Following are excerpts from an interview with Ashraf Al-Ajrami, former Palestinian Authority minister of prisoner affairs. The interview aired on Palestinian Authority TV on June 28, 2009.
To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/2180.
"Hamas Tried - Unjustly And Deceitfully - To Take Credit for the Intifada - While the Only One Deserving Credit For It Was Yasser Arafat"
Ashraf Al-Ajrami: "Hamas tried - unjustly and deceitfully - to take credit for the Intifada, while the only one deserving credit for it was Yasser Arafat. The security forces against which Hamas levels accusations...
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"They talk about the Dayton plan, as if it is something to be ashamed of... It was the Hamas government that authorized the Dayton plan, the purpose of which is to develop the security forces, and which does not intervene in Palestinian political affairs at all. This is a plan to develop the security forces."
"These Operations Were Carried Out By the Heroes of the Palestinian Security Forces... While Hamas Stood on the Sidelines"
"[Hamas] is now talking about the "Dayton forces." These forces paid a heavy price in the second Intifada, in terms of martyrs and prisoners. Most of the prisoners came from the ranks of the security forces. Moreover, they were among those who bore arms, and carried out the largest and most important operations against the Israeli occupation - and especially against soldiers - including the well-known operations in the West Bank, such as the operations in Ein 'Ariq, Wadi Al-Haramiya, Surda, and so on. [1]
"These operations were carried out by the heroes of the Palestinian security forces, who were defending the homeland and the national interests, while Hamas stood on the sidelines for many months, before [taking action]."
Endnote:
[1] These are references to three 2002 attacks at checkpoints near Ramallah, in which dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed.
