Fatah's Jewish candidate: Join struggle against Israel

Uri Davis feels at home at Bethlehem congress. 'We are not like Hamas', he stresses, but calls for sanctions against Israel. 'Israel is the one who brought element of terror into equation,' Davis says

Ali Waked|Published: 08.10.09 , 17:30

"My agenda is first and foremost to bring back to the ranks of Fatah the hundreds and thousands of non-Arab members from European countries, American, and other UN member states," said Uri Davis, Fatah's only Jewish candidate running for office, to Ynet.

"This is an effort to recruit them to renew their support of the Palestinians and the organized struggle, and even to impose sanctions on the Israeli government and Israeli companies as long as discriminatory legislation continues within the Jewish National Fund, the Zionist Labor Federation, and other institutions in Israel."

Uri Davis. Candidate in Fatah elections. 'Israel violates international agreements' (Photo: AP)

Davis, a member of the Palestinian Fatah movement for years, said that he felt at home at the Fatah congress in Bethlehem. According to him, the recent declarations made by Israeli government ministers against the decisions made at the congress are far from being accurate.

"Talk of the fact that Fatah and Hamas are one and the same, as was claimed by ministers in the Israeli government, is inflammatory and inaccurate," Davis said. According to him, there is a fundamental and ideological difference between the two movements: "The Fatah movement believes in universal values and is not a fundamentalist movement. Fatah does not condition membership in its ranks on ethnic origins or the citizenship held by its members, among whom there are both Arabs and non-Arabs."

'Armed struggle not aimed at civilians'

"Fatah is committed to the values mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all the UN resolutions. There is a significant ideological difference between Fatah and Hamas, which stands for Islamic sharia law and seeks a regime based on it," explained Davis.

According to his claims, the crux of the conflict does not stem from the decisions made in the Fatah congress, but those made in the Israeli cabinet. "A majority of the Israeli government's decisions are violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of UN resolutions. The UN ruled that Jerusalem is international territory, and Israel violates this. The UN defines the 1967 territories as occupied territories, while Israel is settling half a million people on illegal territory. Fatah is the one who has clung to the UN resolutions," Davis explained.

Davis spoke of Fatah's declaration that it supports peace with Israel while maintaining the right to armed conflict, saying, "The significance of this decision is that this right exists and is legitimate. It does not mean that Fatah will take up arms tomorrow. It means that the right exists.

"I distinguish between armed struggle against the occupation and terrorism. Armed struggle against the occupation is not directed against civilians, but against those wearing uniforms in occupied territory. Israel is the one who has inserted elements of terrorism in the equation by harming civilians," Davis claimed.