Ramallah: The Palestinian National Peace Process Follow Up Committee on Sunday called for the setting up of a unified front of public resistance and the convening of a session of the United Nations Security Council to force Israel into implementing its commitments and halting its colony activities in keeping with international resolutions.

Addressing a press conference here, the executives of various Palestinian factions and independents valued the political stance of the Palestinian leadership which had announced that there would be no negotiations under colony activities and called on the leadership to end this stance unchanged.

The Palestinian factions called on the Arab League Peace Process Follow Up Committee to direct Arab pressure on the US and the international community to force Israel to implement its earlier commitments and halt its colony activities in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians observed that the US letter of incentives and guarantees to the government of Israel was more dangerous for Palestinian interests than the letter sent by the former US president, George W. Bush, to the former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and even more dangerous than the colony activities themselves.

Mamdouh Al Eker, a representative of the Palestinian independents, said the decision of the Palestinian leadership is vital only if it is firm and. "It is a key Palestinian interest to take advantage of 20 years of negotiations with the Israelis and never to get in empty cycles that give the Israelis the necessary time and chance to create new facts on the ground," he said.

"This stance blocks the way for any compromise or any mid-way solution for the colony," he said.

Bassam Al Salhi, the secretary general of the Palestinian People's Party, said the current stance of the Palestinian leadership matches with the calls of the Palestinian public, wherein public resistance should be enhanced and all Palestinian factions and individuals should be involved in this public resistance.

"The Palestinians are not satisfied with the partial halt of colony activities and should file a case at the UN Security Council to highlight the international stance on colony activities as illegal and bury the outcome of the understanding between the Americans and the Israelis, which downgraded this issue and reached certain compromises," he said.

"A Palestinian state cannot be created with the spread of the colony activities as those colonies occupy most of the lands claimed by the Palestinians for their future state," he said.

"The Palestinians do not accept compromises on the issue of colony activities in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. The current stance cuts the way for few months' partial halt of colony activities," he said. "It is either colony activities or no colony activities on Palestinian soil," he said.

Abdul Raheem Malouh, the deputy secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the major problem facing the Palestinians is occupation. "The colony activities are only a reflection of the occupation which bans the creation of a Palestinian state," he said.

"Israel is not ready for striking a deal with the Palestinians, regardless of the fact who is on control of the government there," he added.

Arabs are partners

Commenting on the coming meeting of the Arab League Peace Process Follow Up Committee and the Arab Summit, he said: "The Arabs are not brokers but partners to the Palestinians in facing the occupation and have to fulfil the requirements of this partnership in line with supporting the Palestinians in all aspects."

He stressed that the Palestinian demand is simple - the implementation of UN resolutions, drafted by the international community - and that should in turn force Israel to implement them or face the consequences.

Tawfiq Goush, a member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the current stance of the Palestinian leadership needs great deal of support to ensure it is firm and unchanged.

"The Palestinian people have many [other] options, if the option of negotiations fails, and those options involve internal, regional and international levels, with a bit of public resistance which the Palestinians can enhance," he said.

Dr Mustafa Al Barghouti, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that the Palestinians are currently passing through the phase of struggle and resistance.