Fatah says Palestinians are entitled to “resist the occupation by all legitimate means”

Palestinian leaders have said Palestinians have a right to resort to violence against Israel, stating, that they are entitled to ““resist the occupation by all legitimate means.”

The comments have come on at least two occasions in recent weeks at meetings of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) and the political party, Fatah, which is supposed to be moderate.

The latest call, made during a meeting of the faction’s Fatah Revolutionary Council, was attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who also serves as chairman of Fatah. The event was held under the banner: “Resisting the occupation and settlement colonialism by all legitimate means.”

Earlier this month, the PLO Executive Committee, also headed by Abbas, hinted during a meeting in Ramallah that the Palestinians were entitled to use force against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the West Bank.

The committee called for the “continuation of our struggle and resistance, especially the popular resistance… All forms of resistance are a legitimate right of our people that are guaranteed by international laws.”

According to Jerusalem Post, addressing the Fatah Revolutionary Council, Abbas warned that the Palestinians were at an “extremely critical and difficult stage as a result of changes in the region and the world.”

The emerging coalition in Israel, which will include Israeli “extremists,” requires the Palestinians to “confront this fascism,” he said.

The Palestinians expect “more violations, aggressions and crimes” under the new government in Israel, Abbas said. “We must all work to confront, expose and foil them.”

Abbas also stressed the importance of waging a diplomatic and media offensive “to counter the fake Zionist narrative, which contradicts the Palestinian narrative.”

The Palestinians would also continue to seek membership in various international bodies and United Nations agencies, he said.