Thursday, March 15, 2001, a day of general strike in protest against Sharon's policy and the US administration regarding Jerusalem

Our Palestinian heroic masses… the children of Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Palestine

As the process of sacrifice and giving continues in the Aqsa Intifada, the Intifada of Jerusalem, Holy Sites and Independence, the attempts of the Israeli occupation continue to get at the steadfastness of our struggling people and to try to stop their courageous Intifada towards extracting their freedom and independence and towards establishing their independent sovereign state with al-Quds as its capital. the government of Barak and the occupation army tried all forms of oppression; they used planes, tanks and poisonous gases; they exercised the ugliest forms of killing and assassination and siege; all their measures proved futile in front of a determined people who insist on continuing the struggle until victory and liberation.

The policies of escalating aggression against our people backfired on those who planned these policies, causing the collapse of the terrorist Barak's government and brining to power in Israel the war criminal and the slaughterer of Sabra and Shatella massacre and the person who desecrated the Aqsa Mosque, whose visit caused the eruption of the Palestinian angry volcano. Here, we see Sharon revealing his aggressive schemes based on siege and strangling the cities and giving the occupation army free reign to commit more aggression. Sharon's assistants do not hide their well-known intentions to Judaize Jerusalem and encourage settlements through proceeding in the current aggressive policy under the claim of having Jewish holy sites in the yard and beneath the yards of the Aqsa. The assistants of Sharon also intend to Judaize the city and fill it with settlers and execute the ethnic cleansing policy against Palestinians, in addition to the policy of isolating the city from its Palestinian context. Sharon even declared his intention to use the house he seized at al-Wad Street. The striking and most worrying of all if Sharon's steps is the appointing of Rahbaam Zeevy in charge of the archeology portfolio at the time when the Zionist propaganda is increasing regarding the alleged Jewish archeology under the Aqsa yard, along with much talk these days about returning the tourists, especially the Jewish tourists, to visit the Aqsa Mosque while our Palestinian people are being banned from reaching the Holy City.

Our heroic masses,
The most concerning and worrying of all is the recent statements of the US Secretary of State Colin Powell who expressed his administration position in readiness to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. This condemned position violates the international legitimacy resolutions regarding Jerusalem; this US position violates the supposed neutrality of a country that accepted to be the sponsor of the negotiations. This position also constitutes a pillar for the policy of occupation, aggression and killings and escalations exercised by Israel. The National Unified Command in Jerusalem call on our masses in our holy capital to raise their voice and Palestinian national position and cling to the Intifada and its goals and reject the policies of Judaization, isolation and closure and to protest against the US position which is biased towards annexation and aggression.

The Command calls on our masses, merchants, and institutions in Jerusalem district to observe a general strike on Thursday, March 15, 2001.

Long Live Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state Glory and eternity to the martyrs and victory to the revolution and Intifada Fast recovery to our injured and freedom to our heroic prisoners

The Unified National Command - Jerusalem
March 12, 2001