palestinian and international public opinion and at a time when a series of crimes, assassinations, destruction and sieges continue against our people.

The national and Islamic forces reject the call to resume futile negotiations and condemn any attempt to return to the previous condition that existed prior to September 28, 2000. The national and Islamic forces warn of the continuation of the current meetings and contacts under this context; these meetings and contacts serve the sole purpose of improving the picture of the criminal Barak and saving him from his crisis. The national and Islamic forces call on the PA to stop the current harmful contacts and reject going back to the useless negotiations circle that existed prior to September 28, 2000; they also call for halting all forms of security coordination with the Israeli enemy.

The national and Islamic forces affirm that the Palestinian people cling and adhere to the continuation of the Intifada, the Intifada of al-Quds, Independence and Return. The Palestinian people are determined to continue in their struggle until the Intifada achieves its goal of ending occupation, eliminating settlements, gaining freedom, independence and return. Our people totally reject any compromises on the Intifada and reject including the Intifada in the market of election campaigns and statements of the parties in the Zionist ruling institution. The next few days and weeks will prove that the Intifada is stronger than all the attempts that aim to abort or contain it. The Intifada is the option that gained consensus among the Palestinian people as a way to regain their national rights. Our people will affirm and protect this consensus and frustrate all attempts to move away from this consensus.

The national and Islamic forces warn of the dangers of the terrorist assassination schemes that are exercised by the government of Barak, the murderer who executed the massacre of Ferdan in 1973, and which targets the cadres of the Intifada and the heroes of resistance from all national and Islamic factions. The national and Islamic forces call on the authority apparatuses to assume their responsibilities in protecting our people from these crimes and in securing means of protection to the strugglers and strike with an iron fist against the collaborators who assist the Zionist enemy in committing these crimes.

The national and Islamic forces reaffirm their national decision to boycott the products of settlements and all Israeli products that have a national alternative; they call on our brethren merchants to tighten the execution of the boycott and purify their stores from the enemy products totally during the coming weeks and until the end of January 2001.

In the light of the deterioration of the conditions facing our people due to the policy of the Israeli barbaric siege, the national and Islamic forces affirm the need to organize the national effort towards alleviating the suffering and assist those affected by the siege and find job opportunities to those unemployed. They call for establishing a national fund for social solidarity and to be run by a national and honest administration that gains the consensus and confidence of the masses to assume this mission. The national and Islamic forces address the Arab and Islamic masses and their governments and call on them to implement the resolutions of the Arab and Islamic summits and offer financial and economic assistance to our people for their steadfastness in confronting the Israeli aggressive siege and expedite the transfer of the pledged and announced assistance. The national and Islamic forces salute the decision of the Iraqi leadership regarding the allocation of one billion euros from the Iraqi oil revenues to the Palestinian people; this decision really expresses the depth of national feelings of the Iraqi people and their struggling leadership. The national and Islamic forces call upon the competent parties in the PLO to move quickly at the level of the UN towards demanding the acceptance to the Iraqi proposal and expedite its implementation.

The national and Islamic forces reaffirm the continuation of the Intifada and call for the following:

• To declare Tuesday, December 29, 2000, as a day of general strike until 1:00 p.m. in which all stores close, except for schools, and to organize marches and demonstrations to protest against going back to the empty circle of useless negotiations and the current meetings and contacts along this context and affirm that the Palestinian people are determined to continue with the Intifada and will frustrate all attempts to abort or contain it.
• To declare the last Friday of the Month of Ramadan, December 22, 2000, as a day of popular anger and escalation through massive marches to break the Israeli siege on Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.
• The national and Islamic forces extend deepest greetings to our Palestinian Christian brothers and to the whole Christian world on the occasion of Christmas, and call for reinforcing the national unity through celebrating this occasion on Sunday December 24, and Monday, December 25 through solidarity with our masses in Bethlehem, Bet Jala and Bet Sahour who are victims of the Israeli crimes, siege and shelling.

Glory to the martyrs and fast recovery to the injured and freedom to the prisoners
It is an Intifada that will continue until victory