Sheikh Beitawi | Futility of Negotiations

The late Sheikh Hamed al-Beitawi of West Bank Hamas explains that he would accept “a Palestinian nation alongside an Israeli nation.” But only as an expediency, and perhaps not a permanent solution. “We will leave it to the test of time,” he says. “Perhaps an earthquake will wipe us out.”

TRANSCRIPT

Occupation must end
We consider Palestine, all of Palestine, from its shores to its rivers, from north to south, an Arab and Islamic nation. But today, since the Jews established this entity which has been acknowledged by the rest of the world, though we don’t acknowledge it and it has been the most complicated problem this past 60 years — but in order to spare our people and the people of occupation war and cruelty, we would accept, in this current period, a Palestinian nation beside an Israeli nation. And we will leave it to the test of time. Perhaps an earthquake will wipe us all out. But the Jews have no right to Palestine, and this occupation must end.

The biggest crime
We don’t hate the Jews because they are Jews. Yes, it’s true, we consider their religion distorted. We hate the Jews because they are occupiers. The Jews have no right to any part of Palestine, and they must leave. And these settlements are among the biggest crimes committed against any peoples in the world. That is, the crimes that are committed against our people. It’s not enough that the Jews kicked out millions and destroyed hundreds of villages, and occupied cities such as Jaffa, Haifa and others, but they even take land from the West Bank nonstop. And the settlements are growing in number in the era of the Palestinian Authority, in the era of Abbas’ negotiations with the Israeli enemy.

Fighting fire with fire
They won’t give up anything unless it’s by force. They came by force, and therefore they will only leave by force. On the negotiations, Abbas and the Palestinian authority are dreaming! It’s as if they’re asleep, and think they’re somewhere else. So it’s not possible for the Palestinian Authority or Fatah to achieve anything through negotiations. The Jews took our rights so we can not regain them, except through resistance.

Armed resistance
I’ll give you an example. In Gaza the Jews withdrew. Yes, they are blocked by sea, air and land. But they withdrew from the villages and the cities. And similarly they withdrew from the south of Lebanon. What caused them to withdraw? Negotiations? Did the Jews negotiate with Hezbollah? No, it was done through resistance. So Israel will never withdraw from the West Bank unless through armed resistance. What they call “peaceful resistance” will never force the Jews out of the West Bank.

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