Bassam Abu Sharif, a former senior advisor to late President Yasser Arafat, added his voice to a chorus of those raising the possibility of a third Intifada, or uprising against Israel.
“The Palestinians are preparing themselves to carry out another Intifada of independence and freedom in response to Israeli violations, massacres and policies against the Palestinians and their land, against Jerusalem, the confiscation of land and the geographic separation of the Palestinian territories,” said the former Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) spokesperson in a press conference in Ramallah.
Several political figures from across the Palestinian spectrum have suggested this week that a new uprising is on its way in the wake of the violent clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday.
Abu Sharif said Palestinians will not remain silent in the face of “Israeli violations” and the “failure” of peace talks.
“The Palestinians are working to establish a fully sovereign state on the land, sea and airspace in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 242, which has not been implemented since it was issued 42 years ago,” he said.
He called on US President Barack Obama to hold an international conference to push for the implementation of UN resolutions, as an alternative to bilateral peace negotiations which the US wants resumed. He said these peace talks will be “useless.”
Abu Sharif said that indirect negotiations that will be held in New York in October will be the worst in the history of the Palestinian cause because they will carried out while the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Natanyahu continues to seize land, alter the situation in Jerusalem, and expel Palestinians from the country.
He concluded by urging Hamas and Fatah movements to sideline their partisan interests for the sake of the Palestinian cause. He also called for new elections and a resolution of internal disputes.
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