Mahmoud Aloul, vice-president of Mahmoud Abbas’s party, believes that the first step for peace is to “end the occupation” of the territories by Israel.
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He is a former fighter of Yasser Arafat, who became one of the figures of Fatah alongside Mahmoud Abbas. The current president of the Palestinian Authority has not publicly condemned Hamas. Mahmoud Aloul recognizes the legitimacy of the Islamist movement: “Hamas is part of the fabric of Palestinian society.” He asks us to go back in time, before the attack carried out on October 7 by Hamas: “What is happening in Jerusalem? What is happening with the settlers?”
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Since war broke out between Hamas and Israel, the Palestinian Authority which administratively controls the occupied West Bank has been relatively silent. Before October 7, Fatah was losing ground and if elections were held today, Hamas would win. The Palestinian Authority and its leaders have long sought a peace deal with Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state.
“The occupation prevents everything”
For Fatah number 2, the multiple provocations of the ultra-right Israeli government continue to put pressure on the Palestinian people. Mahmoud Aloul does not lose the main objective of his party.
“What we want to achieve is the liberation of the Palestinian people, the independence of the Palestinian people. The main step is to end the occupation.”
Mahmoud Aloul, number 2 of Fatahat franceinfo
The end of the Israeli occupation is a prerequisite for any discussion. Israelis and Palestinians have not sat together at the same table since 2014. “We believe in negotiations with Israel, declares Mahmoud Aloul. The only ones who don’t believe it are Israel.”
To young Palestinians who would be tempted to join the ranks of Hamas, Mahmoud Aloul replied that“there is no other solution than to reach a peace agreement”. A prospect that seems more distant than ever today.