4 January 2001

In the name of Allah the most gracious the most Merciful

Important communiqué
By the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)

On PA’s “conditional!” approval of the American proposals And the Arab follow-up committee’s Cairo meeting to discuss them

In a very serious development, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority headed to Washington for talks with American president Clinton in response to the latter’s request and pressures to discuss his recent settlement proposals. It was later announced that the Authority chief had given his conditional approval of those proposals. The White House spokesman further declared that the Authority chief had agreed to work for ending what they call violence (i.e. the intifada) and resuming security coordination with the Zionist enemy. For their part, some PA officials said that the Authority’s stance vis-à-vis the American paper would be declared during meetings of the Arab follow-up committee that is to be held later today in Cairo.

In the light of such a critical situation, we in the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, affirm the following:

First: Clinton’s proposals were in fact Zionist proposals, conditions and speculations that were adopted by Clinton as is and tabled them as American proposals. They do not meet any of our Palestinian people’s rights or those of the Arab and Islamic Nation while meeting all enemy demands and ambitions.

Second: Those proposals cancel the right of return for more than five million Palestinian refugees who are living in the diaspora and who are sticking to their right of return to their homeland, lands, houses and property for more than fifty years. Accepting the American proposals would be a stab in the back of our people’s refugees.

Third: Clinton’s proposals endorse Jewish and Zionist sovereignty on the Haram Al-Sharif and on parts of it. They give the Jews sovereignty over the area underneath the Haram, which allow continued digging in a way threatening the very existence of the Aqsa. They also give the Jews sovereignty over the Buraq Wall, which Clinton and the Zionist enemy call the (Wailing Wall) while in fact it is part and parcel of the holy Aqsa Mosque. The phrase in Clinton’s proposals even speaks of controlling the whole western wall, which extends for around half a kilometer inside the Islamic quarters. A dangerous tunnel was opened underneath that wall in 1996 thus boosting the enemy’s control on the whole area. The proposals furthermore retain the city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) under Zionist sovereignty.

Fourth: Clinton’s proposals also meet the Zionists’ conditions leaving most of the Zionist settlements in the West Bank and Al-Quds as a dagger in the heart of our lands after turning those lands into isolated and severed isles and keeping our people under the mercy of the armed-to-the-teeth herds of settlers.

Fifth: The promised Palestinian state, according to Clinton’s proposals, is nothing but a disfigured autonomous enclave. The enemy’s army will continue to control borders and crossings through its presence as the basis of international forces that would be deployed along the so-called (Green line) and along the eastern borders with Jordan. The enemy would also retain early warning stations and arms caches in various areas in the West Bank and would be allowed free access into the airspace as part of its army’s exercises.

Sixth: The bases of American (Clinton’s) proposals are null and void and contradict our people’s interests and legitimate rights. Hence there is no meaning for the so-called demands for clarifications regarding those proposals. Consequently the PA’s announcement that it will adopt its final decision after meetings of the Arab follow-up ministerial committee is a rejected maneuver. It is only understood as an attempt to win an Arab support under American pressures. A return to negotiations in Washington on the basis of the American proposals is a new absurd step that is rejected by our people.

Faced by those facts, we in the Hamas Movement call for the following:

First: We urge the Arab follow-up committee and all Arab and Islamic countries to declare a clear-cut and frank position rejecting the American proposals in toto. We remind them that our people within and outside the homeland refuse such proposals and stick to their full rights and insist on liberating their lands and expelling the occupiers. Our people are capable, by the grace of Allah, of achieving that through their blessed intifada, escalating resistance and national unity. This dictates on the Arab countries to adopt our people’s stand and back their blessed intifada and anti-occupation program in its capacity as the real and practical option. We affirm that our people are not facing a dilemma but rather the Zionist enemy and the American administration are the ones who are facing a dilemma and we as Palestinians and as an Arab and Islamic Nation are not concerned with saving them.

Second: We demand the PA to clearly decide rejecting the American proposals and to end any dealing with them or negotiating over them. It is high time to stop hesitation and maneuvering. The PA should declare such a position during the Arab follow-up committee meetings. It should give more consideration to our Palestinian people and their clear stand in insisting on their rights and demands. The PA should not give any consideration to American pressures nor to Clinton’s personal interests or Barak’s election interests.

Third: We warn against the return of security coordination between the Authority and the Zionist enemy under supervision of American intelligence and the ensuing persecution of our people’s Mujahideen and heroes of their intifada or their liquidation. We also warn of any measures that the PA might resort to in a bid to end the intifada and prosecute its heroes in response to American and Zionist demands.

Fourth: The Hamas Movement along with all our people’s forces rejects such a serious deterioration in the Palestinian stand and submission to American-Zionist hegemony. We call on our people to stick to their blessed intifada, resistance and steadfastness in confrontation of the enemy and the Zionist aggression on our people and sanctities.

Fifth: We affirm the decisive fact that no Palestinian, Arab or Muslim leader has the right of approving any agreements or treaties that reduce our people’s rights in Al-Quds, the Aqsa, the whole land of Palestine, return of refugees, dismantling settlements, liberating our lands and establishing a real sovereign state. Any such agreements would not represent our people or their free will and they would not be binding on us or our people who will tear apart any humiliating agreement through blood of their martyrs and struggle and Jihad of their sons.

“They plot and plan, and Allah too plans, but the best of planners is Allah.”

The Islamic Resistance Movement
(Hamas – Palestine)
4 January 2001