Palestine question – PLO Fatah Congress – Letter from Israel
LETTER FROM THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ISRAEL TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
DATED: 4 JUNE 1980
In connection with the forthcoming debate in the Security Council, I wish to draw your attention to the attached excerpts from the “political programme” and “resolutions” adopted at the Fourth Congress of the al-Fatah murder organization which was held in Damascus at the end of May.
As is well-known, al-Fatah, headed by Yasser Arafat, is the largest single component in the terrorist PLO. Its aim has been consistently in accord with that set out in the so-called “Palestinian National Covenant”: namely, the destruction of the State of Israel.
As will be seen from its “political programme”, as published by the Beirut newspaper, al-Liwa, on 2 June 1980, al-Fatah’s aim is said to be
“to liquidate the Zionist entity politically, economically, militarily,
culturally and ideologically.”
The liquidation of Israel is advocated two more times in the course of this “programme”.
The documents provide further proof, if such were necessary of the true character and aims of the organization in question, and, inter alia, of the concrete purpose of its activities within the United Nations system.
I have the honour to request that this letter and its attachments be circulated as a document of the Security Council.
(Signed) Yehuda Z. BLUM
Ambassador
Permanent Representative of Israel
to the United Nations
Annex I
Excerpts from the political programme approved by the al-Fatah
Congress and published by “al-Liwa” (Beirut) on 2 June 1980
Since the launching of al-Fatah, “international imperialism, lead by the U.S.A., which is strategically allied to international Zionism taking its base in Palestine, has been trying to destroy our armed revolution.” These attempts took the form of direct military strikes at one time, and “the form of conspiracies and liquidative schemes” at another. Among the conspiracies during the past ten years were the war in Jordan in 1971 and the war in Lebanon.
In the present stage the programme said, “the imperialist offensive against the region had intensified” by presenting a variety of “settlement schemes.” The al-Fatah Congress “believes that resisting these schemes is the duty of all Arab liberation forces.”
“Al-Fatah is an independent national revolutionary movement, whose aim is to liberate Palestine completely and to liquidate the Zionist entity politically, economically, militarily, culturally and ideologically.
The battle for liberating Palestine is part of the nationalist (pan-Arab) struggle and, therefore, it is the duty of the entire Arab nation to support this battle with all its moral and material means.
“The only way to achieve our aim is through the armed popular revolution. The armed revolution of the Palestinian Arab people is a decisive factor in the battle of liberation and the liquidation of the Zionist presence.
“This struggle will not stop until the Zionist entity is liquidated and Palestine is liberated.”
Resolutions of the Fourth Congress of al-Fatah
(Radio Falastin, Beirut, 1 June 1980)
Part One: Palestine
On the basis of the unity of the Palestinian people, its land and political
Representation, and in order to express the independent national will for the complete success of the revolution,
Whereas the popular armed revolution is the only and inevitable way to the liberation of Palestine, with liberation through unity, establishing democracy as the correct and dominant system of Palestinian ties,
The Fourth Congress of al-Fatah emphasizes the following points:
(1) National Palestinian unity within and without the occupied land under our leadership, within the PLO framework, with the aim of continually escalating all forms of Palestinian struggle.
(2) Developing the movement as the major factor within the PLO, as an independent organization.
(3) Escalation of the armed struggle inside the occupied territory and across all frontiers of confrontation with Zionist enemy.
(4) Increased efforts to organize our people wherever they reside, expansion of professional and national organizations, defence of the temporary Palestinian presence in these places against oppression, exploitation or assimilation.
(5) Strengthening of the steadfastness of our people in the occupied land at all levels, to escalate its struggle and develop its national organizations, with a special effort to strengthen ties with our Palestinian masses in the land captured in 1948, to enable them to withstand plots aimed at impairing their unity and blurring their Arab identity.
(6) Independence of Palestinian decision-making and action, enabling the various Palestinian factions to assert Palestinian independence of action.
(7) Given the leadership of al-Fatah and the legitimacy of the PLO, the Palestinian National Council Resolutions are part of the political programme of al-Fatah.
(8) The role of the Palestinian woman will be enhanced in all fields.
Part Two: Inter-Arab Affairs
Palestine is part of the Arab fatherland, its people part of the Arab nation, its revolution – the vanguard of the Arab struggle to liberate Palestine.
