"The Forces" Call for the Success of the Comprehensive National Dialogue in Egypt

Ramallah - Afaq News - The leadership of the national and Islamic forces called for the success of the ongoing preparations for holding the comprehensive national dialogue in the Arab Republic of Egypt, emphasizing the necessity of reaching a unified national strategy to confront risks and challenges, end the division, and enhance Palestinian unity in the face of the ongoing Israeli aggression.

This came during a leadership meeting held by the forces today, Monday, to discuss the latest political developments and internal situation issues, where they affirmed the importance of adhering to national constants and rights, foremost among them the right of return for refugees, the right to self-determination, and the realization of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and its capital in Jerusalem.

The forces stressed the necessity for the national dialogue to lead to the restoration of unity among all, and to establish a comprehensive national program to confront the policies of occupation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, including the crimes of settlers and the policies of killing, burning, and assaulting citizens and their properties and crops, calling for the expansion of the participation of protection and guarding committees and activating popular resistance to defend our people and their resources.

They emphasized the importance of sending a unified Palestinian message to the international community about the necessity of ending the occupation and colonialism, and reaffirming the unity of Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, and adhering to the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people and the leader of their struggle for freedom and independence.

They also welcomed the national understandings related to the legislative elections and the elections of the Palestinian National Council, noting the granting of more time to achieve national consensus regarding them.

The forces warned against attempts to drag the region into a religious war, amid daily incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers, the holding of what is called Talmudic prayers, and the introduction of sacrifices, in addition to the continued closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the prohibition of the call to prayer there, considering that these assaults on Islamic and Christian sanctities constitute a blatant violation of their sanctity.

They called for an urgent Arab and Islamic intervention to provide protection for the sanctities and for the Palestinian people, urging the international community to take practical measures to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes, impose a boycott on it, isolate its government, and pursue it legally.

Regarding the olive season, the forces condemned the attacks carried out by settler gangs, under the protection of the occupation army, against Palestinian farmers, preventing them from accessing their lands and trees, stealing crops, and cutting down trees, considering that these assaults fall within a systematic policy to impose new realities on the ground and break the steadfastness of the citizens.

They pointed to the continued imposition of restrictions on farmers' access to their lands, especially behind the annexation and expansion wall and in areas classified as 'C', coinciding with the establishment of military and earthen barriers and iron gates that cut off the connections between Palestinian cities, villages, and camps.

The forces called for effective international intervention to stop these crimes and to compel the occupation to implement international legitimacy decisions and international law, especially Security Council Resolution 2334, the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and the provisions of the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court.

The incursions of the occupation army into Palestinian cities, villages, and camps were condemned, as well as the use of live ammunition with the intent to kill, the abuse of citizens at military checkpoints, the obstruction of movement, the imposition of a blockade, in addition to the theft of clearance funds and preventing workers from reaching their workplaces.

It warned of the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as winter approaches, with a large number of citizens relying on tents, the refusal to allow the entry of caravans, the start of reconstruction, and the removal of rubble, and the failure of the occupation forces to withdraw as agreed upon.

The forces also condemned the incursions of the occupation forces into Palestinian universities, and what happened today at Birzeit University regarding the demolition of the Martyrs' Monument and the assault on the university, considering this an aggression against Palestinian educational institutions, and called for its condemnation and cessation at all levels.

In the file of prisoners, the forces called for broad participation in activities supporting Palestinian prisoners and detainees, who, according to their statement, have been subjected for the third consecutive year to policies of abuse, isolation, deprivation of sleep and medical treatment, noting the martyrdom of more than 92 prisoners.

They demanded that international, legal, and human rights institutions, foremost among them the International Committee of the Red Cross, fulfill their role in protecting prisoners and detainees, rejecting violations against them, working for their release, and stopping execution policies and the detention of the bodies of martyrs.

In the conclusion of its statement, the forces extended their greetings to the Palestinian Arab Front on the occasion of its anniversary, praising its struggle and fighting role since the onset of the contemporary Palestinian revolution, and its unifying role within the Palestine Liberation Organization, while remembering its martyrs, prisoners, and wounded, foremost among them its late Secretary-General, the national leader Jamil Shahada.