In Israel and the Occupied Territories, the dominant West Bank Palestinian faction Fatah is holding its first conference in twenty years. On Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians retain the right to resist Israeli occupation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “I would like to point out that we, as the Palestinian people, when we adopted the choice for peace, we reiterated our genuine right to legitimate resistance, which guaranteed our rights internationally. Our holding onto peace does not signify our incompetence to face up to the consistent (Israeli) attacks, which are violations of the peace process.”

Fatah is embroiled in a bitter internal struggle with the Gaza-based Hamas, with both sides challenging the other’s legitimacy. In his speech, Abbas called for unity with Hamas but also described its leaders as “coup makers.”