Supporters celebrate Fatah’s 55th anniversary in Gaza City on January 1, 2020. Photo: Fatah

One of the spokesmen from Fatah’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, has openly announced that Fatah — together with other Palestinian terror organizations — wants war with Israel: “to fight the enemy of Allah and our enemy.”

In 1974, former head of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA), Yasser Arafat, in his famous olive branch speech at the UN, at least pretended there was a choice between the olive branch and the gun — i.e., peace and war. But now Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades spokesman Abd Al-Rahman Abu Al-Rub has made it clear that Fatah wants war and that the olive branch and peace are not an option.

Abu Al-Rub emphasized this in a speech by dramatically throwing an olive branch to the ground and grabbing a rifle, while stating that the goal now is “to fight the enemy of Allah and our enemy.” Abu Al-Rub also added a religious component, threatening “those who do not mobilize for Allah” to fight Israel with a “painful punishment”:

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades spokesman Abd Al-Rahman Abu Al-Rub: “All fingers are on the trigger, all fingers are on the Al-Aqsa [Martyrs’] Brigades, all fingers are on [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad, all fingers are on the [Izz A-Din] Al-Qassam [Brigades].

Almighty Allah says: ‘Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter?’ [Koran 9:38]. See the warning of Almighty Allah to those who do not mobilize for Allah … ‘If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment’ [Koran 9:39] … The political talk in Fatah today, and prior to this, and since its foundation, is the rifle and the olive branch. Regarding the olive branch — we don’t want it. Rather we want the rifle, in order to fight the enemy of Allah and our enemy. This is the belief of Fatah with its military wings, in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades — Martyrs’ Division and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades — Palestine, and the rest of the heroic resistance members.”

[Fatah Movement — Bethlehem Branch, Telegram channel, March 3, 2023]

Arafat: “Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat: do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”

[UN website, UN General Assembly 29th session, Nov. 13, 1974]

Another Fatah official also called for terror in the heart of Israel — “the Zionist depth”:

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Wafa Zakarneh: “Our resistance members need to strike the Zionist depth [i.e., inside Israel], because the occupation only understands the language of force, the language of violence … Our people needs to fight, and our [PA] government and our leadership need to dish out twice as much as they’ve received.”

[Official PA TV, March 7, 2023]

The expression “to dish out twice as much as they’ve received” is a quote of PA and Fatah Chairman Abbas. After Israel killed three terrorists who had already carried out a number of terrorist attacks and were planning another imminent attack, Abbas called on Palestinians to kill Israelis — “to dish out to them twice as much as we’ve received.” [Sawa, independent Palestinian news agency, Feb. 10, 2022]

Similarly, another Fatah official threatened Israel that terror will continue, because for every dead terrorist “Martyr,” there will be “revenge”:

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Abd Al-Ilah Atteereh: “Just as they set out against you [Israelis] in Jerusalem, people will set out who will take revenge for the Martyrs … Every time there is a Martyr, there will also be a [new] self-sacrificing fighter. Every time there is a Martyr, there will be one who will carry out various kinds of resistance against you … There is no doubt that the situation will pull us into a comprehensive intifada in all the Palestinian lands. O Netanyahu, dozens of young people will set out against you [Israelis] everywhere.”

[Official PA TV, Feb. 22, 2023]

Calling for unity among the different Palestinian factions — i.e., terror organizations — Fatah’s Secretary in Jenin, Ata Abu Rmeileh, stressed that the Palestinians are at “war” with Israel:

Fatah Jenin Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh: “In a war against the occupation, all the statements, all the calls, and everything that is happening in the Palestinian arena needs to focus on this occupation and avenging this pure blood.”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, March 10, 2023]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that Fatah recently praised the murder of seven people in January, seeing it as part of their “intifada” and “war against Israel.”

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades — an internationally-designated terror organization — is an integral part of Fatah. Fatah, including its terror wing that is now openly advocating to carry out terror attacks and murder Israelis, is headed by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.