(1) Our ties with Arab masses are strategically important, their participation is crucial for the revolution, and they must wage all forms of struggle against the Zionist-imperialist base in Palestine, against all our enemies and they must destroy imperialist and colonialist interests in the region.
(2) Solidarity with all Arab nationalist and progressive movements for a joint battle for the liberation of Palestine and the attainment of Arab goals: liberation and a progressive society.
(3) Solidarity with the Lebanese national movement against common foes, for a united Arab Lebanon. All negative factors must be eliminated.
(4) Collaboration with the heroic Lebanese, to prove to all Arabs the validity of alliance with the Palestinians.
(5) The Jordanian front is of vital importance to the revolution as a main base for struggle against the Zionist enemy.
(6) Joint struggle with the people of Egypt to foil the Camp David Accords and return Egypt to Arab ranks, where she will resume her proper place in the Arab struggle.
Part Three: Relations with Arab States
Relations with Arab régimes will be defined in positive terms, as follows:
(1) The principles of al-Fatah spell out its aims and methods.
(2) There is no contradiction with the strategic ties to the Arab masses.
(3) The attitude of each régime to the PLO, to the armed struggle and to the defence of the PLO (will determine al-Fatah’s relationship to those régimes).
(4) Non-intervention in our internal affairs. Prevention of any attempt to control our people or exploit it, negation of any attempt to resettle (Palestinians) outside Palestine.
(5) Prevention of any attempt to deny freedom of action for the revolution wherever our people may be living.
(6) The revolution will carry out its struggle through all Arab territories in order to regain the lands of Palestine, and will utilize the full Arab potential, including oil, as a weapon towards these ends.
(7) The Steadfastness front will be strengthened, to bolster the PLO, to continue the struggle with the enemy, to negate all attempts to eliminate and solve the (Palestine) question, to reject all forms of (peaceful) settlement and to denounce any attempt to grant legitimacy to the Camp David Agreements.
(8) A broad national front will be established as defined by the Steadfastness Front to withstand imperialism, Zionism and Camp David.
Part Four: The International Arena
Palestine is the major cause of the Arab nation in its just struggle against the Zionist-imperialist enemy. It is also in the strategic Middle East, where a struggle is going on between the camp of our friends and the camp of our enemies.
Al-Fatah is par of our international liberation movement which struggles against imperialism, Zionist, racism and their lackeys, in accordance with its principles and the Palestinian National Covenant.
International Organizations
(1) The PLO will utilize all resolutions relating to the Palestinian people’s right in all international fora, to isolate the Zionist and American enemy in these bodies.
(2) Strengthening our ties in the struggle with the world liberation movement as we stand together against U.S. imperialism, racist Zionism, fascism and reaction, to fight oppression everywhere.
(3) Strengthening our external relations, increasing our political activity, making alliances with democratic and progressive forces that support us.
(4) Strengthening ties with the Islamic revolution in Iran, which overthrew an American base and stand with us to liberate Palestine.
(5) Strengthening our ties with the Islamic world, Africa, the non-Aligned bloc, to encourage their support of a Palestine and the struggle, as well as recognition of the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
The American Position
The U.S.A. is the leader of the enemies of our people and nation. It pursues a hostile policy to our nation, revolution, and Arab nation, strengthens the Zionist entity and makes military alliances designed to subjugate the region militarily, to despoil our national treasures. We have no choice but to strengthen the international front against the U.S.A., wage war on its policies and strike at U.S. interests in the region.
As for the position of Western Europe, the Common Market, Japan and Canada – political efforts will be made to utilize the support of democratic progressive forces there to reduce and eventually eliminate support for the Zionist entity, isolating it by obtaining the recognition of the PLO by these countries as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and getting maximal political and material help for the Palestinian cause and struggle.
The States of Western Europe and Canada still follow policies that do not recognize our national rights, thus identifying with U.S. policies and plots in the region.
Japan is not far from this policy. There is no choice but to intensify efforts to oppose and topple any scheme or initiative that does not correspond with our national rights.
Finally, the Congress stresses the need to defend political gains worldwide which have made the Palestinian question the vanguard of the international liberation movement.
