Jibril Rajoub calls for Iran to deal with 'all the Palestinian groups'
In an exclusive interview in Tehran, Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub discusses his effort to rebuild Fatah’s ties with Iran.
TEHRAN — Jibril Rajoub, Fatah's central committee deputy secretary, was in Tehran on Jan. 28. The visit surprised many, given the history of strained relations between Fatah and Iran, despite the fact they enjoyed excellent ties before, and in the first few months after, the Islamic Revolution.
Rajoub is known to be a strong defender of the peace process with Israel — a path that Iran and its affiliated groups in Palestine oppose and describe as hopeless.
I met Rajoub during his visit to Tehran and asked him about his new ties with the Iranian government, and whether this means change in Fatah's regional strategy. The tough former chief of the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security Force and current head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee was intimidated when I asked him if Fatah had decided to return to resistance. "Fatah is the resistance," he said, indicating that 2014 is a crucial year. "Either we get our state or Israel will have to pay the price."
Al-Monitor: Today, you are in Tehran. What is behind this visit?
