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January 13, 1964 The Palestine Liberation Organization/ PLO/ Fatah

The Palestine Liberation Organization was formed.  Its Charter states that the organization’s aim is to “attain the objective of liberating Israel.”

“Zionism in a colonialist movement in its inception, aggressive and expansionist in its goals, racist and segregationist in its configuration and fascist in its means and aims. Israel in its capacity as the spearhead of this destructive movement and the pillar for colonialism is a permanent source of tension and turmoil.”                                              

“Palestine, within the boundaries it had during the British Mandate, is an indivisible territorial unit….The partition of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of Israel are entirely illegal, regardless of the passage of time, because they were contrary to the will of the Palestinian people and its natural right in its homeless, and inconsistent with the general principles embodies in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly the right to self-determination.”  

  • Article 6 of the Charter:

“The Jews who had normally resided in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion will be considered Palestinians.” Accordingly, all traces of independent Jewish existence are to be eliminated, not just in the territories but throughout “Palestine.”

  • Article 9 of the Charter:

“Armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine. Thus it is the overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase.” Peace” is thus a tactic in the service of the realization of the overall strategy: just as in organized combat, attacks may be interspersed with periods of strategic ceasefires, intended to solidify gains and prepare for the next stage.

  • Article 19 of the Charter:

“The partition of Palestine in 1947 and the establishment of the State of  Israel are entirely illegal, regardless of the passage of time.”

  • Article 22:

“Zionism is a political movement organically associated with international imperialism and antagonistic to all action for liberation and to progressive movements in the world. It is racist and fanatic in its nature, aggressive, expansionist, and colonial in its aims, and fascist in its methods….The liberation of Palestine will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence…in the Middle East.”

While a Palestinian commitment was given to change the sections of the Charter calling for Israel’s destruction, the Charter still has not been changed, and adherence to it still characterizes both the Palestinian public and its leadership. ACCORDING TO A SURVEY BY THE PALESTINIAN CENTER FOR JOURNALISM AND MEDIA, MOST PALESTINIANS BELIEVE THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE LATEST UPRISING IS NOT ONLY TO TERMINATE THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA BUT ALSO TO DESTROY THE STATE OF ISRAEL.”   The FLN, too, was characterized by fanatic loyalty to its fundamental principles, but, as noted, these did not include the destruction of France.

The general picture is clear: Forty years have elapsed since the formulation and drafting of principles of the Palestinian Charter, but they are still alive and intact. APART FROM THE POLICY OF DESTRUCTION OF THE JEWS AS A PEOPLE DECLARED BY THE NAZI LEADERSHIP, HISTORY HAS YET TO WITNESS AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE PLO THAT OPENLY DECLARES THAT ITS NATIONAL GOAL IS THE DESTRUCTION OF A NEIGHBORING PEOPLE. These goals cannot be compared with the goals that animated other restricted conflicts, in which remote colonies attempted to shake off the yoke of their colonial rulers. The “political horizon” offered by the Palestinian Charter is positioned at precisely the same place as the horizon of the Mediterranean Sea.

Source: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, March 1, 2004, by Yehuda Wegman

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