Palestinian politicians call for discussion of Islamic Jihad initiative

Palestinian politicians have called for a comprehensive national dialogue to discuss the Islamic Jihad initiative, stressing the importance of mobilising Arabic and Islamic support to face Israel, Al-Resalah reported on Monday. In a meeting held at the Information Ministry in Gaza, Islamic Jihad leader Khader Habib said that the core of his movement’s initiative is its main charter which, he insisted, is valid as the grounds for such a dialogue.

The initiative, explained Habib, consists of 10 points, at the top of which is withdrawal from recognition of the Oslo Accords; he described these as a “disaster” for the Palestinians. He noted that the Secretary General of Islamic Jihad is in Egypt to discuss the initiative with the government in Cairo.

A spokesman for Hamas hailed the initiative, describing it as a “real trigger” to start mobilising Arabic and Islamic support against Israeli ambitions in the region. Ismail Ridwan stressed that the movement is ready to take all measures necessary to guarantee its success.

Ridwan also pointed out that Oslo encouraged illegal Israeli settlements; caused a rift among Palestinian factions; paved the way for normalising ties with Israel; connected the Palestinian economy to Israel’s; imposed security cooperation with Israel; and emptied the Palestinian cause of its core constituents.

The Hamas official added that the PLO is no longer a real representative of the Palestinians as the largest faction. That, he said, is the position that Hamas has occupied since the 2006 elections. Decision-making by the PLO, he suggested, is held hostage by Fatah.

Political Analyst Tawfiq Abu-Shomar said that the one of the main strengths of the Islamic Jihad initiative is that the movement is not part of the authority. This, he said, makes it more acceptable to the Arab countries. However, he claimed that the initiative is incomplete as it does not include any mechanisms for ending the internal political divisions. He called for a rearrangement of the proposal in order for it to be accepted by all Palestinian factions.