RAMALLAH, West Bank, April 15 (UPI) -- Palestinian leaders Thursday denounced President George W. Bush's declaration denying Palestinian refugees rights to return to their homes in Israel.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat insisted on the right of return to millions of Palestinian refugees and vowed to "defend our land, our Muslim and Christian holy shrines, our Jerusalem and our right to freedom, independence and self-determination."
He made his comments during a televised address, in which he insisted that "security, peace and stability will not be achieved except after retrieving our occupied territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
The Palestine Legislative Council said in a statement that the assurances Bush gave to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington on Wednesday constituted a "liquidation of the Palestinian issue, and especially the issue of refugees."
The legislative body said Bush's declaration was a "violation of U.N. resolutions and international law and undermines" the Middle East peace process.
The council insisted that the Palestinian people rejected the assurances, insisting the Palestinians would "continue the just struggle to obtain their national legitimate rights that are not up for disposal."
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, condemned Bush and urged the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries to declare an end to the peace process.
In a statement, Hamas called for escalating "the popular struggle" against the Jewish state.
