Special Dispatch | No. 2457, 2458 | July 22, 2009
Palestinians
Two MEMRI TV Clips of Statements by Palestinian Officials
In a recent MEMRI TV clip, Fatah leader in Lebanon Sultan Abu Al-Einim states that the demand for a Palestinian right of return is unrealistic and that if the Palestinians continue to say 'no' to everything there won't be a solution for 500 years. In a second recent MEMRI TV clip, former Palestinian minister Ashraf Al-Ajrami said that Palestinian Authority's security forces had carried out biggest and most important attacks against Israel in the West Bank.
The following are transcripts from the clips:
Special Dispatch No. 2457
Fatah Leader in Lebanon Sultan Abu Al-Einein: Return of Refugees to Israel Not Realistic; If Palestinians Continue Saying 'No' To Everything – There Won't Be a Solution in 500 Years
Following are excerpts from a television debate with Sultan Abu Al-Einein, the leader of Fatah in Lebanon. The debate aired on Future News TV on July 11, 2009.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2181.htm.
Do You Think That the Seven Million Palestinians Can Return to Upper Galilee And Western Galilee?"
Interviewer: "What about the Right of Return? Ever since the negotiations between Yasser Abd Rabbo and [Israeli minister Yossi] Beilin, the Palestinian Authority has been accused of giving up the Right of Return in exchange for compensation and resettlement."
Sultan Abu Al-Einein: "Unfortunately, we in Fatah believe – as does Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas] – that there is no place for Palestine on the map of the lands occupied in 1967, unless our people, the refugees, constitute a principal part [of the solution], through the Right of Return."
Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi, Hamas official in Lebanon: "Return to where, Abu Riyadh?"
Sultan Abu Al-Einein: "Do you think that the seven million Palestinians can return to Upper Galilee and Western Galilee?"
"We Must Be Realistic – If We Continue to Say 'No,' We Will Wait 500 Years"
Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi: "Does Abu Mazen agree with what you are saying?"
Sultan Abu Al-Einein: "Who?"
Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi: "Abu Mazen."
Sultan Abu Al-Einein: "Do you believe that there can be a final political solution... We must be courageous and honest. Can Israel possibly agree to have seven million Palestinians return to the lands from which they were driven out in 1948, and to have the Knesset [fall] into the hands of the Palestinian people?!
"We must be realistic. If we continue to say 'no,' we will wait 500 years, because no solution will be convincing. For once, we should be courageous and face our people bravely and honestly."
Special Dispatch No. 2458
Former Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs Ashraf Al-Ajrami: PA Security Forces Carried Out Biggest, Most Important Attacks Against Israel in West Bank
Following are excerpts from an interview with Ashraf Al-Ajrami, former Palestinian Authority minister of prisoner affairs. The interview aired on Palestinian Authority TV on June 28, 2009.
To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2180.htm. 
"Hamas Tried – Unjustly And Deceitfully – To Take Credit for the Intifada – While the Only One Deserving Credit For It Was Yasser Arafat"
Ashraf Al-Ajrami: "Hamas tried – unjustly and deceitfully – to take credit for the Intifada, while the only one deserving credit for it was Yasser Arafat. The security forces against which Hamas levels accusations...
"They talk about the Dayton plan, as if it is something to be ashamed of... It was the Hamas government that authorized the Dayton plan, the purpose of which is to develop the security forces, and which does not intervene in Palestinian political affairs at all. This is a plan to develop the security forces."
"These Operations Were Carried Out By the Heroes of the Palestinian Security Forces... While Hamas Stood on the Sidelines"
"[Hamas] is now talking about the "Dayton forces." These forces paid a heavy price in the second Intifada, in terms of martyrs and prisoners. Most of the prisoners came from the ranks of the security forces. Moreover, they were among those who bore arms, and carried out the largest and most important operations against the Israeli occupation – and especially against soldiers – including the well-known operations in the West Bank, such as the operations in Ein 'Ariq, Wadi Al-Haramiya, Surda, and so on.
"These operations were carried out by the heroes of the Palestinian security forces, who were defending the homeland and the national interests, while Hamas stood on the sidelines for many months, before [taking action]."
Posts
