"The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people cannot be decided by Israeli polls," said Haniya

By Yasser Al-Banna, IOL Correspondent

GAZA CITY, May 4 (IslamOnline.net) – The Likud rejection of Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon’s pullout plan proves that the decision-making process lies in the hands of Israel’s extremists, making the armed resistance the only option to liberate the occupied Palestinians territories, Palestinian resistance leaders said.

"The Likud’s poll results demonstrate that the Zionist society is adamant about holding on to the occupied Palestinian territories which would further inflame the situation," Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader, said in a press statement Monday, April 3.

"The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people cannot be decided by Israeli polls but rather by the Palestinians themselves."

The voting results, announced late Sunday, May 2, showed that a total of 59.5 percent of the some 193,000 Likud members who cast their ballots spurned the plan, against just 39.7 percent.

The rejection by Sharon’s own party of the plan he spent most of the past several months promoting, is one of the most serious setbacks Sharon has suffered since taking office in March 2001.

Catalyst

"With or without this plan, the resistance will go unabated, which is the best solution to our people," said Zahri

Sami Abu Zahri, another Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said the results, which showed the Israelis’ adamancy not to quit the land of Palestine, should serve as a "catalyst" for the Palestinians to stick to and protect their rights till the last breath.

"With or without this plan, the resistance will go unabated because it is the best solution to our people," Zahri told IslamOnline.net.

He added that the Likud’s opposition came as a "direct condemnation of the United States for volunteering to support the plan without a Palestinian approval first".

U.S. President George W. Bush endorsed Sharon’s unilateral approach on April 14, adding that it was "unrealistic" that Israel return to the 1948 armistice lines.

The centerpiece of his U.S.-backed "disengagement" plan is the removal of all existing 21 Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.

Currently some 8,000 Jewish settlers live in the Strip, alongside 1.5 million Palestinians.

Bush coupled his support with written guarantees that saw that "a fair solution to the Palestinian refugee issue should be found through a Palestinian state rather than in [what now is] Israel".

Self-Determination

Saleh Zidan, member of the politburo of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said the Palestinians should not let the Likud decide for them.

"We don’t care about the outcome of this poll and insist on our non-negotiable rights," he told IOL.

Zidan said Sharon’s failure to pass his one-sided plan "despite his extremist and right-wing approach" showed that "Israel is ruled by the most extremist people in society".

He agreed that the resistance should continue in view of Israel’s incessant aggressions, urging all Palestinian factions to act in unison.

Kayid Al-Ghoul, member of the politburo of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), echoed the same views.

He told IOL that a possible Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would not "end the occupation but ease the backbreaking burden on the Israeli occupation army,  cut down its heavy losses and re-deploy the [Jewish] settlers to other areas in the West Bank".

The plan is also seen by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a land grab as it calls for considering Jewish settlements built on the Palestinian West bank an inseparable part of Israel.

Disillusion

"The dream of a ‘Greater Israel’ is deeply rooted in the Israeli mindset," said Ghoul

Ghoul further said it is high time for the Palestinians supporting peace talks with the Israelis to be "disillusioned".

"The dream of a ‘Greater Israel’ is deeply rooted in the Israeli mindset," he said.

"The poll showed that the right-wing current is gaining ground inside the ruling Likud party, which is already known for its extremist agenda."

Ghoul added that the Likud’s stand proved that Israel was not ready to reach a political solution to the conflict.

"The submission to the Israeli government will only encourage it to take more fascist steps and evade international law," he maintained.

But Amin Maqboul, member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, said the door should remain open before the political solution despite the Likud’s stand.

"We must stand by the international initiatives, even though they don’t meet the minimum of Palestinian rights. The Palestinians should continue to address the international community through a political agenda," Maqboul told IOL.

The Palestinian Authority was swift to call anew for the resumption of negotiations following the Likud voting.

Prime Minister Ahmad Qorei hoped that the results would serve as an "incentive" to put the moribund peace process back on track.

He said the Likud rejection was "expected" because the plan was not negotiated with the Palestinians.

Qorei also called for holding an international conference to inject new life into the internationally-backed ‘roadmap’ for Middle East peace.