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Arafat's Speech in Johannesburg
May 10, 1994
The following is the complete text of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat's
address to a Islamic gathering in a mosque in Johannesburg on May 10,
as broadcast by Israel Radio, Kol Yisrael:
Brothers, I have to thank you to give me this opportunity to come here
to pray together, and Insh'Allah, we will pray together very soon in
Jerusalem, the first shrine of Islam.
Excuse me for my poor language in English, but I try to do my best.
My brothers, after the signing of the agreement, and we have to
understand that after the gulf war, the real conspiracy is to demolish
completely the Palestinian issue from the agenda of the international
new order. This is where the main conspiracy and it was not easy,
because our people as you know had paid the price of this gulf war. As
you know our community in Kuwait which was the biggest and richest
community in Kuwait had been kicked out of Kuwait.
Not only that, after that we had been placed by this initiative
declared by President Bush for Madrid Conference. And it wasn't easy,
how we had accept to go to Madrid Conference. Why? Not to give them
the reason and an excuse to exclude the cause of Jerusalem, the cause
of Palestine. This has to be understood. And long after this agreement
which is the first step and not more than that, believe me. There are
a lot to be done.
The Jihad will continue and Jersualem is not for the Palestinian
People. It is for all the Muslim Uma, all the Muslim Uma. You are
responsible for Palestine and for Jerusalem before me.
(Verse from the Koran in Arabic) And we saved him (Abraham) and Lot,
and we brought him to the land which is blessed for ever.
This blessing, to Abraham, for the land which had been blessed for the
whole world. While after this agreement, you have to understand, our
main battle is not to get how much we can achieve from them here or
there. Our main battle is Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the first shrine of
the Muslims.
This has to be understood for everybody and for this I was insisting
before signing to have a letter from them, from the Israelis, that
Jerusalem is one of the items which has to be under discussion. And
no, the permanent state of Israel- no! It is the permanent state of
Palestine. Yes, it is the permanent state of Palestine.And in this
letter it is very important for everybody to know, I insist to mention
and they have written it and I have this letter. I didn't declare - I
didn't publish it till now. In this letter we are responsible for all
the Christian and Muslim and the Islamic holy sacred places, and I had
insisted to mention the Christian holy sacred place before the Islamic
holy sacred place because I had to be faithful to the agreement
between the Calipha Omar and the Patriarch Saphrona.
You remember this agreement between the Calipha Omar and the Patriarch
Saphrona. For this I was insisting to mention in this letter the
Christian holy places beside the Islamic holy places.
And here we are, I came and I have to speak frankly. I can't do it
alone, without the support of the Islamic Uma, I can't do it alone.
And what to say like the Jews, go and you will have to fight alone.
No! You have to come, and to fight and to start the Jihad to liberate
Jerusalem your first shrine.
And this is very important. And for this, in the agreement, I insist
with my colleagues, with my brothers to mention that not exceeding the
beginning of the third year and directly after signing the Cairo
agreement to start discussions for the future of Jerusalem. The future
of Jerusalem.
And you saw me on TV while I was hesitating...you remember the
picture? Becuase I was insisting to mention Jerusalem. And I said OK,
I don't want only from Rabin this promise. No! I want this promise
from the co-sponsors, Christopher and Kosyrev, and as a witness,
President Mubarak. And this has been done, which is very important for
everbody to know.
Now, here we are. And everybody has to understand that there is a
continuous conspiracy against Jerusalem. During the next two years,
which have been mentioned, not exceeding the beginning of the third
year, they will try to demolish and to change the demographics of
Jerusalem. It is very important, unless we have to be very cautious
and to put it in our priority as nothing worth to be priority than
Jerusalem. To put it in our first priority not only as Palestinians,
not only as Arabs, but as Muslims and as Christians too. I have
mentioned this to the Pope and to the Patriarch of Istanbul and the
Archbishop of Canterbury. To those I told them, if you want to make
your holy sepulchre, your holy, sacred Christian places. OK. Carry on
with the Israelis, with the Jews.
We are not against the Jews. We have to remember what has been
mentioned in our Koran, (quotation in Arabic from the Koran) And in
English, that among the nations of Musa there is a nation, or a part
of the nation, which they believe in just, and by just they control.
And for your information, there are two Jewish sects, in Palestine.
Samaritans in Nablus and Natorei Karta in Jersualem. They are refusing
to recognize the state of israel and they are considering themselves
as Palestinians. I'm saying this to give you proof that what they are
saying that it is their Capital - no! It is not their capital, it is
our capital, it is your capital. It is the first Shrine of the Islam
and the Muslims.
But we are in need of your support. Everywhere. This is a message for
the people, of Palestine from our populations in Jerusalem. Calling to
you, everybody here, not only here, everywhere, and I'm sure sooner or
later, we'll pray in Jerusalem.Together.
This agreement I am not considering it more than the agreement which
had been signed between our prophet Muhhamud and Quraysh. And you
remember, Caliph Omar had refused this agreement and considering the
agreement of the very low class. But Muhammud had accepted it and we
are accepting now this peace accord.
But to continue our way to Jerusalem, to the first shrine, together
and not alone. And we have to say clearly and honestly, that there is
a very, very, very difficult circumstances that face us. I'll give one
quote - one example. You remember after the massacre took place in the
Mosque in Hebron? You remember? Twenty two days the security council
was hesitating to accept the resolution to condemn this massacre. You
remember? Twenty two days. Do you know why? For one way I was
insisting to put in this resolution "throughout the occupied
Palestinian land and territories, including Jerusalem." They were
trying to bargain with me, to cancel Jerusalem. I refused. And I got
it in the end, and you remember.
Again, I have to thank you, I have to thank you from my heart, from my
heart, and I am telling you frankly from brother to brother, we are in
need of you, we are in need of you as Muslims, as Mujadin.
And on this occasion, I have to tell my old friend, my old brother,
Nelson Mandela, to thank him for give me this invitation to come, to
visit South Africa for the first time as a part of your struggle, I am
here. And I am telling again by your names and by the name of the
Islamic Uma that we will be beside him and we are sure that you will
continue to be beside us.
(Verses from the Koran in Arabic) We will enter the Mosque (El Aksa),
like we entered the first time.. God doesn't break his promise. .And
together, shoulder to shoulder, until victory, until victory, till
Jerusalem, to Jerusalem, to Jerusalem.
They will help us more than they ever did before.