Qurei: Resistance an option as long as occupation exists

The option of resistance is always there as long as the occupation exists, the former Palestinian Authority prime minister Ahmed Qurei said in an interview with al-Hayat on Sunday. The senior PLO official continued by saying that although the resistance option exists, "the question is what options we choose." He stressed that such decisions require in-depth, courageous and responsible introspection and discussion in order to choose the appropriate option. On the possibility of a UN Security Council resolution declaring settlements in the West Bank as illegal, Qurei said that while such a resolution would be "theoretically possible, practically it would be difficult," according to the al-Hayat report. He said that he would like to tell the world "that the settlements are illegal," pointing out that such a statement in itself is quite sufficient, especially if made by the Security Council.

Reacting to Yasser Abed Rabbo's recent statement that the PA would recognize Israel as a Jewish state in exchange for 1967 borders, he told al-Hayat, "No one can agree to any project or solution that does not bring the Palestinian people their full rights. No one wants to sign an agreement that detracts from the rights of the Palestinian people." Speaking about reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, he said that "without addressing the divide, we can not conduct serious negotiations with the Israelis, and we can not confront Israel coherently" while divided, according to the report. He also said that the Fatah-Hamas split was the product of an "Israeli conspiracy. (14,00)