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PLO Official Warns of Possible "Armed Resistance" If Talks Fail

(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Ahmed Qurei, a senior PLO official and former PA prime minister, said in Cairo this week that he does not rule out the possibility that the Palestinians will launch "armed resistance" against Israel if the peace talks fail. "All options are open to us," he declared. "Negotiations, popular activities, sit-in strikes, civil disobedience or armed resistance." Qurei also said that the Palestinians did not rule out unilaterally declaring the establishment of a Palestinian state and seeking the UN Security Council's recognition of that state. An Israeli official said in response, "It is indeed regrettable that there are still senior Palestinian leaders in the Palestinian Authority who talk about using the path of violence....It is clear that the path of violence is a dead end and only through direct negotiation can peace be achieved." Qurei also warned Palestinians and Arabs against pinning high hopes on President Obama. "We should stop sinking into rosy dreams while the road is full of thorns," he said. "The U.S. is a country of institutions and the decision-making process is not only in the hands of the president."
2010-10-20 08:59:58
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