June 29, 2003

Out of Fatah's interest to preserve the Palestinian people's higher national interest at one of the most critical and sensitive stages of our national struggle;

Out of our interest to maintain the Palestinian national unity that formed and continues to form the basis of our strength and ability to struggle and hold out;

To curb any attempt to undermine national unity; based on adherence to our people's inalienable fixed national rights endorsed by the Palestinian national councils and based on the absolute commitment to continuing the struggle to achieve our national goals spearheaded by the right of our people to return to their homeland, practise their right to self-determination and establish their independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on all 1967-occupied Palestinian territories;

To respond to all sincere international and Arab efforts, particularly those by Egypt, on behalf of the movement, we declare to all peace and freedom-loving countries and forces in the world our commitment to the truce as outlined in the Egyptian initiative.

At the same time, we appeal to the states, peoples and governments of the entire world that seek to achieve peace, security and stability in Palestine and the region to do their best to make the Israeli Government act in a manner that would render this initiative a success based on the following requirements:

1. Immediately halting all forms of the Israeli aggression against our people, including assassinations and massacres against our centres of population, cities, villages and camps; stopping incursions and the destruction of buildings, the infrastructure, as well as economic, official and popular institutions; ending the bulldozing and confiscation of agricultural lands; and stopping efforts to Judaise them.

2. Lifting the siege clamped on the Palestinian people and their elected legitimate leadership headed by brother President Abu-Ammar [Yasser Arafat].

3. Releasing the prisoners and detainees held in Israeli jails.

4. Stopping encroachment on the Islamic and Christian holy places, particularly the Holy al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of Holy Sepulchre, the Holy Ibrahimi Mosque and the Church of the Nativity.

5. Immediately halting the confiscation of land, the building of settlements on it and the expansion of the existing ones so as to pave the way for dismantling them; as well as stopping the construction of separation walls and fences.

6. Starting the occupation forces' withdrawal to the areas where they were before 28 September 2000 and expediting the dispatch of international observers to supervise the implementation of the agreed-upon terms of reference of the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy with the objective of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

It is a revolution until victory.

[signed] The Palestine National Liberation Movement, Fatah, Palestine