Communique - Statement from Marwan Barghouti
17th
may 2007
“The catastrophe currently
afflicting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the homeland and the Diaspora must
end immediately. Hundreds of innocents have already been injured, maimed and
killed by the criminal operations that are being carried out around the clock in
the Gaza Strip. They are a threat to the unity of the Palestinian people, their
institutions and national cause, a cause for which we have expended much sweat
and made many sacrifices in the past.
I therefore condemn this
bloody struggle for control over a besieged authority that is bereft of any
jurisdiction that it initially may have had, following 7 years of Israeli
obstruction and interference. A united effort to enhance and protect the
Palestinian National Authority and its institutions, through a respect of the
Prisoners’ Document, the Mecca Agreement, the basic laws and the regulations is
at present paramount.
I call for President
Mahmood Abbas and head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshal to meet without
delay, with the Prime Minister and senior leaders of the two movements in
attendance. This meeting will be an opportunity to engage in a strategic
dialogue and to settle all unresolved issues, without exception. A time limit of
3 months must be set for the reaching of an all-encompassing strategic vision,
which will regulate the relationship between the two sides and protect the
higher interests of the Palestinian people. This vision should also include the
re-activation and development of the PLO, with a renewed dialogue between all
national and Islamic factions, in the homeland and the Diaspora.
Finally, may 5th
June be a day of national unity for the Palestinian people. May it serve as an
opportunity to renew our commitment to our national goals and to protect all
Palestinian national institutions.”
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