Palestinians protest against meetings between PLO officials, Israeli politicians

Demonstrators condemn meetings, call for "cleansing" the PLO of “the generals of normalization with Israel.”

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Shas rabbia Menashe Zlika in Ramallah 150 (photo credit: Mati Milstein/The Geneva Initiative)
Shas rabbia Menashe Zlika in Ramallah 150
(photo credit: Mati Milstein/The Geneva Initiative)
Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah on Monday in protest against recent meetings between PLO officials and Israeli politicians.
The protest took place outside the PLO headquarters, where demonstrators condemned the meetings as a form of normalization with Israel.
The protesters called for “cleansing” the PLO of “the generals of normalization with Israel,” first and foremost PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo.
The protesters chanted, “Abed Rabbo, go away!” and “Normalization is destructive!” The protest came following meetings in Ramallah and Jerusalem organized by the Geneva Initiative group.
On July 7, the group took several Shas and Likud officials to a meeting with Abed Rabbo and a number of PLO officials in Ramallah.
The move has since drawn sharp criticism from many Palestinians and various political factions, including Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction.
Fatah and other Palestinian groups have been waging an “anti-normalization” campaign to prevent Palestinians from meeting with Israelis.
Ibrahim Ajouri, one of the organizers of Monday’s protest, said that he and his friends were demanding the removal of Abed Rabbo from the PLO for meeting with Israelis. Ajouri said it was “disgraceful” that the July 7 meeting with Israelis was held at the headquarters of the PLO, “which was built over the remains of martyrs and heroes.”
Jamal Juma’ah, another organizer, said that they would not allow any Palestinians to engage in normalization activities with Israel. He also voiced opposition to the resumption of peace talks with Israel.
Fatah legislator Najat Abu Baker said that the protest was aimed at preventing Palestinians from “drowning in normalization with Israel.” She said that Palestinians were strongly opposed to meetings with Israelis that are aimed at promoting normalization between the two sides.