Released PFLP secretary-general deputy, Abdul Rahim Mallouh, lashes out at Israel, Fateh and Hamas; calls for unity, issues preconditions for elections 

Date: 21 / 07 / 2007 Time: 12:38

Gaza – Ma'an – 

A member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's central committee, Jamil Mizhir, on Saturday has declared the PFLP's happiness over the release of the 255 Palestinian prisoners yesterday. Among the prisoners was also the Deputy of the Secretary-General of the PFLP, Abdul Raghim Mallouh.

In a statement received by Ma'an, Mallouh highlighted that Israel is deceiving the international public opinion through the release of a small number of prisoners, while 11,000 still remain jailed in Israeli prisons.

"In the meantime," he explained, "Israel continues to invade the Palestinian territories, killing and arresting Palestinian activists in addition to demolishing homes and properties." Mallouh pointed to the recent Israeli incursion of the Al-'Ain refugee camp in the northern West Bank district of Nablus.

He called Israeli's policy the 'revolving door': "before releasing a number of prisoners, the Israeli authorities apprehend the same number, if not more."

As for the criterion on which the Israelis rely, when determining which prisoners to release, and which to keep in detention, Mallouh pointed out that "the Israelis are the only side to set these criteria". He dubbed the preconditions "discriminative according to the factional affiliation of the prisoners", and to whether the prisoners "have blood on their hands" referring to those who were involved in operations in which Israelis were killed.

During a press conference in Ramallah in the West Bank on Saturday, Mallouh took the opportunity to lash out, not only at Hamas and Fateh, who according to Mallouh, "must not forget their national responsibilities", but also at the PFLP itself.

According to the deputy-general, "the state of division in the Palestinian arena can never assist the Palestinian interests."

Mallouh therefore called on "the Hamas leadership to come down from the high tree they climbed into." Concerning Fateh, he stated that "the Fateh leadership must practice their role and watch out for the Palestinian national interests."

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, of which Mallouh is a member, did not come off unscathed, either. Mallouh criticised the PFLP, but also the other factions, for their "inaction in letting the Hamas and Fateh disagreement deteriorate as far as it has".

With regards to the PLO Central Council calling for early elections, the PFLP leader said: "we should not oppose the elections as they must be held as a final resolution."

Nevertheless, Mallouh stated that there are pre-conditions to be secured before elections, which are the following:

First: the outcome of elections should be accepted and respected, in order to avoid repetition of the past events that followed the elections;

Secondly: elections should be conducted in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip and they should rely on geographic and political unity as well as regional unity.

Thirdly: there should be a basic minimum of agreement between Palestinian parties, so as to avoid the elections becoming a means of escalating the conflict anew.

Mallouh stressed that "what Hamas has done in Gaza Strip was wrong and should not be repeated in the future", assuring that the PFLP looks forward to "starting serious dialogue, but only after Hamas hands back the Gaza Strip".

"I can't decide over the participation of the PFLP in future elections as the Palestinian arena currently witnesses a very complicated crisis that nobody can claim to have remedies for," Mallouh added. He also affirmed that the Palestinian prisoners' document, which was agreed on by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails "is still achievable if there is a serious wish to revive the Palestinian national project".

As for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Mallouh explained that they face "a double suffering" during the current domestic Palestinian crisis.

Mallouh: the prisoners' initiative is still valid for the national dialogue 

Saturday July 21, 2007 14:24 by Rashed Hilal - IMEMC News ghassanb at imemc dot org

The deputy secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, Abdul Rahim Mallouh, stated that the prisoners' initiative that was made by Palestinian political prisoners in Hedareem Israeli detention camp in 2006, is still valid for the National dialogue.

During a press conference that took place in the Grand Park hotel in the central West Bank city of Ramallah shortly after Mallouh was released from the Israeli prisoner on Friday, Mallouh said that "The national project is threatened more than ever, looking at the Israeli practices one can see that it leads to the division of the West Bank and Gaza strip."

Mallouh said due to the recent developments in the Palestinian arena especially of what happened in Gaza strip the prisoners' initiative need to be updated he said that" we will not leave this initiative, because the issues it included was not solved or dealt with."

In addition Mallouh blamed Hamas, Fateh, and the leftist Palestinian leaders of what is Happening in the Palestinian arena and the stated of high tension between the political factions, he demanded Fateh and Hamas to come back to reality and sacrifice to save the Palestinian National project. Mallouh refused to blame Fateh and Hamas Equally for what took place in the costal region adding that Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian most start an initiative end the high tension state between the Palestinian factions.

On the issue of the call for Palestinian legislative and presidential elections, Mallouh said that no one should stand against this call explaining that the only way out of current Palestinian situation is early elections according to Mallouh before making those elections several conditions most be fulfilled among them the elections most take place in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza strip in addition to the commitment to its outcomes and finally the presence of minimum Palestinian consensus.

Mallouh expressed his hope that the Palestinian leadership will make general reforms, rearrange the Palestinian situation, and forming a new government, he also asked the Palestinian political groups to stop blackmailing each other. Mallouh fished his press conference by urging the Palestinian leadership to make the political prisoners issue to a general demand and not factional one.

Translated by Ghassan Bannoura – IMEMC News Room.

 

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