Fatah official: We will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state because it would “cancel our [Palestinian] narrative, our history and our religion”
Official PA TV program The State of Politics hosted Fatah Central Committee member Saeb Erekat.
Saeb Erekat: “In brief, we cannot accept the Jewish state – Israel as a Jewish state – not today, not tomorrow and not in a hundred years, because whoever accepts Israel as a Jewish state agrees to change his history, his narrative and even his religion. I understand that the State of Israel exists and that we have recognized it. In 1993, there was a mutual recognition. For Israel to come and demand of the Palestinians that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state – what do they want with this? They want us to tell them: ‘Your narrative is true and we, Arabs, are foreigners in this land, and so we will cancel our narrative, our history and our religion.’”
Official PA TV host: “And to confirm that this is a land without a people for a people without a land.”
Saeb Erekat: “Exactly. This will never happen! This is wickedness. This is not the refugee issue or the issue of the 1948 Arabs (i.e., Israeli Arabs). This issue regards our existence, culture, and religion. It is therefore inconceivable that any Palestinian should ever agree that Israel become a Jewish state, for by doing so he would be accepting the Israeli narrative and erasing his own.”
Saeb Erekat: “In brief, we cannot accept the Jewish state – Israel as a Jewish state – not today, not tomorrow and not in a hundred years, because whoever accepts Israel as a Jewish state agrees to change his history, his narrative and even his religion. I understand that the State of Israel exists and that we have recognized it. In 1993, there was a mutual recognition. For Israel to come and demand of the Palestinians that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state – what do they want with this? They want us to tell them: ‘Your narrative is true and we, Arabs, are foreigners in this land, and so we will cancel our narrative, our history and our religion.’”
Official PA TV host: “And to confirm that this is a land without a people for a people without a land.”
Saeb Erekat: “Exactly. This will never happen! This is wickedness. This is not the refugee issue or the issue of the 1948 Arabs (i.e., Israeli Arabs). This issue regards our existence, culture, and religion. It is therefore inconceivable that any Palestinian should ever agree that Israel become a Jewish state, for by doing so he would be accepting the Israeli narrative and erasing his own.”