ABBAS ACCUSED OF 'VERBALLY ASSAULTING' LEADING PFLP MEMBER AT PLO MEETING

ABBAS ACCUSED OF 'VERBALLY ASSAULTING' LEADING PFLP MEMBER AT PLO MEETING

The Hamas movement, a Palestinian faction that is not represented at the PLO, released a statement on Monday “expressing deep sorrow and denouncement over the behavior of the PA's president and his bodyguard towards comrade Shihada.” The leftist PLO faction commonly and affectionately refers to its members as “comrades.”

“They swore at him using repulsive phrases and they assaulted him and tried to prevent him from talking,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum wrote.

He reiterated Muhanna’s criticism that Abbas, who has been president since 2005, was taking an “exclusionary” approach to governing, which was particularly regrettable given that Palestinians had entered a “historic stage” and “should unite and close ranks in order to counter the Israeli occupation's plans and projects against Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

"This behavior exposes that the rhetoric Abbas used in his latest speech regarding unity, reconciliation, and the protection of people's interests was patently false," Barhum concluded.

Both the Fatah-led PA and Hamas movement, the de facto ruling party in the besieged Gaza Strip, called for Palestinian national unity on Sunday amid ongoing protests over increased Israeli security measures at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. 

While Abbas said he decided to cut all ties with Israel over the Al-Aqsa crisis, multiple unconfirmed reports have cast doubts over the seriousness of Abbas’ announcement.

The PA has been the focus of fierce condemnation in recent months, particularly for its security coordination with Israel, as well as accusations that it has deliberately pushed the impoverished Gaza Strip further into a humanitarian catastrophe in order to wrest control of the territory from Hamas.

A recent public opinion poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that 62 percent of the Palestinian public want president Abbas to resign -- 55 percent of people in the West Bank and 75 percent of people in the Gaza Strip."

PFLP Prison Branch: We urge the formation of a national leadership to lead the open struggle with the occupation

PFLP PRISON BRANCH: WE URGE THE FORMATION OF A NATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO LEAD THE OPEN STRUGGLE WITH THE OCCUPATION

Important statement issued by prisoners of the Popular Front in the prisons of the occupation

May the Jerusalem uprising spread throughout the nation and confront the next stage

Our steadfast people in Jerusalem, our eternal capital..

Salutes to you as you continue the process of uprising and sacrifice with a revolutionary spirit and continuous escalation and confrontation of the occupation’s aggression and resistance. The occupation has turned the city into a closed military barracks, but you have consistently confronted these actions and the systematic and open war on Jerusalem through which the occupation tries to cement its control and imposition of facts on the ground. You have challenged the most recent actions of the fascist occupation, coming in the wake of the heroic operation in the area of Al-Aqsa, including the installation of electronic gates at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque. We are certain that you will break these gates and you will continue your heroic struggle in which you prove to the occupation and its fascist government, to the enemies, the conspirators, the occupiers, the reactionary regimes, that you are the children of Jerusalem and that you hold fast to its holy sites and its Arab identity.

To the masses of the Palestinian people in the homeland and diaspora…

In light of the rapid developments in Jerusalem which indicate a new phase of comprehensive popular uprising, and in order to support the pillars of this growing popular struggle, we in the PFLP prison branch inside the occupation prisons emphasize the following:

1) We salute the martyrs of the “Day of Rage,” who today rose up in defense of Jerusalem (the martyrs Mohammed Mahmoud Khalaf, Mohammed Abu Ghannam and Mohammed Mahmoud Sharaf)

2) The blood of the martyrs, which runs in the streets and alleys of Palestine and the squares of Jerusalem, will not be wasted. In this context, we urge the organization of marches and symbolic gatherings in all of the streets of Palestine to commemorate the martyrs and praise their struggle and to emphasize the continuity of resistance and intifada on the road to return and liberation.

3) We salute the heroism of our people in Jerusalem and their steadfastness in the face of the systematic oppression and war waged by the occupation against them. We also express our pride in the masses of the Palestinian people in the villages, cities, refugee camps and in the diaspora who today defend Jerusalem and its people, especially the masses of our people in the West Bank, Gaza and our people in the occupied homeland of ’48 who have given birth to these great strugglers, emphasizing the unity of the land, the people and our destiny.

