[News] Palestine - Fatah Youth Movement at Birzeit demands Abbas' resignation

[Anti-Imperialist News]

*Fatah Youth Movement at Birzeit demands Abbas' resignation*

Oct. 2, 2016 - http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773372

The Fatah Youth Movement of Birzeit University on Saturday slammed 
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his “humiliating” participation 
in the funeral of former Israeli president and “criminal” Shimon Peres, 
and demanded that Abbas step down as president.

The statement released by the student youth movement came as the latest 
condemnation of Abbas, from Palestinians from across the political 
spectrum, for offering his condolences to Israeli Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu over Peres’ passing at the funeral on 
Friday.<http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773358>

The group said they were shocked by Abbas’ decision to attend the 
funeral for the “criminal Shimon Peres,” and accused the Palestinian 
president of meanwhile not attending funerals or offering his 
condolences for Palestinians slain by Israeli forces, and disregarding 
the suffering of Palestinian prisoners.

“We condemn this humiliating participation, which is against the 
Palestinian people, and consider it a form of betrayal.”

Their statement addressed Abbas by each of his three titles, as the 
general leader of the Fatah Movement, the head of the Palestine 
Liberation Organization (PLO), and the president of the Palestinian 
Authority (PA).

The Fatah Youth Movement said that Abbas, as the general leader of 
Fatah, violated Article 12 in the movement’s constitution, which states 
the aim of "completely freeing Palestine and ending the Zionist 
occupation economically, politically, militarily, and culturally," by 
attending Peres’ funeral.

As head of the PLO, the movement said that Abbas also violated the basic 
law of the PLO, and as president, Abbas "committed a crime against the 
Palestinian people by treating the executor and the victim equally," 
saying that attending the funeral was "an absurd step that would not 
bring any political accomplishments in the future."

They student movement concluded their statement by demanding an apology 
from Abbas, and demanding he step down as president.

Following the release of their statement, according to a Facebook page 
for Birzeit students, an official Fatah source said later on Saturday 
that “The statement released by the so-called Fatah Youth of Birzeit 
University does not represent the Fatah Youth position towards his 
Excellency the president, and a decision has been taken to suspend the 
administration of Fatah Youth at Birzeit University, and those who 
released the statement have been referred to internal questioning.”

The incident came as Palestinian security forces arrested a Palestinian 
military liaison officer from his home in Jenin on Saturday, after he 
shared a post on his Facebook page criticizing Abbas' participation in 
the funeral. <http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773371>

In the post that addressed Abbas directly, Osama Abu Arab, who was also 
suspended from his role as a major in the liaison’s office, said: 
“Whether (Peres) was a terrorist or not, whether he invented of the 
policy of breaking bones during the First Intifada or not, whether he 
was involved in the Jenin refugee camp massacre, the massacre of the 
al-Yasmeen neighborhood in Nablus, or the massacre of Qana -- who is he 
that you are going to partake in his funeral while the majority of the 
people you represent oppose him?”

Abu Arab and the student movement joined a chorus of outrage directed at 
Abbas, with the Hamas movement saying Friday the move to attend the 
funeral “encouraged normalization with Israel to the detriment of the 
Palestinian cause,” and with the Popular Resistance Committees saying 
that paying respects to one of Israel’s “biggest criminals” was 
“disregarding the feelings and sacrifices of the Palestinian people” and 
gave Israel “a pass for its crimes.”

However, some members of Fatah, the ruling party in the Palestinian 
Authority, maintained their support for the increasingly unpopular 
president.

Member of Fatah Central Committee Muhammad al-Madani defended Abbas' 
participation in the Peres funeral as a strategic political move.

Speaking to the Fatah-affiliated Ramallah-based radio station Mawtini 
(My Homeland) on Saturday, al-Madani highlighted that before Abbas left 
for the funeral, he visited former hunger-striking prisoner Malik 
al-Qadi in the hospital. <http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=773359>

"Visiting al-Qadi before the funeral was a message to the occupation, 
that President Abbas attends to the people's interests and looks after 
their rights through all peaceful means."

"All the world leaders who were at the funeral applauded the president's 
participation and 90 percent of the attendants shook his hands,” 
al-Madani claimed. “It was a political move rather than just 
participation in a funeral."

The Palestinian public has become increasingly critical of Abbas’ 
Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority since a wave of unrest erupted in 
last year.

A number of factions -- mainly Hamas -- have said the PA has worked with 
the Israeli authorities to quash resistance against the occupation, with 
Hamas repeatedly slamming the PA for allegedly detaining Palestinians on 
Israel’s behalf. <http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=772817>

-- 
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