'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Palestinian call for nonviolent intifada

The following is a translation from Arabic of the appeal by 70 Palestinian intellectuals and officials that appeared in the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam earlier this week. The translation came from someone at the American Task Force on Palestine.

It looks like an interesting, generally well-crafted and constructive text. I'd love to see the original, however, if someone can send me a link to it, as the translation doesn't look totally sound.

PUBLIC STATEMENT

We the undersigned, members of the of the Palestinian people from all political, intellectual and social sectors who are unified in their struggle and steadfastness, affirm our condemnation of the blatant aggression launched by Israel against our people, which was embodied two days ago with the criminal operation conducted by Sharon and his right-wing gang which resulted in the martyrdom of the leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his struggling comrades.

We reaffirm our people's rights, stipulated in all international covenants, and the use of all methods to defend ourselves. We are almost exploding from the pain and hurt of the disaster but despite this we call upon our people in the homeland, and in line with our national interest, to take the initiative from the hands of the criminal occupation gang and arise again in a wide ranging peaceful and popular intifadah with clear aims and sound speech wherein our people own the element of its initiative and the path it takes. This way we can make Sharon miss the opportunity of crowning his aggression against our people and sacred places by putting the final touches on his security plans.

We call upon a unified intifadah as a new step to revitalizing popular work organized with basis that have a clear program and a political revenue. We reaffirm our commitment to our just and legitimate demands of our rights and call for alignment based on national unity and unified leadership to resist the occupation.

Enough Criminal Assassination Operations

Enough Bloodshed.. Enough Occupation

The signatories:

1- Ibrahim al-Hafi

2- Ibrahim Msallam

3- Ahmad Jbara (Abul Sukkar)

4- Ahmad Hallas (Abu Maher)

5- Ahmad Fares

6- As'ad Odeh

7- Amin Maqboul

8- Buthayna al-Duqmaq

9- Jad Is'haq

10- Jamal Dar'awi

11- Jamal Zaqqout

12- Jamil Rushdi

13- Jihad Abu Zneid

14- George Hazboun

15- Hasan Dweik

16- Hanan Ashrawi

17- Hakam Taleb Thyab

18- Haidar Awadallah

19- Khader Ayesh

20- Khalil al-Atiri

21- Dimitri Diliani

22- Rihab al-Eisawi

23- Radwan al-Sameri

24- Riyad al-Malki

25- Zuheira Kamal

26- Ziad Hammouri

27- Sari Nuseibeh

28- Saeed Zeidani

29- Salman Jadallah

30- Sameer Shehadeh

31- Siham Thabet

32- Suheil Saleem Abdul Fattah Salman

33- Shaher Sa'ed

34- Shafiq Zaydieyeh

35- Shukri Radaydeh

36- Salah Hikmat al-Masri

37- Abbas Zaki

38- Abdullah Hijazi

39- Abdullah al-Kiswani

40- Abdul Ilah al-Atiri

41- Abdul Fattah Hamayel

42- Abdul Qader Faisal al-Husseini

43- Arafat al-Hidmi

44- Azzam al-Ahmad

45- Izzat al-Rasini

46- Ikrima Thabet

47- Imad Abu Kishek

48- Imad Awad

49- Ali Hasasneh

50- Anan al-Atiri

51- Ghazi Hanania

52- Ghassan al-Harami

53- Ghassan Hanania

54- Fathi Saleem Yasin Abu Zeid

55- Fadel Tahboub

56- Fahed Abul Haj

57- Cairo Arafat

58- Lucy Nuseibeh

59- Lilly Feidi

60- Mohammed al-Rimawi

61- Mohammed al-Sha'bi

62- Mahmoud al-Aloul

63- Mahmoud al-Labadi

64- Naser Younes

65- Nayef Sweitat

66- Nour Eddin Ibrahim Shehadeh

67- Hashem Abu Lafi

68- Yasser Abed Rabbo

69- Yousef Harb

70- Yousef Aref.