4) We urgently call for the formation of a unified national leadership to manage the open struggle with the occupation and to elevate the level of popular struggle and action in the context of a unified framework to mobilize the energies of our people, especially in light of the lack of legitimacy of the present official leadership.

5) We call to continue the days of anger throughout the week in support of our people in Jerusalem and to defend its holy sites and embody the slogan of continued intifada and resistance.

6) In the framework of current developments, we urge Palestinian national efforts to end the division and restore national unity as an urgent necessity on the basis of a formulation of a program of national struggle. This means a complete break with the Oslo Accords, its symbols and its security, economic and political commitments, first and foremost, security coordination.

7) We call on the military branches of the resistance factions to unify their action and escalate the resistance against the occupation, its military sites, positions and settlements in the West Bank and Gaza to carry out qualitative operations to support the intifada and the steadfastness of our people in Jerusalem and direct messages of fire that make it clear to the occupation that the resistance is present and able to respond even in the most difficult moments.

8) We call on Palestinian media and satellite channels to cover the reality of what is happening in Palestine, especially in Jerusalem, and to publish and document the crimes of the occupation and put the struggle of our people against Zionist terror in Palestine before the eyes of the world.

9) We call on the Arab masses to rally around the cause of Palestine and our people in Jerusalem and their holy sites, and to take to the public squares to uphold the cause of Palestine and rehabilitate it as a priority on the agenda of the Arab nation.

To our masses….

There is no voice above the voice of Jerusalem. There is no voice above that of Al-Aqsa and the holy sites. There is no voice above that of the martyr, the prisoner and the wounded. There is no voice above the voice of intifada and resistance. Come to the fields of struggle and sacrifice to defend the Arab and Palestinian identity of Jerusalem!

Glory to the martyrs and victory is inevitable!

The leadership of the PFLP branch in Israeli Jails

Friday, July 21

PFLP mourns the struggling martyr, Comrade Yousef Kashour of Abu Dis

PFLP MOURNS THE STRUGGLING MARTYR, COMRADE YOUSEF KASHOUR OF ABU DIS

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine salutes the masses of the Palestinian people on the occasion of the martyrdom of our comrade, Yousef Aziz Kashour, 19, of the village of Abu Dis east of Jerusalem, who was slain by occupation forces on Saturday, July 22 during confrontations with the Zionist occupation in Abu Dis in defense of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

The PFLP salutes the martyr and confirms that he is descended from a struggling family in al-Saadia neighborhood, a neighborhood of the old city of occupied Jerusalem. He has been involved in national struggle and resistance to occupation since his youngest days. He joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was given membership at an earlier age due to his dedication and commitment. He was responsible for the Front in his village and then assumed responsibility for the media activities, including maintaining the local social media accounts of the Front in Abu Dis, in addition to his activity in youth organizations.

The martyr was characterized by his high morals, commitment, bravery and courage. He was determined never to desert a confrontation with the occupation and to continually resist the occupation soldiers who attempt to invade the area with stones and Molotov cocktails. His bravery in the arena of confrontation and his appearance in the red kuffiyeh became an image of interest in the media, including international press, and of pride for the Palestinian people.

The martyred comrade developed these qualities amid his struggling family, including his father, a longtime Palestinian national struggler with a serious injury to his hand. His father was imprisoned by the occupation under a life sentence until he was freed in the 1985 prisoner exchange agreement. His uncle and many of his family members were killed, wounded and imprisoned defending Jerusalem and Palestine.

The Front expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the martyr and his friends and comrades in Abu Dis, Jerusalem and all of its neighborhoods on the occasion of his martyrdom. It pledges to remain committed to the same principles and values of national liberation that the martyr held dear, and to struggle until the achievement of the right of our people to return to their homeland and the full liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.

Glory to the martyrs, and victory is inevitable!

PFLP HAILS PALESTINIAN KILLED BY ISRAELI FORCES IN AL-EIZARIYA CLASHES

PFLP HAILS PALESTINIAN KILLED BY ISRAELI FORCES IN AL-EIZARIYA CLASHES

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) expressed its “deepest condolences” on Sunday over the death of one of its members, Yousif Abbas Kashur, who was killed by Israeli forces during clashes on Saturday in the central occupied West Bank town of al-Eizariya.

