BBC Monitoring

Excerpt from report by Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadidah on 17 January

[Report by Bashar Daraghimah, Rumil al-Suwayti: "Amr Addresses Thousands Celebrating Anniversary in Nablus; Fatah Will End Embargo on Gaza, Palestine"]

Nablus - Thousands of Nablus Governorate inhabitants commemorated the 44th Fatah anniversary in a popular rally yesterday. Nabil Amr, President Mahmud Abbas's media adviser; Ibrahim Abu-al-Naja, member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council; Jamal al-Muhaysin, Nablus governor; and many Fatah leaders and notables from Nablus attended the rally.

In a speech he delivered on behalf of President Abu-Mazin [Mahmud Abbas], Amr said that Fatah is experiencing a stage of reconstruction, said all depends on the sixth congress of the movement. He also conveyed the president's greetings to those attending.

Amr stressed that the current Palestinian state of affairs should not remain as it is, noting that the situation in the Gaza Strip is very dangerous.

Amr said he rejects all the ongoing Israeli crim! es that are taking place in Gaza, stressing at the same time that the Hamas Movement carries out actions there that harm our people's interests. He emphasize in his speech that the leaders of the movement live in luxury while the Gaza inhabitants pay the price.

Amr denounced the way Hamas acts in Gaza, the smuggling of funds and other things through the tunnels that provide the leaders with a comfortable life while the people suffer from the unjust embargo.

Amr wondered as to why Hamas rejects the reopening of the crossings and lifting the siege and rejects Arab aid to the Gaza Strip. He added: Why strugglers in the Gaza Strip are killed and arrested while the occupation moves freely in all the Gaza Strip streets? Amr added: Fatah will be the one that will lift the embargo from Gaza and the entire homeland.

Amr greeted all the Fatah members in all places and in Nablus, stressing that this city will begin the march towards the Palestinian state. Addressing ! Abu-al-Naja, Amr said: Your moustache will not be affected by any ill wind.

The president's media adviser spoke about the way Ibrahim Abu-al-Naja used to deal with the events in the Gaza Strip, how he used to refuse arresting any Hamas member and used to do all his best to release them. He added: However, Hamas forgot all this and arrested and tortured Abu-al-Naja.

Amr said: When we address Gaza from Nablus, the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets defying the bullets and the death squads to express their support for Martyr Yasir Arafat and his march of struggle is a proof of our credibility.

Amr said: The coupists have nothing to do with the revolution, the resistance, and the people, affirming that the blood of the martyrs and sufferings of the prisoners will not go to waste.

Speaking about dialogue, Amr said: We were the ones who invented dialogue and carried it out to safeguard the unity of the Palestinian people and the PLO. He affirmed that there can be no dialogue with murderers, and that there is a diff! erence between the hero resistance men and the terrorist murderers who kill our people in the name of Islam.

Amr denounced the accusations Mahmud al-Zahhar levelled at the PNA, the PLO, and the Fatah Movement that it participates in what is taking place in Gaza. Amr added: How can Al-Zahhar while kissing his martyr son accuse three-quarters of the Palestinian people, noting that with his accusations, Al-Zahhar absolves the Israelis of part of the responsibility and supports their claims against our Palestinian people. Amr added that the Palestinian people are not murderers and Fatah will be the one that will end the embargo on Gaza and Palestine. He said he hopes Al-Zahhar would regain his senses and address a message of love, respect, and appreciation to his legitimate leadership that has struggled and continues to do so to reopen the crossings.

Amr said that Hamas is the one that rejects the reopening of the Gaza crossings after it adopted the policy of tunnel! s for smuggling operations. Its leaders and members are living lavishl y while our people in Gaza live in darkness and poverty, noting that Israel kills people in Gaza and takes a price throughout the entire homeland in exchange for maintaining the coupists. Amr said that this is the equation that currently prevails and if the coupists accept it, we on our part will not accept it and we will not allow it to be peddled in the West Bank, Gaza, or any place in this homeland. [passage omitted on statements by Nablus governor]

Source: Al-Hayat al-Jadidah, Ramallah, in Arabic 17 Jan 08