Abbas: Israel's "aggressive and unfair war" in Gaza is meant to intensify Fatah-Hamas rift
On Nov. 14, 2012, Israel launched an aerial offensive in the Gaza Strip called Operation Pillar of Defense, with the aim of crippling the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza and protecting Israeli civilians from Hamas rocket fire. Excerpt from Abbas' speech at the PA leadership's meeting on Nov. 18, 2012:
"Israel continues its aggression for the fifth day in a row and threatens [to enter] a new phase of escalation of its military operation, something that will cause more destruction and bloodshed, and will increase the threat against the security and stability of the whole region... Through its aggressive and unfair war against our people in [the] Gaza [Strip], Israel is trying to strengthen the rift [between Fatah and Hamas] and deepen the separation between the two parts of the Palestinian homeland and soil. The Palestinian response to this aggression [should] first and foremost [be] to hurry and leave behind [us] the dark rift and restore the national unity... Besides the challenge of the aggression against Gaza, today the Palestinian people is facing additional challenges that are no less dangerous: the Judaization of Jerusalem, the expansion of the settlements and the continuous Israeli threats against the PLO in response to our UN petition [for non-member status]. Today we are all the more in need of Palestinian unity to face these challenges. Therefore today I call to convene an urgent meeting of leaders that will include the brothers, the members of the Executive Committee, the chairman of the National Council, the general secretaries of all the Palestinian factions as well as national Palestinian personalities agreed upon [by all parties] The aim is to discuss ways to face these challenges unified as one within the framework of the PLO the sole and legitimate representative of our people... I bless the multitudes of our people who started to [demonstrate] in the squares here in Jerusalem and in Ramallah, in other parts of the homeland and in the diaspora to show their support for our resolute people in Gaza. I encourage you to continue this blessed peaceful activity and to intensify it to convey to the world a united Palestinian voice calling it [the world] to become involved in order to stop this aggression."
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"Israel continues its aggression for the fifth day in a row and threatens [to enter] a new phase of escalation of its military operation, something that will cause more destruction and bloodshed, and will increase the threat against the security and stability of the whole region... Through its aggressive and unfair war against our people in [the] Gaza [Strip], Israel is trying to strengthen the rift [between Fatah and Hamas] and deepen the separation between the two parts of the Palestinian homeland and soil. The Palestinian response to this aggression [should] first and foremost [be] to hurry and leave behind [us] the dark rift and restore the national unity... Besides the challenge of the aggression against Gaza, today the Palestinian people is facing additional challenges that are no less dangerous: the Judaization of Jerusalem, the expansion of the settlements and the continuous Israeli threats against the PLO in response to our UN petition [for non-member status]. Today we are all the more in need of Palestinian unity to face these challenges. Therefore today I call to convene an urgent meeting of leaders that will include the brothers, the members of the Executive Committee, the chairman of the National Council, the general secretaries of all the Palestinian factions as well as national Palestinian personalities agreed upon [by all parties] The aim is to discuss ways to face these challenges unified as one within the framework of the PLO the sole and legitimate representative of our people... I bless the multitudes of our people who started to [demonstrate] in the squares here in Jerusalem and in Ramallah, in other parts of the homeland and in the diaspora to show their support for our resolute people in Gaza. I encourage you to continue this blessed peaceful activity and to intensify it to convey to the world a united Palestinian voice calling it [the world] to become involved in order to stop this aggression."
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