We don’t want the Palestinian people and cause to be isolated. We don’t want a theocracy.

We know what they say, they want all of Palestine (including Israel) and say that negotiations did not work. They talk about wanting reform. That doesn’t mean they will do it.

It’s just a war that is systematic, that is daily, that is incremental, that is indeed debilitating, that is destroying the very fabric of Palestinian reality and infrastructure,

there is tremendous displeasure with the function and dysfunction of the government and the Palestinian Authority.

They don’t take orders from Arafat. They think for themselves and act for themselves.

We want it to be a mandate that will put an end to any small group or minority trying to hijack Palestinian decision-making,

Nobody wants him to resign and I don’t think he will. He understands this is a question of the national interest.

We’re here because we want to go to the Orient House. We’re here because this is our city. It’s an occupied city, I know. They have arms, they have weapons, they have police, they have...

[Yasser Arafat] is not just a husband or a father,

He was a genuine man of the people, and he was characterized by his high sense of values, his honesty, his integrity, his unwavering commitment to his people and human dimension.

In view of the crisis in the peace process and the Israeli refusal to implement agreements and the continuation of its settlement activity, the Palestinian Authority took a decision not to participate.

Sharon was a strong and charismatic leader who steered the politics toward the right and extremism.

I feel that Sharon is certainly a negative addition. He will sour the atmosphere. He will shift the whole terrain of the discourse to the extreme right.

Now we see a major shift, an unprecedented shift, in Palestinian life.

It’s not just a question of numbers. There will be more women (in parliament) who are conscious of women’s rights … There will also be women who are not committed to equality.

I think they will be able to see him because he is head of state.