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Interview with
Marwan Barghouti
by
The Palestine Report
Mr. Marwan Barghouti, 41,
is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, a leading figure in
Fateh, and the chief coordinator of Al-Aqsa Intifada. Mr. Barghouti joined
Fateh at the age of 15 and studied history and political science at
Birzeit University, taking a masters degree in international relations. He
spent six years in Israeli jails and was deported from his homeland in
1987. His involvement with the first Intifada was as a liaison officer in
the PLO's offices in Amman and Tunis. He returned in 1994 under the Oslo
accords, as a believer in the peace process. He is now on Israel's most
wanted list.
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Some people are saying that
Palestinians have not learned from the mistakes they made in the
last Intifada and are repeating them in this one. Do you think this
is true?
There has been extensive study of the
negative aspects of the last Intifada. Some of these aspects
included banning workers from going to their workplaces, closing
shops and allowing schools to participate in Intifada activities.
Presently we are seeing these same actions, but it is Israel who is
carrying them out. Israel has closed a number of schools and people
have been forced to take classes during the evening hours. As you
can see, we have reduced the commercial strikes and boycott of
Israeli products.
Another change is that today, it is
the law that is in charge of dealing with collaborators. This
Intifada is different in a number of ways from the first Intifada.
For one, it is more organized and it is more painful for the other
side. There is also a kind of balance in dealing with the
[Palestinian] people and their personal liberties. The door is
always open for free participation from the various sectors.
What about the mistakes
Palestinians have made in terms of shooting?
Shooting is being used in the Intifada
for the first time. We do not have experience in this. This issue
has been discussed and suggestions have been made. But as our
overall position developed and the need to stop the shooting from
homes and residential areas became apparent, we became committed to
this decision.
You must remember that when we talk
about the phenomenon of shooting, we are talking about a totally new
phenomenon that did not exist previously. It is not conducted under
any official directives, nor is there a leadership for these armed
men. It more or less relies on personal initiative, which doubtless
has meant that some less-than-aware elements have participated in the
name of carrying out a noble goal. [Nevertheless], the phenomenon of
gunmen is for the most part one happening among disciplined elements.
Why is armed resistance largely
limited to those who are followers of Fateh? For the most part,
other forces have not participated in this movement.
There is no law or system to
govern this phenomenon, even from inside Fateh. The movement doesn't have
a military wing for dealing with these circumstances and the phenomenon is
basically a self-sustaining one. In this regard, you cannot talk about one
movement without the other. The only thing is that Fateh is the largest
popular movement and has led the Intifada from its start. Overall, the
movement has taken the lion's share of responsibility in all aspects,
including that of armed confrontations.
There are some who believe that
any future agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel
could make Fateh's fighters the scapegoats for what has happened. Do
you think this is a possibility?
The period of us paying dearly for an
agreement, political or otherwise, is over. We have offered all
these martyrs for a solution, not to pay a greater price. It must be
a solution that will provide security and quiet for everyone in the
region. We will not accept any partial solution that might be
postponed.
The Israeli side is always seeking
more victories. It separates the people between
"terrorists" and "citizens" and says it will
reward the latter and punish the former. And Israel will no doubt
continue in these endeavors. But the Palestinian people have learned
from their past experiences and will not allow the repetition of
what happened in the past. What happened to the prisoners and
detainees in Israeli prisons is bad enough. [Ed's note: Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails arrested prior to the Oslo accords have
not been released despite peace agreements with Israel.]
You have recently voiced
criticism for what you called "shortcomings" of certain
lead officials in the movement. Have you followed up on this charge?
There is no doubt that some top
officials have not carried out their duties to the best of their
abilities during these circumstances. I do not want to get into why,
but I can say that everyone should be participating, carrying out an
individual role. Hundreds of citizens have raised their voices and
complained about the shortcomings and the lack of any active role
from these officials.
Source:
by courtesy & © 2001 The Palestine Report
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