New York — The Zionist Organization of America criticized the Abbas referendum document as a clear retreat from the Palestinian Authority obligations under the Oslo agreement; as promoting and supporting terrorism against Israeli Jews (“resistance”); promoting the non-starter right of return issue; promoting the release of Arab terrorists from prison, while not recognizing Israel’s right to exist.
Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, is claiming this is a “peace plan” which it is not. He wants the Palestinians to vote on this document within 40 days if no resolution between the Palestinian factions occurs through dialogue in the next 10 days.
WAFA, the PLO news agency, said that this “document was proposed by the pioneer Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails to be used for a general referendum.” A sampling of some of the statements in this document include:
“…in order to confront the Israeli scheme that aims to impose the Israeli solution which blows up the dream of our people and the right of our people in establishing their independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty; this scheme that the Israeli government intends to implement in the next phase as establishment of the erection and completion of the apartheid wall and the Judaization of the Jerusalem and the expansion of the Israeli settlements and the seizure of the Jordan Valley and the annexation of vast areas of the West Bank and blocking the path in front of our people to exercise their right of return.”
“…loyalty to the martyrs of our great people and the pains for their prisoners and the agony of their injured,”
1. “The Palestinian people in the homeland and in the Diaspora seek to liberate their land and to achieve their right of return and establish their independent state with al-Quds al-Shareef as its capital on all territories occupied in 1967 and to secure the right of return for the refugees and to liberate all prisoners and detainees based on the historical right of our people on the land of the fathers and grandfathers…”
2. ..”.the joining of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movements to the PLO…representation of all Palestinian national and Islamic forces, factions and parties…
3. “the right of the Palestinian people in resistance and clinging to the option of resistance with the various means and focusing the resistance in the occupied territories of 1967 alongside with the political action and negotiations and diplomatic action and continuation of popular and mass resistance against the occupation in its various forms and policies and making sure there is broad participation by all sectors and masses in the popular resistance.”
4. …”to support the right of our people in self determination and freedom and return and independence and to confront the plan of Israel in imposing the Israeli solution on our people and to confront the oppressive siege on the Palestinian people.”
6. “…present the best possible care for the sectors that carried the burden of steadfastness and resistance and the Intifada and who were the victims of the Israeli criminal aggression, especially the families of the martyrs, prisoners and injured and the owners of the demolished homes and properties which were destroyed by the occupation…”
8. To liberate the prisoners and detainees is a sacred national duty that must be assumed by all Palestinian national and Islamic forces and factions and the PLO and the PNA as President and government and the PLC and all resistance forces.
9. “The need to double efforts to support and care for the refugees and defend tgheir rights and work on holding a popular conference representing the refugees which should come up with commissions to follow up its duties and to stress on the right of return and to cling to this right and to call…”
10. “to work on forming a unified resistance front under the name “Palestinian resistance front” to lead and engage in resistance against the occupation and to unify and coordinate action and resistance and to form a unified political reference for the front.”
12. “to reject and denounce the oppressive siege against the Palestinian people which is being led by the US and Israel and call on the Arabs at the popular and official levels to support the Palestinian people and the PLO …to call on the Arab governments to implement the political, financial, economic, and media decisions of the Arab summits that support the Palestinian people…”
13. “…to reinforce steadfastness and resistance in face of the aggression and siege and to reject intervention in the Palestinian internal affairs.”
15. “…in the battle for return…to liberate the West Bank and Jerusalem in a manner that makes the steadfast Gaza Strip a real support force to steadfastness and resistance of our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem…”
16. “…confiscation of the chaotic weapons that harm the resistance and distort its image…”
18. “to work on expanding the role and presence of the international solidarity committees and the peace loving groups that support our people in their just struggle against the occupation, settlements, the apartheid wall politically and locally and to work towards the implementation of the International Court of Justice decision at The Hague pertaining to the removal of the wall and settlements and their illegitimate presence.”