2 December 2000

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

The holy Aqsa intifada

An intifada to defeat occupation

Communiqué no. (16)

“And slacken not in following up the enemy: if ye are suffering hardships, they are suffering similar hardships; but ye have hope from Allah, while they have none …”

The holy Aqsa intifada in its third month

Growing force in face of Zionist occupation

Our stationed people:

Our Arab-Islamic Nation:

Months passed by and the blessed month of Ramadan again shone its lights carrying with it great meanings and concepts that form values of Islamic life. It is the month honored by Allah with the descent of the holy Quran in which the link between Heaven and Earth has been achieved through such heavenly constitution that lightened the way for humanity towards a life of virtue and safety.

Ramadan reminds the Ummah of the necessity of returning to its religion and Quran so as to bypass the stage of backwardness, ignorance and tragedies befalling it. Ramadan is a great opportunity to refuel Jihad into this Ummah and the Mujahideen in their continued civilization struggle with enemies of Allah and the Ummah: the Zionists who are spreading corruption on the land of Palestine and destroying human and greenery life. They are committing massacres, shelling houses and killing in cold-blood the brave Palestinians who are facing the Zionist war machine with bare chests that are full of belief and confidence in Allah’s victory. Those Palestinians are insistent on continuing the blessed intifada until defeat of occupation, liberation of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and return of our Palestinian people to the holy land of Palestine from which they were forcibly expelled and displaced in the four corners of the Earth.

Our Mujahid people:

With the advent of the month of victories and conquers and on the eve of the international day for solidarity with the Palestinian people, the holy Aqsa intifada enters its third consecutive month, more solid in confrontation with the Zionist enemy and its terrorist and repressive means. The intifada enters its third month while our patient people are suffering from tightened siege and more terrorism and liquidation of Mujahideen. They are also facing numerous forms of savagery such as destruction of installations and lands, uprooting of trees and blockage of roads. However, such a situation did not weaken the intifada or our people’s determination and insistence on persisting along the road of Jihad and struggle and protecting the intifada from any deviations in its capacity as our Mujahid people’s option. The intifada continued, despite escalation of Zionist terrorism, its normal development inflicting casualties and losses in lines of the occupation soldiers and settlers and spreading panic in the heart of the Zionist entity. We hail, in this respect, the heroic Khadera operation and all Jihad and armed operations that preceded and followed it.

Our proud people … our brave Ummah:

Your Mujahid Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, while vowing to go ahead along the road of intifada, resistance and Jihad, it salutes our people, Ummah and convoy of Mujahideen and fighters who stick to their guns and inflict losses in lines of the enemy. Hamas, meanwhile, affirms the following:

First: on the Palestinian level:

1- The Movement affirms the continuation of the holy Aqsa intifada and escalation of resistance against the enemy with all means. It urges the Mujahideen and fighters to direct more painful blows to the enemy and herds of settlers until defeat of occupation and liberation of Al-Quds and the whole of Palestine Insha’allah.

2- The Movement asserts that the cowardly assassination attempts perpetrated by the Zionist enemy among the victims of which were Qassam commander Ibrahim Bani Odeh, who is the holder of an honorable Jihad record in face of enemies to Allah and the Ummah, the five Hamas martyrs in Qalqilya and two strugglers from Fatah Movement along with other revolting Palestinians from various forces and Islamic and national forces would not weaken our determination, belief or solidity in face of the Zionist enemy. The assassinations open the door wide open for confronting and eliminating collaborators and traitors. We call on the Mujahideen and strugglers in addition to all our people to be careful of the enemy and its agents’ attempts to unsettle the Palestinian arena via numerous and mean methods.

3- The Movement stresses the importance of preserving national unity and developing it on the basis of Jihad and resistance against the Zionist enemy in addition to protecting such unity in a way ensuring safety of the Palestinian arena and guaranteeing persistence of the blessed intifada. Here we would like to insist on the importance of releasing all our brothers the Mujahideen detained in jails of the Palestinian Authority for our people detest such detention, express its rejection of it and demand an end to that file.

4- The Movement confirms its rejection of returning to the option of negotiating with the enemy. Hamas considers that such an option reneges on our people’s will represented in insistence on resistance and intifada and absolute rejection of the oppressive settlement option. Thus Hamas affirms that our people would not accept all tabled initiatives and all secret and open meetings with the enemy, which displays yearning to Oslo and its hateful results.

5- The Movement emphasizes its support to our people who are the target of constant savage shelling in Nablus, Beit Jala, Beit Sahur, Khaleel, Khan Younis and Rafah and calls on the Arab and Islamic Nation to actively move to end such destruction that daily targets our people.

6- The Movement underlines in this holy month the importance of the spirit of fraternity and cohesion among our people in addition to intensifying visits to families of martyrs and wounded and backing workers and others who are harmed by the Zionist policy of terrorism and siege.

Second: on the Arab-Islamic level:

1- Hamas asks the Arab and Islamic Nation to be more active and supportive of our people’s brave intifada. The Arab and Islamic peoples should back our people who are facing a war of annihilation in all spheres of life.

2- The Movement greets the Ummah’s Ulama for their calls to activate the Arab and Islamic streets especially on Fridays in the holy month of Ramadan in support of their brothers in Palestine. The Movement also appreciates the Fatwa (edict) passed by the Mufti of Egypt and Sheikh (Rector) of Azhar calling on the Ummah to boycott American and Israeli goods. It also appreciates the Fatwa passed by the Kuwaiti house of Fatwa allocating Zakat this year to Jihad and intifada in Palestine. It also appreciates Fatawa (edicts) and courageous stands of Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi in support of Palestinian rights.

3- The Movement urges the Arab countries that hold periodical meetings attended by the Palestinian party not to discuss means of returning to the absurd negotiations, which our people and Ummah had rejected and bypassed through convoys of martyrs and wounded. The Movement affirms the importance of discussing means of supporting and developing the intifada in addition to providing all forms of backing to our people who decided to continue resistance against that arrogant enemy.

Third: the activities:

The Movement seconds all activities called for by the national and Islamic forces in all areas and calls for:

- Considering Fridays in the holy month of Ramadan as days of rage and confrontations against occupation soldiers and herds of settlers.

- Advocates stationing in the Aqsa Mosque, offering prayers in it and hails all those who offered Friday prayers in Al-Quds streets and paths after the Zionists barred their prayers in the blessed Aqsa Mosque.

- The Movement requests intensification of visits to families of martyrs and wounded, consoling them and alleviating their sufferings.

It is a Jihad until victory or martyrdom

Allahu Akbar and Lillah Al-Hamad

The Islamic Resistance Movement
(Hamas – Palestine)
2 December 2000