New York — The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) applauds U.S. House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) for demonstrating robust leadership in introducing this ZOA-supported resolution ( H.Res.758), which urges Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas, who is also leader of the Fatah party, to officially abrogate the 10 articles in the Fatah Constitution which call for Israel’s destruction and terrorism against Israel, oppose any political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and label Zionism as racism. The ZOA has repeatedly called for Abbas to rescind Fatah’s Constitution.

The Fatah Constitution has never been amended and remains in force to this day; it calls for the “demolition” of Israel (Article 12); the use of terrorism as an indispensable part of the strategy to obtain that goal (Article 19); condemns Zionism as racist (Article 7); calls on countries to prevent Jews from moving to Israel (Article 25); and opposes any political solution whatsoever (Article 22). Unsurprisingly, since September 2000, Fatah has been responsible for as many murders of Israelis as Hamas.

The ZOA strongly concurs with Congressman Blunt’s remarks in his statement following the introduction of this resolution: “There can be no reasonable expectation of a broad-based, long-term reconciliation between the Israelis and Palestinians while one side’s constituting document calls for the complete destruction of the other. I believe it’s absolutely critical that the insidious nature of [this] be brought to light — and that those with a genuine interest in working toward peace insist its most unconstructive provisions be abrogated from the text … As long as Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah Party continue to promote the wholesale destruction of Israel, there can be no possibility for peace — whether in our time, or any other. It goes without saying that a basic condition of negotiating with someone is recognizing their right to exist — and once that’s granted, the right to live without fear of terrorism. But, at least according to the ruling party’s constitution, even these fundamental concessions continue to be rejected by the Palestinian leadership.”

In a joint letter to their colleagues, Representatives Berkley and Blunt wrote, “Since the electoral victory of Hamas, and its subsequent takeover of Gaza, the Fatah Party headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has gone out of its way to convince the international community that it represents the best hope for reconciliation and should be given additional resources to carry out its goals … But what most people don’t know is that the Fatah Party’s constitution, or party platform, still contains no fewer than 10 clauses calling for the destruction of Israel and terrorism against Israel, as well as expressing opposition to any political solution … We recently introduced a resolution calling upon President Abbas, in his capacity as leader of the Fatah Party, to abrogate these ten clauses. Regardless of your position on the outcome of any negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, it is unacceptable that the primary Palestinian negotiating party continues to call for the destruction of Israel.”

List of articles in the Fatah Constitution incompatible with peace-making and Israel’s existence:

• Article (22): “Opposing any political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation in Palestine, as well as any project intended to liquidate the Palestinian cause or impose any international mandate on its people.”
  
  
• Article (12): “Complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military, and cultural existence.
  
  
• Article (19): “Armed struggle is a strategy and not a tactic, and the Palestinian Arab People’s armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated.”
  
  
• Article (17): “Armed public revolution is the inevitable method to liberating Palestine.”
  
  
• Article (23): “Maintaining relations with Arab countries … with the provision that the armed struggle is not negatively affected.”
  
  
• Article (8): “The Israeli existence in Palestine is a Zionist invasion with a colonial expansive base, and it is a natural ally to colonialism and international imperialism.”
  
  
• Article (7): “The Zionist Movement is racial, colonial, and aggressive in ideology, goals, organization, and method.”
  
  
• Article (24): “Maintaining relations with all liberal forces supporting our just struggle in order to resist together Zionism and imperialism.”
  
  
• Article (4): “The Palestinian struggle is part and parcel of the world-wide struggle against Zionism, colonialism, and international imperialism.”
  
  
• Article (25): “Convincing concerned countries in the world to prevent Jewish immigration to Palestine as a method of solving the problem.”