Source: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=23429
Date: 28 / 06 / 2007 Time: 19:30
Bethlehem - Ma'an Exclusive - The Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades have announced that they have rejected the presidential decree regarding the disbanding of militia in the occupied Palestinian territories.The spokesman of the brigades, Abu Oday, told Ma'an that, following consultations with the brigades' leaders in the West Bank, they have issued the following declaration:
First: the rejection of the dissolution of the brigades, "because they are a resistance group, and are defending the country and the dignity of the people".
Second: the refusal to disarm the group, "because it is a legitimate arm of resistance, and is the only weapon to remain to defend the Intifada."
Third: the rejection of the description of the brigades as 'militias', "which defame the Palestinians, and it is nonsense to describe the only remaining armed wing as a militia."
Fourth: the brigades support the presidents' decision to withdraw illegal arms used in the lawlessness, and announce that they stand with the security forces to stop the state of disorder.
Fifth: the brigades will "do their best" to aid the security forces, "and will be honored to stand beside the security forces to defend the country."
Sixth: the brigades will not be complacent before the crimes of the occupation, "and will retaliate for the crimes committed by the occupying Israeli military, especially in the recent days in the Strip, Nablus and Jenin.
Seventh: the brigades reject the connection established between themselves and the current state of lawlessness, and confirm that they "were created to confront the occupation and its aggression against the Palestinian people".
Eighth: the brigades will not be committed to a truce with the Israelis, as long as the occupation continues the crimes and incursions against Palestinians and their cities.
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GI Notes:
Documents captured by the IDF during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002 proved unequivocally that the Fatah movement and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are one and the same.
The documents clearly indicated that not only are the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades a pseudonym for taking responsibility for terrorist attacks carried out by Fatah, but they are also a terrorist apparatus which up until the 2002 operation was in the process of institutionalization and intensification of its suicide and murderous attacks. Since Israeli molification of Fatah began in late 2003, this trend has returned.
The captured documents demonstrated that Arafat himself and other senior PA officials (the convicted Marwan Barghouti is just one of note) were the leaders of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and finance its terror activities.
According to the documents, Arafat was well aware of the negative implications of the terrorist attacks carried out by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and objected strongly when the US State Department added the Brigades to its list of terrorist organizations.
In meetings with Western leaders Arafat tried to deny the fact that the Fatah and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the first Palestinian terrorist group to use a female homocide/suicide bomber, are identical, and verbally distanced himself from them when speaking in English, while supporting, funding and encouraging them in Arabic.
This trend has continued under his replacement Abu Mazen.
More on the Brigades from the Council on Foreign Relations:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9127/
List of publicly known Brigade bomb homocide attacks against civilians:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Al-Aqsa_Martyrs'_Brigades_suicide_attacks
2002 Report on Brigades including copies and translations of captured documents mentioned above:
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/html/final/eng/bu/ya/ya_hp.htm
