Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniya Attacks Fatah and Declares: "We Will Never Recognize Israel"

Following is an address delivered by Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniya, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on October 6, 2006:

Unknown speaker: The language of blood is my language, and there is nothing but blood. I have shut my mouth to the art of speech, and let the machine gun do the talking. I let Al-Qassam do the talking, to turn the dens of the Jews into hell.

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Isma'il Haniya: [The government] draws its strength from this mighty people, from the mother of the martyr, who sends a message to the government... This mother, who sacrificed two or three of her sons as martyrs, sends a message to the government and the prime minister: Abu Al-Abd, don't you dare to give in.

Unknown speaker:Oh mujahideen, I ask you, and answer me yes or no: Do you support recognizing the so-called Israel?

Crowd: No.

Unknown speaker: Say it so the far and near can hear.

Crowd: No.

Unknown speaker: Do you support recognizing the so-called Israel?

Crowd: No.

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Isma'il Haniya: In terms of the domestic situation, we have undergone three stages. We have undergone three stages. The first stage: From the day we came into power, there were demonstrations against joining a national unity government. Some [Fatah] leaders said: It is a disgrace for us to join a government formed by Hamas. Then all kinds of things began to happen, from the moment we formed the government. There were demonstrations, marches, and press conferences - continuous incitement against this government.

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Brothers and sisters, the second stage in the domestic situation was manifest in the prisoners' document. In the days of the prisoners' document - and I salute all our heroic prisoners - the Palestinian arena was on the verge of collapse, because there were two options: Either you accept that document, or we will hold a referendum. We have experienced difficult circumstances in the Palestinian arena. We have overcome this stage by accepting the National Accord Document. Then, brothers and sisters, came the third stage - and this is the stage we are at today: the strikes, the protests, the shutting down of offices and ministries, and the marches, as well as an attack on the institutions and on the prime minister's office, the abduction of parliament members, and the shooting at bodyguards. Some of those serving in the security agencies went out to block the roads, to open fire on passersby and attack them, and to hold marches, one of the goals of which was a form of rebellion against this government.

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Brothers and sisters, faced with this situation, we will not surrender. We related to this situation, and we worked toward establishing a Palestinian government... We worked toward establishing a national unity government...

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In the name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate, our bodies may be weary, but our spirits are not, and our steadfastness will not falter.

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In recent months, we saved the government budget and the Palestinian people the sum of $90 million, as a result of the government's decision to reduce government expenditure. The government decided to reduce its expenditure on mobile phones, as well as the amount of gasoline given to its officials.

To this day, we have not bought a single car for a minister or a Legislative Council member. We have not bought cars for ministers or for Legislative Council members. Brothers, we ride in regular cars, and we will continue to do so.

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We have not sent our children away, to live a different life in a different place. Moreover, I am proud that even though I am the prime minister of the Palestinian people, I still live in Al-Shati refugee camp.

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Some talk about an emergency government, others talk about a government of technocrats, or about early elections. All this, brothers, is for a single goal: To remove the Palestinian Resistance Movement - Hamas - from power.

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We support the establishment of any Palestinian state on Palestinian land - the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 territories, CLIP ENDS HERE with Jerusalem as its capital, and with [the release] of the prisoners and [the return] of the refugees. We support this and accept it - but in return for a truce, and not for recognizing [Israel], or for giving up the land of our fathers and forefathers.