Al Jazeera says Erekat supports "armed resistance" and doubles down on his "Natufian" roots

I noted yesterday that Saeb Erekat appeared at the Oxford Union last Friday, although very few had reported his statements.

The talk was sponsored by Al Jazeera and they will broadcast the interview on Friday.

They just issued a press release of the highlights, though:

Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator told Al Jazeera’s Head to Head that the situation will turn "ugly" in the Occupied Territories if a peace deal isn't done by April. The show will air on Friday 28 February at 20.00GMT.

Erakat told Head to Head host Mehdi Hasan and an audience at the Oxford Union: “If you want me to take you into the scenario of after that, it’s going to be very ugly. That’s why I say to John Kerry…Imagine Israel now just takes over everything in the West Bank, .....Amidst the changing Middle East, all right? And mark my words: what’s happening in the Arab world is Arabs are democratizing and anybody who says Arabs are not ready for democracy is a racist, and this is the best thing that happened to me as a Palestinian. … It’s going to be painful, it’s going to be long, it’s going to be bloody. But Arabs are democratizing.”

Um...who elected Erekat again? And how long ago did Abbas last win an election?

Erakat said he was fearful for the future of the PA and thinks it will be forced to shut down if a peace deal isn't signed with Israel: “I’m not asking for the solution for the PA, the PA cannot be sustained in its current form…It’s not sustainable anymore."

Erakat also said he will never recognize a Jewish state even though he recognizes the existence of Israel: "I will never recognize a Jewish state," when asked "Why not"? Erakat replied: "Because I have recognized the state of Israel’s right to exist in exchange for future recognition, in 1993 the name of Israel, state of Israel. Now, you know why they want me to recognize a Jewish state? I am the son of the Natufians, who built my hometown Jericho 2,000 years ago.[sic] I am the son of the Arab Kenonites, who were there 6,000 years before (who) came and built my hometown Jericho. [um, what? It was built twice?] What the Israeli's want me to do when I recognize Israel as a Jewish state, they want me to change my narrative, my history, my religion".

When pressed further by Hasan on whether he will accept Israel as a Jewish state in any final terms of a peace talk, Erakat replied: "Number one: you’re right. I cannot accept Israel as a Jewish state. Number two: I cannot accept any document without East Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine.”

Erakat said he supported the idea of an armed resistance if under occupation: “There is no single house in Palestine, including my household, that didn’t lose a loved one, that doesn’t have a loved one in prison. As long as there is occupation, there is resistance.”

Nice to know that the peaceful PLO is planning to return to terror. It must be because they are so democratic, and this is what the people want.

(I pointed out yesterday that Erekat admitted in Arabic that his family is from a Bedouin tribe in Jordan/Saudi Arabia, and are not "Canaanite" or "Natufian.")

By the way, if he is "Natufian," then he has the dates wrong - Natufians disappeared out around 10,000 BCE. And the Canaanites weren't Arab. Lying is just second nature to Erekat.