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Preparatory meetings for the 42nd anniversary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have continued to take place throughout Gaza, bringing together communities and sectors of the Palestinian public together to plan the anniversary in a spirit of unity, resistance and confrontation of occupation.

On December 2, 2009, the PFLP held a public meeting in Abed Rabbo, east of Jabalya, in the yard of one of the homes destroyed by the occupation assault in December 2008-January 2009. The mayor of Abed Rabbo, Abu Ayman, and a group of community leaders met with Comrade Ibrahim Sultan and others.

The meeting began with a moment of silence for the martyrs and a tribute to the prisoners, with Comrade Leader Ahmad Sa'adat, the General Secretary of the PFLP, at the forefront. Eyad Abed Rabbo spoke, recalling Abdel Muti Abed Rabbo, one of the owners of a home destroyed in the recent assault on Gaza, saluting his steadfastness in staying on his property and cultivating his land despite being made homeless by the occupation, remaining steadfast in pursuing our national goals and upholding our resistance.

Comrade Ibrahim Sultan, in turn, praised the steadfastness of Abed Rabbo in the face of the assault of the Zionist military machine and the savage destruction it wreaked upon Gaza.

In Jabalya, a meeting took place on December 1 in preparation for the 42nd anniversary, where PFLP comrades and town residents discussed the current situation and planned for the anniversary events.

Comrade Hussein al-Jamal, member of the Central Committee of the PFLP, called for the broadest awareness of the siege on our people in Gaza, stressing upon the need to break international and Arab silence about the crimes against our people.

Comrade Ramzi Abu Assaf spoke also, stressing the need to uphold the armed struggle as the strategic option for the liberation of Palestine, calling all to follow in the path of the martyrs of the Palestinian revolution, led by Dr. George Habash and the martyr Comrade Abu Ali Mustafa.

This meeting followed upon an earlier event in Jabalya on November 26, 2009 as part of the build-up and preparation for the 42nd anniversary, at which Comrade Ibrahim Sultan reviewed the history of the Front, paying tribute to its martyrs - Dr. George Habash, Comrade Abu Ali Mustafa, Comrade Wadie Haddad and Comrade Ghassan Kanafani - and leaders, including imprisoned General Secretary Comrade Ahmad Sa'adat.

Comrade Sultan stressed that this anniversary comes at a time of danger to the Palestinian national project, emphasizing the need for national unity and calling upon the masses of our people to participate and raise the voice of unity and resistance.

The Association of the Martyr Muhammad Abu Nasr held another meeting in Jabalya Camp as part of this series of preparatory events on December 1, 2009, attended by many youth and camp residents. Comrade Salah Abdel Ati of the Gaza Branch Central Committee spoke at the event, laying out the political perspective of the PFLP and emphasizing the need for youth participation in the national struggle.

The Front in the camp also organized with the National Democratic Assembly a series of visits to the families of martyrs and prisoners in the camp, greeting them with solidarity from the Front.

The Youth Activities Committee of the PFLP in Gaza City held an expanded meeting on November 25, 2009, welcoming representatives of the Progressive Student Action Front from universities and secondary schools across the Gaza Strip as well as student activists and elected leaders of the PSAF, as well as Comrade Dr. Rabah Muhanna, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP and leader of its Gaza Branch, Comrade Nasser Kafarneh, member of the Political Bureau, and Comrade Salah Abdel Ati, member of the Gaza branch Central Committee.

Comrade Muhanna spoke about the need for active youth and student mobilization and participation in the 42nd anniversary of the PFLP, stressing the role of youth as a cornerstone of the Palestinian national movement and providing a review of the current Palestinian political situation.

Comrade Kafarneh discussed the upcoming event in central Gaza, calling upon all to fully engage and participate and build a rally truly worthy of the history and sacrifices of the Front. He also conveyed the greetings and congratulations of all comrades abroad to all comrades in Gaza on this anniversary.