Kaddoumi vows to follow in Arafat's path
Jerusalem Post ^ | 11/12/4 | MARGOT DUDKEVITCH AND KHALED ABU TOMAEH
 

Newly appointed Fatah head Farouk Kaddoumi on Friday said that Yasser Arafat "had joined the tens of thousands of martyrs among the Palestinian nation."

Speaking on the al-Jazeera television network, Kaddoumi said Arafat had left behind a generation of Palestinians who will "work towards the fulfillment of his dream that a Palestinian boy will fly the Palestinian flag above the walls of Jerusalem."

Kaddoumi blamed Israel for not adhering to any of the agreements signed with the Palestinians. "In 1991 we reached certain agreements at the Madrid Conference, but subsequent Israeli governments did not fulfill even one article of the agreement. At Camp David, Israel demanded that the Palestinians give up the right of return, and also demanded to hold on to the holy places in Jerusalem," Kaddoumi said.

"[Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon has ignored the Palestinian partner and announced a unilateral disengagement plan which is not acceptable to me," Kaddoumi added.

Kaddoumi promised the Palestinians that their leadership would "continue to march forward along Arafat's path, and along the path of the successes he managed to bring his people."

Representatives of various factions published a statement vowing to step up the fight against Israel.

Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups issued separate leaflets calling on the Palestinians to escalate the "struggle" against Israel in the post-Arafat era. "We must continue the fight in order to fulfill President Arafat's dream," read one of the leaflets.

Calls for continuing the intifada were heard in rallies across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets, mourning their leader and torching tires.

Security forces were instructed to exercise restraint, but in a number of cases were forced to use rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the mobs, which threw stones, rocks, cement blocks, and in some cases bombs at troops.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon urged the new Palestinian leadership to fight terrorism, and added that Israel will continue in its efforts to reach a settlement with the Palestinians without delay.

Top Fatah operative Hussein al-Sheikh confirmed that the Palestinians were headed toward an escalation. "We will continue to believe the gun is the way to get rid of the occupation," he said. "This is Abu Amar's promise and this is his will and we will continue to be true to them."