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Fatah Activist Sees Third Intifada as Unlikely, But...

(Ha'aretz) Avi Issacharoff - Taisir Nasrallah, of Balata, was one of the Fatah youth leaders in the Nablus area during the first intifada. He does not believe a third intifada is likely in the near future. In the second intifada - which, unlike the 1987 popular uprising, was a war by militant groups against the Israel Defense Forces - Balata was one of the toughest bastions of fighting against Israel. Nasrallah, 50, is now director general in the Nablus governor's office and a central Fatah activist. "We've obtained stability. There is one authority, the security branches function and the economy has improved. This affects the Palestinians much more than a UN declaration or vote," he says. "People feel the second intifada didn't do them any good," says Nasrallah. "The stability has improved their life and finances. Perhaps there will be celebrations following the UN recognition, but it's not likely to turn into a third intifada." His colleagues agree. Ahsan Khader (brother of imprisoned Fatah leader Hussam Khader) says there is no talk of escalation, although in a few years, maybe even decades, "everything will change around here." A five-floor community center, called Jaffa Center, was built seven years ago and is funded by foreign organizations. Nasrallah's dream is to have the center move to Jaffa when the day comes, he says proudly. "We give the kids courses on the right of return and teach them that the Israelis stole their lands. We've sent hundreds of camp children into Israel to see the villages and towns that were taken from us. We took them to Jaffa, Ramle." "Our message is that without a doubt they will return to the places from which they were driven out," he says.
2011-07-01 00:00:00
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