A day after widespread demonstrations across the occupied Palestinian territory were violently repressed, leaving three Palestinians killed and hundreds of others injured, and three Israeli settlers killed by a Palestinian, clashes continued on Saturday to denounce new Israeli security measures at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli forces shot Kashur and at least one other Palestinian with live bullets during Saturday clashes in al-Eizariya, with Kashur later succumbing to his wounds at the hospital.

The leftist political movement hailed the resident of Abu Dis -- who it said was 19 years old, contrary to earlier reports stating he was 23 -- saying Kashur had been “involved in national struggle and resistance to occupation since his youngest days.”

Kashur died a day after fellow Abu Dis resident Muhammad Khalaf Lafi, a 17-year-old member of leftist movement the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), was killed by Israeli forces during clashes.

The PFLP said that a number of Kashur’s relatives had been wounded or imprisoned by Israeli forces over the years, including his father, who suffered from a hand injury while preparing a bomb, and was sentenced to life in prison before being released in 1985 during a prisoner swap deal.

One of Kashur’s uncles had also been killed by Israeli forces, the group added.

The PFLP said that Kashur’s “dedication and commitment” to the cause led him to be involved in a number of youth organizations, as well as to maintain the social media accounts for the PFLP’s branch in Abu Dis.

“The martyr was characterized by his high morals, commitment, bravery and courage,” the statement read. “He was determined never to desert a confrontation with the occupation and to continually resist the occupation soldiers who attempt to invade the area with stones and Molotov cocktails.”

According to Ma’an documentation, Kashur is one of 50 Palestinians to have been killed by Israelis in 2017 -- 15 of whom were killed in July alone. Thirteen Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the same time frame.

PFLP: ARRESTS OF OUR LEADERS WILL NOT DETER US FROM CONTINUING RESISTANCE

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine confirmed that the Zionist occupation forces launched a pre-dawn campaign of raids across the occupied West Bank of Palestine on Sunday, arresting a number of leaders and activists of the Front, led by the Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar, feminist activist Khitam Saafin and former prisoner Ihab Massoud, as well as a number of activists in al-Khalil. The Front declared that these attacks will not stop it from continuing its role in resistance to occupation and confronting the crimes and projects that attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

The Front emphasized that these arrests only underline the futility of the choices of the Palestinian Authority to continue to bet on settlements, “peace process” and security coordination. It also confirms the correctness of the Front’s position and its continuing struggle to build the resistance and the primary contradiction with the occupation as a major feature of its approach and political positions. 

The Front further stated that these arrests have come after the major campaign of incitement launched by the Zionist entity and its prime minister, the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the resistance factions. 

The PFLP urged the Palestinian masses to escalate the popular movement to support the struggle of the brave prisoners in Israeli jails, for Jarrar and Saafin and the prisoner Muhammad Allan, on hunger strike for 25 days.

The Front promised to continue to defend the rights and principles of the Palestinian people. Continued targeting by the occupation only emphasizes the importance of continuing the path to return and liberation.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

July 2, 2017

Palestinian labor and women’s organizations stand in solidarity with Jarrar and Saafin

PALESTINIAN LABOR AND WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH JARRAR AND SAAFIN

The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees issued a statement, condemning the arrest of the president of the UPWC, Khitam Saafin and Palestinian leftist leader and parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar:

The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees strongly denounces the attack of occupation forces at dawn on Sunday, July 2, to arrest the Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Khalida Jarrar and the President of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, Member of the Secretariat of the General Union of Palestinian Women, and feminist activst Khitam Saafin, after storming and ransacking their homes.

The Union views this ongoing campaign of arrests as part of the continuing crimes of the occupation against the resistance to the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.

The Union further confirmed that the political detention of the leaders of the women’s movement is part of many attempts to silence the free Palestinian voice that confrnts the occupation and its attacks on the Palestinian people. It calls on all Arab and international human rights organizatins to act to stop these attacks and demand the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners.

2 July 2017 

The Progressive Labor Union Front in Palestine also issued a statement on the seizure of Jarrar and Saafin by Israeli occupation forces:

The Progressive Labor Union Front in Palestine condemns the attack of occupation forces who arrested the struggler Khalida Jarrar, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the struggler Khitam Saafin, president of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, along with the continuing extensive detention campaigns that affect all of our people and their strugglers. These arrests are racist, fascist actions aimed at silencing the voices of truth.

