Back to PLO Bulletin 1 November 1978

GENERAL STRIKE IN WEST BANK

Our people in the occupied territories continues to express its rejection of the Camp David agreements and its protest against the "self-rule" scheme on all popular and organizational levels.

On 10 October 1978, Karim Khalaf, Mayor of Ramallah, met with the Israeli liaison officer in the occupied West Bank and affirmed his rejection of the Camp David accords and the "self-rule" plan.

Khalaf pointed out that the Camp David accords will not lead to peace, but rather are an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. He also said that the Palestinian people totally reject the "self-rule" plan, as it is only a further phase of occupation by the Zionists. He went on to say that to achieve peace in the Middle East, the PLO should be recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, there should be complete withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied since the 1967 war and the establishment of an independent Palestinian Arab state under the leadership of the PLO.

National committees, popular organizations and unions from all parts of the occupied territories, on 10 October 1978, issued a communique condemning the Camp David accords and Sadat's capitulation. The communique affirmed the popular organizations' stand in confronting and resisting all conspiracies ignoring the PLO and the Palestinian people's rights. The organizations also called for a general strike against the Camp David accords and the "self-rule" scheme. The strike went into effect on 12 October 1978.

Representatives of Islamic and Christian unions and women's clubs and other organizations met in Jerusalem at the end of October, and issued a communique condemning the Camp David accords which, they declared, aim at isolating Egypt from the Arab Front and liquidating the Palestinian cause. The communique added that the accords obviously violate resolutions of the Rabat and Algiers Arab Summit conferences.