-Caveat Lector- Barghouti: The Intifada goes on - Israeli losses "good results" - trying to break Sharon By Kamal Qabisi - The Jeruslaem Times Vol.VIII, No.371 March 16, 2001 Marwan Barghouthi was elected Fateh Secretary General in the West Bank after returning from Tunisia in 1994 and elected as a member of the Legislative Council two years later. Barghouthi became involved in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, then suddenly found himself steering the Intifada of stones. How do you transport the stones? Usually, we use trucks or carts, but it really does not matter how and what, because the objective is not to harm people with stones. Stonethrowing is an expression of rejection. True, but [the Israelis] mean to harm you with rubber and live ammunition. You forgot to mention teargas. The objective is still one of expression. Why not use catapults? That would be difficult on the battlefield, because our style of fighting follows a hit-and-run method, and catapults are too heavy. Would not the method of expression develop from stone hurling to the use of weapons? Armed resistance is now part of the Intifada. Since the beginning of the Intifada, 66 Israelis have been killed and 614 injured; those are good results. It is said that the Intifada will expand during the era of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel]Sharon and that the results may improve. We will try to break Sharon on the issue of security. What has had the most effect on you during the Intifada? The sight of martyrs who I saw at hospitals or else during their funerals is always on my mind, reminding me of occupation and its meaning - bloodshed, murder, alienation and hardship. Those things I will never forget. And there is another thing that causes me pain. I used to think that Arabs would be kinder to the Palestinians. We do see the support of the Arab street and the Arab media, which causes us to wonder why Arab leaders and officials stand silent and allow a criminal like Sharon to oppress us. Are you calling on the Arab street to revolt? I have said before that the Intifada crosses borders, and I say it again.I am calling for humane actions to support us against Sharon. How long will the Intifada last? The Intifada will last until the liberation of the land and the declaration of the Palestinian State. When will that happen in your opinion? The state will be declared within the next three years. What will the state be like? The Palestinians are not fighting to have a tyrannical state. I believe the Palestinian State will be democratic. Three months ago, an Israeli journalist claimed that a Palestinian source had told him that President Arafat had instructed you to ignore any instructions to end or confine the Intifada. Is that true? No, it is not. Such a thing never happened. If President Arafat calls for an end to the Intifada, what would your reaction be? Arafat would not do such a thing, because stopping the Intifada would represent a disaster for the Palestinian people and he simply wouldn't issue orders that harm the Palestinians. The key to the Intifada is not in my hands, anyway. Where is it? It is in the Palestinian street, and by the way, the Intifada came as a blessing to President Arafat. If the Intifada is a blessing, why did it not start long ago? The Intifada is different from a war that can be launched with a single decision. The Intifada is the result of feelings reflected randomly. Nobody can decide to start or end it. Do your children participate in the Intifada? My eldest, Qassam, a boy of 15, does and has been hit with rubber bullets three or four times. And the others? My daughter, Ruba, is only 13 and the other two boys are 11 and ten. Three months ago, the Queen of Sweden criticized the Palestinians for subjecting children to danger by allowing them to throw stones. Her accusations bespeak ignorance of the general makeup of the Arab society in general and the Palestinian society in particular. We have given orders to remove children under the age of 16 from the battlefield, but the Intifada is widespread and we sometimes lose control. You named your eldest child after Izzidin Qassam? Yes. Does Hizbullah have a unit with Fateh as the Israelis claim? We generally cooperate with Hizbullah, but I do not know if they have a unit here. Does your wife, Fadia, participate? She is a lawyer, a mother and a housewife. That's enough to keep her busy. You are a member of the Legislative Council and receive a salary of US$2,000 per month. They say the Council has given each of its members a 1997 Audi. Does that not mean you can save, especially as your wife works? By the way, how much does your wife make, and does she have a car? My wife makes US$2,000 per month and drives a 1996 VW Golf, but she only started work a year ago. A combined income of US$4,000 per month in PNA territories, where prices are low, means you should be able to save, no? On the contrary, prices here are very high, because we obtain most of our consumer products from Israel. How much are your personal expenses? I do not spend very much, with the exception of gasoline, which costs me close to US$600 per month. I give the rest of my salary to my wife; she takes care of the household expenses. Are your brothers and children not afraid of the consequences of the Intifada? Do they not ask you to relinquish the life you lead? My mother is strong and stubborn and she encourages me. The kids are still too young, but my brother worries a lot. You know that the Israelis are after you. I know and I take all the necessary precautions. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. 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