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Palestinian Incitement, Threats of Violence Continue

(communicated by the Israel Government Press Office) Jerusalem, March 31, 1998

The OBLIGATION

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is obligated to refrain from incitement against Israel and to take measures to prevent others from engaging in it.

In his exchange of letters with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on September 9, 1993, Chairman Yasser Arafat wrote, "the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators."

The Interim Agreement (Oslo 2) of September 28, 1995 (Article XXII) states that Israel and the PA "shall seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and shall accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda, against each other and, without derogating from the principle of freedom of expression, shall take legal measures to prevent such incitement by any organizations, groups or individuals within their jurisdiction."

In the Note for the Record which accompanied the Hebron Protocol of January 15, 1997, the Palestinians reaffirmed their commitment regarding, "Preventing incitement and hostile propaganda, as specified in Article XXII of the Interim Agreement."



The Violations

Following are statements of incitement and threats of violence made by Palestinian officials in the past month, in violation of the Oslo accords and the Hebron Protocol.

"We are ready for a military confrontation The bullets of the Black Panthers will strike at Netanyahu's soldiers."

---from a statement issued by Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction of the PLO in Jenin announcing the reestablishment of the Black Panther military units (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 26, 1998)


"I believe suicide bombings are a response to the occupation. It isn't a matter of whether these bombings are legitimate or not. Their army kills innocent women and children, the bombers kill innocent civilians. Why does the army have the right to do that and we don't?"

---PA Mufti Ikrama Sabri speaking to reporters in Cairo (Reuters, March 19, 1998)


"If the situation continues without American intervention and without their requiring Israel to respect international law, then the Palestinian explosion is on the way, without a shadow of a doubt."

---PA Minister of Post and Communications Imad Falouji (Middle East News Agency, March 19, 1998)


"Ahead of us lies an entire year - either we will establish an independent state in May or there will be many other options, among them a popular intifada."

---Palestinian Legislative Council Member Abbas Zaki (Al-Arab Al-Yom, March 16, 1998)


"Gather together, O fighters of Karameh, Litani and Beirut raise your voices aloud: we shall die, we shall die, so that Palestine shall live our blood is your atonement. O Jerusalem, and our souls are your defenders, O Palestine we swear unto the holy martyrs: until victory!"

---statement issued by the student branch of Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction of the PLO in Nablus to commemorate Land Day (Al-Ayyam, March 29, 1998)


"A vast wave of violence may break out in occupied western Jerusalem as long as the occupation authorities continue to adopt measures against Jerusalem residents."

---Palestinian Legislative Council member Hatam Abdel Khader (Voice of Palestine, March 29, 1998)


"Washington's decisions are not made in the White House, which is busy cleaning up its bedrooms, but in the offices of Netanyahu, who is feverishly trying to recruit America and its allies to serve the hated agenda of the Torah."

---from an article in the official PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 25, 1998)