The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian political organisation Fatah, has held armed mass rallies in the West Bank capital of Ramallah on Monday.
In a statement the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said that they had been “absent” from the struggle for a long time, but were now springing back into action. The organisation also warned the Zionist entity of dire consequences if its aggression continues, and vowed to stand by the people of Gaza.
The Fatah armed wing had earlier issued a full statement on Sunday, in which it called for a general mobilisation to defend the 1948 territories of Palestine:
“To all the fighters of The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the cities and villages of the brave West Bank: The Martyrs Brigades of Yasser Arafat, Abu Sharkh, Abu Jandal, Al-Aybat, Zaloom, Thabit Thabit.
You are the men of men so go forth to defend our people in revolt in our eternal capital Jerusalem and in the persistent Gaza and [West] Bank, Lod, Haifa, Yafa, and Nazareth and all of Palestine. This is your role, and this is your time. Do not let the herds of coward settlers and the occupation soldiers enjoy security and stability until the unjust aggression on our wounded Al-Aqsa, persistent Gaza, and our people in the Al-Jarrah [quarter] stop.
Make their roads, settlements, and occupation camps a target for you and unbearable hell [for them]. Prevent them from passing and travelling. Make them stay in their shelters until the persistent Palestinian people enjoy security and stability in all of Palestine.
We urge our sons in the brave security forces to extend their support and be a shield as they always have been to our people and defend them against the incursion of the occupier to our cities and villages. Let their message to the tyrannizing occupier be: Your incursion is forbidden and shall never be easy.
The Brigades are true to their word, and they keep their promises. Glory and eternity to the generous martyrs. Long live to the unity of our heroic people. Long live Palestine, Free and Arab.”
The message of solidarity is of historical importance considering that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades are officially tied to Fatah.
Although Fatah has been in a state of coexistence and collaboration with the Zionist entity since 1993, leading to criticisms of betraying the Palestinian cause, there has always remained a strong current of active resistance within the Brigades.
