Arab citizens conference in Beirut to support the Palestinian Intifada

The secretary general of the Islamic Jihad movement Ramadan Shalah on Thursday stressed that the Palestinian Intifada is continuous and he also talked about a long battle against Israel.

Shalah said in an inauguration of an Arab conference in Beirut on Thursday that will last for two days with the aim of raising support for the Palestinian Intifada before the forthcoming Arab summit in Beirut later this month that: "Our struggle will be a long battle which is in need of patient and much of support."

Shalah criticized the Arab leaders who call for normalization of relations with Israel, in a clear remark to the initiative made by the Saudi crown prince Abdullah in which he called for the recognition of the Arab states of Israel for the withdrawal of the "Hebrew state from the Arab territories in occupied in its war against the Arabs in 1967."

Shalah questioned: " Who will dare to raise the Israeli flag on the land of holy Mecca?"

He continued "our only chance is the Intifada which will lead us to victory." He added that any American attack against Iraq will be considered as an aggression against the Arab nation as a whole and will bring in more violence.

However, the conference is attended by representatives from 16 Arab states of the follow up committee emerged from the Arab National Congress, the Islamic National Congress and the Arab parties congress. The participants in the conference will conclude by the end of the conference a memorandum addressed to the Arab Kings and Presidents calling on them to give every possible support for the Palestinian people and to take "historical" resolutions in the Beirut's Arab summit to be held by the end of this month.