Katz: Fatah 'plan' is declaration of war

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (August 2, 2009)

Fatah's draft "political plan," leaked to several Arab newspapers over the weekend, "is a declaration of war on the state of Israel," Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said Sunday during a meeting of Likud ministers.

"The refusal to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state, the demand for a withdrawal to the 1967 lines and for the full right of return for Palestinian refugees - this means wiping Israel out of existence," he said.

The document reportedly also reiterates Fatah's commitment to the "armed struggle" against Israel as one of the methods of achieving an independent Palestinian state. It calls for Palestinians to unilaterally declare such a state if peace talks fail.

"We must adopt a clear stance in the face of these positions," Katz said.

According to Channel 10, the ministers agreed to await Fatah's official stance before responding.

The draft plan is to be discussed during the faction's general conference, set to take place in Bethlehem on Tuesday. The three-day conference is meeting for the first time in two decades to vote on members for its two key decision-making bodies.