Palestinian Council Brands Israel 'Racist Zionist Colonialist'
(communicated by the Israel Government Press Office)
Jerusalem, May 21, 1998

The OBLIGATION
Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA)
is obligated to refrain from incitement against Israel.Arafat Again Calls Oslo Accords A Temporary Truce
Palestinian Council Brands Israel 'Racist Zionist Colonialist'
(communicated by the Israel Government Press Office)
Jerusalem, May 21, 1998

The OBLIGATION
Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA)
is obligated to refrain from incitement against Israel.

In his exchange of letters with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on
September 9, 1993, Chairman Yasser Arafat wrote, "the PLO renounces
the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume
responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to
assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline
violators."

The Interim Agreement (Oslo 2) of September 28, 1995 (Article XXII)
states that Israel and the PA "shall seek to foster mutual
understanding and tolerance and shall accordingly abstain from
incitement, including hostile propaganda, against each other and,
without derogating from the principle of freedom of expression,
shall take legal measures to prevent such incitement by any
organizations, groups or individuals within their jurisdiction."

In the Note for the Record which accompanied the Hebron Protocol of
January 15, 1997, the Palestinians reaffirmed their commitment
regarding, "Preventing incitement and hostile propaganda, as
specified in Article XXII of the Interim Agreement."

The Violations
Following are statements of incitement and threats of violence made
by senior Palestinian officials in the past week, in violation of
the Oslo accords and the Hebron Protocol.

"Question: Do you feel sometimes that you made a mistake in
agreeing to Oslo?
Arafat: No... no. Allah's messenger Mohammad accepted the
al-Khudaibiya peace treaty and Salah a-Din accepted the peace
agreement with Richard the Lion-Hearted."

[Note: Arafat is referring to the Khudaibiya agreement made by
Muhammad with the Arabian tribe of Koreish. The pact, slated to
last for ten years, was broken within two years, when the Islamic
forces - having used the peace pact to become stronger - conquered
the Koreish tribe. His reference to Salah a-Din is to the Muslim
leader who, after a cease-fire, declared a jihad against the
Crusaders and captured Jerusalem. This marks the second time in a
month that Arafat has compared the Oslo Accords with the temporary
truces signed by Muhammad and Salah a-Din. Previously, he made the
comparison in an interview with Egyptian Orbit TV on April 18,
1998.]

--- PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in a newspaper interview
(cited in Al-Quds, May 10, 1998)

"The Palestinian people were and remain a victim of the
international colonialist Zionist plot which began with the Balfour
Declaration of 1917 Israel has not halted its implementation of
the racist Zionist colonialist policies which are responsible for
the calamities that have befallen our people."
--- from an official statement issued by the PA's Legislative
Council on May 12, 1998 to mark fifty years since "the 1948
calamity" (the establishment of Israel)
(Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, May 13, 1998)

"Our choice is the military option. We must put an end to the
despicable negotiations. The time has come for jihad [holy war] and
martyrdom."
--- Shiekh Hamed Bitawi, chairman of the Palestine Religious
Scholars Association and head of the PA's Sharia Court of Appeals
in Nablus
(Al-Jazira television, May 14, 1998)

"We shall uproot the settlement occupation from our souls, we shall
disturb their tranquillity and abandon our fears and instill our
fear within them. We are not frustrated so long as the intifada
renews itself in our veins hear our cry, for our hands are
extended, but if you do not calamity will come upon the head of
the oppressor."
--- from the lead editorial in the official PA newspaper Al-Hayat
Al-Jadeeda
(May 15, 1998)

"Peace is a strategic choice, but it is not a sacred choice if the
occupation and the Judaization continue."
--- announcer on the official PA radio station the Voice of
Palestine (May 15, 1998)

"Whomever has occupied part of Palestine or Jerusalem faces jihad
[holy war] until Judgment Day. Our destiny is jihad "
--- Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, in the weekly Friday prayer sermon at
Al-Aksa Mosque broadcast on the official PA radio station
(Voice of Palestine, May 15, 1998)