New group plans third intifada

The impetus for the group developed against the background of the recent flare-ups between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces, which have become commonplace throughout the West Bank since a UN General Assembly decision in November that granted non-member observer state status to “Palestine.”

Youngsters who identify themselves with the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organizations have joined forced with supporters of Fatah, according to a video uploaded to the Internet Friday, in order to fight against Israel.

“This is the beginning of the third Palestinian intifada, which erupts from the heart of Hebron and spreads to all of Palestine,” they said.

In the four-minute video, representatives of the “National Unity Brigades” directly threaten Israel, saying that if Israeli forces continue to arrest Palestinians in the West Bank, the group would begin to kidnap IDF soldiers. They added, “If Israel kills Palestinian people, [Palestinians] will kill in return and will strike Israel with an iron fist.”

Also in the clip, representatives say they agreed with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for upgraded status at the UN, but they vow not to give up “one inch of Palestine, from the sea to the river.”

The group stated specific demands and objectives, including the removal of all IDF barriers in the West Bank, the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian land, the cessation of what the group calls the “Israeli offensive” against the citizens of Hebron, the transfer of Palestinian tax revenues — which has been held up by the Israeli government since the UN vote — and the opening of crossings to Gaza.