The occupation is carrying out a desperate attempt to silence and subjugate the Palestinian people, taking advantage of the prevailing political situation and the humiliating actions of Arab regimes to normalize relations with the Zionist entity alongside the silence of the official Palestinian leadership and identification with the U.S. “requirements” and conditions for American satisfaction with the region.

The Progressive Labor Union Front confirmed that both Khalida Jarrar and Khitam Saafin represent a model of leadership that prioritizes the issues and concerns of the Palestinian people, confronting all forms of political and social oppression.

The Palestinian people have experienced over 100 years of colonization and has confronted and resisted through struggle. Our people are capable of continuing the struggle and will respond to all attempts to undermine their will and steadfastness to seek their legitimate rights.

The Progressive Labor Union Front called on labor and trade union organizations of the world to advocate for freedom, social justice and people’s issues and stand togettogether to demand an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and the occupation’s racist and fascist attacks on the people and their leaders and strugglers.

2 July 2017

PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP OUTRAGED OVER DETENTION OF MP KHALIDA JARRAR

PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP OUTRAGED OVER DETENTION OF MP KHALIDA JARRAR

Palestinian political leadership has reacted with outrage over the detention of feminist, human rights activist, and Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Khalida Jarrar, detained by Israeli forces from her home in Ramallah during a predawn military raid on Sunday.

Head of the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Qaraqe condemned Israel for detaining Jarrar, a member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) faction who also heads the the Prisoners' Commission of the PLC, and is vice-chairperson of the board of directors of Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer.

Qaraqe said Jarrar's detention, which comes just over a year after she was released from Israeli custody, represented “a violation of international laws and of immunity given to elected Parliament members.” He demanded that all Arab and foreign parliaments intervene and work toward security Jarrar’s release, as well as the release of the 12 other PLC members currently imprisoned by Israel.

According to Qaraqe, Israeli forces have detained around 70 deputies since 2002, equal to about half of the total number of PLC members. He highlighted the targeting of female parliamentarians over the years, who have also included Majida Fida and Samira Halaika.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi released a statement, in which she also deplored the detention of the chairwoman of the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees Khitam Saafin in Beituniya on the same night Jarrar was detained.

“We protest the arrest of Palestinian lawmakers and women activists, as well as the ongoing detention of Palestinian political and civil society leaders,” Ashrawi wrote, adding that, “Clearly, this political arrest is further proof that the judicial system in Israel has no relation to justice.” 

The PLO Executive Committee member called for Jarrar’s immediate release, saying: “Israel must not be given a free hand to dehumanize the Palestinian people and systematically devalue their basic rights and lives.” 

Responding to the detention raids, the PFLP said, “these attacks will not stop (the PFLP) from continuing its role in resistance to the occupation and confronting the crimes and projects that attempt to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”

The PFLP also said that the detentions of Palestinian officials and activists came amid “the major campaign of incitement launched by the Zionist entity and its prime minister, the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the resistance factions.”

The PFLP urged the Palestinian masses to escalate support for political prisoners in Israeli jails, particularly for Jarrar, Saafin, and Muhammad Allan, who has been on hunger strike for 25 days.

Meanwhile, in a statement received by Ma’an, Fatah spokesman Usama al-Qawasmeh slammed an unnamed PFLP leader for allegedly accusing the Palestinian Authority of being involved in Jarrar’s detention.

"While we denounced the detention of lawmaker Jarrar, and while we defend the PFLP in front of the United Nations, we are surprise and we denounce by the strongest terms the comments of a PFLP leader who accused the PA of having a hand in the detention,” al-Qawasmeh said. “This is a shameful attitude inappropriate for the PFLP and its history, and a fabrication based on sinful suspicions."

The Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees “strongly denounced” the arrest of its chairwoman and of Jarrar, in a statement conveyed by Palestinian prisoners’ solidarity network Samidoun.

The union described the political detention of leaders of the women’s movement as “part of many attempts to silence the free Palestinian voice that confronts the occupation and its attacks on the Palestinian people.” 

The Progressive Labor Union Front in Palestine also issued a statement on the seizure of Jarrar and Saafin by Israeli forces. “These arrests are racist, fascist actions aimed at silencing the voices of truth,” it said.