'Knife in the back of shahids.' Barghouti
צילום: איי אף פי
Barghouti: Hunger strike if Gaza violence continues
Imprisoned Palestinian leader says, ‘Internal wars jeopardize Palestinians’ national achievements, which were obtained during decades of struggle and sacrifice’
Palestinian legislator Marwan Barghouti, who is currently imprisoned in Israel, called on Wednesday for Fatah and Hamas to put an end to the factional violence in the Palestinian Authority.
“The internal wars jeopardize the Palestinians’ national achievements, which were earned during decades of struggle and sacrifice,” he said.
Barghouti told the two organizations that he was speaking on behalf of all the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and called on the Palestinian people to hold marches and demand a unity government.
Barghouti threatened to start a hunger strike if the internal clashes don't stop.
In the statement the Palestinian legislator called on the leadership to resume negotiations immediately and establish a unity government based on the prisoners’ document regardless of factional interests.
“Despite the suffering, torture and repression that we are subjected to in the (Israeli) prisons, we have decided to announce a hunger strike in the coming days if the infighting does not stop completely and if a unity government based on the prisoner’s document is not formed,” the former Tanzim chief said.
Hamas, Fatah blame each other
Barghouti called on gunmen from all parties involved to “use their weapons to protect the homeland and the Palestinian people from the occupation.
“It is my contention that these cowardly weapons that we point at each other serve as a knife in the back of the shahids, headed by shahid Yasser Arafat and shahid Ahmed Yassin and all the rest of the shahids, prisoners, the wounded and our nation’s warriors.
Despite Barghouti’s plea, Hamas and Fatah continued to blame each other for the escalating violence. Fatah is preparing for a mass rally to mark the group’s 42nd anniversary.
Hamas, for its part, said Fatah was conspiring with Israel and the United States to overthrow the Hamas-led Palestinian government. The group reiterated its support for the special security force the government had established, despite President Mahmoud Abbas’ call to have it dismantled.
