WEST BANK: Palestinian Abbas opens Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting, with first member of Jewish origin Uri Davis
Record ID:
560946
WEST BANK: Palestinian Abbas opens Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting, with first member of Jewish origin Uri Davis
- Title: WEST BANK: Palestinian Abbas opens Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting, with first member of Jewish origin Uri Davis
- Date: 17th August 2009
- Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (AUGUST 16, 2009) (REUTERS) WIDE OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS' COMPOUND NEW FATAH'S REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL MEMBER URI DAVIS, OF JEWISH ORIGIN AND FORMER ISRAELI CITIZEN, WALKING TOWARDS CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW FATAH'S REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL MEMBER URI DAVIS, OF JEWISH ORIGIN AND FORMER ISRAELI CITIZEN, SAYING: "I am not Jewish, I'm of Jewish origin and I don't believe I'm the only member of Fatah who is of Jewish origin. It may be the case that I'm the only or next to only member of Fatah who is of Jewish origin and of European extraction. Fatah is a universal movement, an open movement, a liberal movement. Membership in Fatah is open to any person who is committed to defence of Palestinian rights, and the political program of the movement. And as a Palestinian hebrew of Jewish origin, anti-Zionist and a citizen of an Apartheid state, the State of Israel, and an alleged constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom, I hope to make a constructive contribution to the Revolutionary Council." PALESTINIAN SECURITY MAN DRINKING COFFEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW FATAH'S REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL MEMBER URI DAVIS, OF JEWISH ORIGIN AND FORMER ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP, SAYING: "It's a new political environment for me, the Fatah congress in Bethlehem was my first participation in Fatah congress. My appointment in the Revolutionary Council is very recent, come back to me in a half a years' time please." DAVIS ENTERING COMPOUND VARIOUS OF DAVIS SHAKING HANDS WITH FATAH MEMBERS DURING HIS FIRST REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL MEETING MORE OF DAVIS BEFORE MEETING POSTER SHOWING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS FATAH MEMBERS AHEAD OF MEETING WIDE OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS ENTERING ROOM VARIOUS OF ABBAS GREETING ATTENDANTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "The dialogue (with Hamas) will continue. In the meanwhile, the negotiations with the Israeli side will continue, because our aim is to have a Palestinian independent state on 1967 lands." ABBAS SEATING AFTER SPEECH
- Embargoed: 1st September 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA5M8GCM2VJ3O3PDA6YJMZTQW3O
- Story Text: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opens first meeting of Fatah's Revolutionary Council, attended by its first ever member of a Jewish origin, Uri Davis. Davis, who declares himself an 'anti-Zionist', says Fatah is a universal, liberal and open movement, open to whoever is committed to Palestinians' rights.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opened on Sunday (August 16) Fatah's Revolutionary Council's first meeting after elections last week, attended by the council's first ever member of a Jewish origin, Uri Davis.
67-year-old Davis, who proclaims himself as an anti-Zionist, has won one of the 81 seats up for grabs in the party's Revolutionary Council.
"I am not Jewish, I'm of Jewish origin and I don't believe I'm the only member of Fatah who is of Jewish origin. It may be the case that I'm the only or next to only member of Fatah who is of Jewish origin and of European extraction. Fatah is a universal movement, an open movement, a liberal movement. Membership in Fatah is open to any person who is committed to defence of Palestinian rights, and the political program of the movement. And as a Palestinian Hebrew of Jewish origin, anti-Zionist and a citizen of an Apartheid state, the State of Israel, and an alleged constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom, I hope to make a constructive contribution to the Revolutionary Council," Davis told Reuters before the meeting.
Davis, who was born in Jerusalem, is the first Jew to become a member of the Revolutionary Council since it was established in 1958.
After he relinquished his Israeli citizenship in the 1980's in protest of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Davis received Palestinian citizenship and became the only non-Arab to run for a seat in the Revolutionary Council, Fatah's legislative body.
Author of the books "Israel: An Apartheid State," published in 1987 and "Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within," published in 2004, Davis chooses to identify himself as a Palestinian Hebrew.
Asked what his plans are as a council member, Davis asked for some time to study the new political environment he has recentley entered.
In a speech during the meeting, Abbas promised that negotiations will resume both with Islamist Hamas faction and the State of Israel.
"The dialogue (with Hamas) will continue. In the meanwhile, the negotiations with the Israeli side will continue, because our aim is to have a Palestinian independent state on 1967 lands," Abbas told Fatah members.
The Revolutionary Council convenes every three months. It is charged with implementing resolutions of the congress and monitoring the performance of the Central Committee.
Palestinians of the diaspora came to Bethlehem from more than 80 countries for the first Fatah congress to be held in 20 years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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