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Top Fatah official threatens to ‘change rules of engagement’ with Israel

Fatah Central Committee Secretary General Jibril Rajoub: “All options are open”; “We should adhere to the legacy of Arafat, Ahmad Yassin.”

Fatah Central Committee secretary-general, Palestinian Football Association head and Palestine Olympic Committee chairman Jibril Rajoub at a press conference in Ramallah on the cancellation of a soccer match between Argentina and Israel, June 6, 2018. Credit: Flash90.
Fatah Central Committee secretary-general, Palestinian Football Association head and Palestine Olympic Committee chairman Jibril Rajoub at a press conference in Ramallah on the cancellation of a soccer match between Argentina and Israel, June 6, 2018. Credit: Flash90.
(Oct. 4, 2020 / MEMRI)

Fatah Central Committee Secretary General Jibril Rajoub said in an interview last week that the Palestinians may choose to “change the rules of engagement” in response to Arab, Israeli and U.S. pressure.

“We are not going to start shooting at the Arabs, and we do not want to escalate against anyone, but we are capable of controlling the rules of engagement, and by the way, all options are open,” he said.

Rajoub called on Palestinians to stay loyal to the legacy of “giants,” such as former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, former PFLP Secretary General Abu Ali Mustafa, current PFLP Secretary General Ahmad Sa’adat, and former Fatah political figure and convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti.

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