Nablus who lost both of his legs in a bomb attack by Israci terrorists in 1980; Ahmed Qatamesh, released from an Israeli prison last year after more than five years intemment without frial and Marxist Arafat's response was to order the arrest of nine of the signatohouse arrest The nine PLC members were threatened with the oss of their parlamentary immunity, and two of them - including 68-year-oid former agricuiture minister Abdel Jawad Salah - were severely Palestine security forces.
The arrests drew widespread atenton to the oneonei statement, and to its complaints against the practices of the PA.
Several nunoreo Palesunans. Including many who have not previously putticty criticised Arafat's regime, signed a statement call ng for the immediate retease of the detaintes ari concluding: "the agreements so far signed with Israel have utterty failed to secure Palestinian rights or to stop the continued assault on the Palestinian people from without.
*Palestinian national aspirations cannot be achieved in the absence of a fully democratic and open political system and no Comens Sened with Israel will be legtimate uniess they represent a genuine, broad-based national consen'Hence, new free and fair clections are an urgent requirement."
All of the prisoners have now been released on bail. But the threat of prosecution, and of As Adel Samara concludes in a letter to socialist vulcok, ult Palestinian democraticopposition The task of building a genuine Palestinian left, which is the only way to lead to the liberation of Palestine from israell military, political and economic occupation, is more urgent than ever.