Senior Fatah official: We won't recognize Israel
Fatah official: Movement to display commitment to armed struggle in upcoming
convention
Ali Waked YNET Published: 07.22.09, 23:06 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3750930,00.html

As the Fatah movement prepares for its upcoming leadership convention, a
senior group member says the event will be used to display Fatah's
commitment to the armed struggle against Israel.

Preparations for the convention, scheduled for August 4, are in full force
at this time. During a series of preliminary meetings ahead of the event,
senior Fatah official Rafik al-Natsheh said that the group will not be
recognizing Israel.

'We will maintain the resistance option in all its forms and we will not
recognize Israel," he said. "Not only don't we demand that anyone recognize
Israel; we don't recognize Israel ourselves. However, the Palestinian
Authority government is required to do it, or else it will not be able to
serve the Palestinian people."

"I am certain that we will hinder all the traitors who wish to remove the
resistance option from the movement's charter," Natsheh added.

Last week, a senior Egyptian official claimed that tensions within Fatah
ahead of the movement's convention had a negative impact on reconciliation
talks with Hamas. In a conversation with Ynet, the Egyptian source said that
Fatah officials were maintaining tough positions because they fear the
prospect of appearing at the convention with a disputed reconciliation
agreement.