He also referred to the Gaza campaign as a jihad. From “Abbas: PA to control evacuated areas,” in the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a group of Palestinian youths in Gaza City on Saturday that the small jihad (holy war) has ended and that the big jihad has begun to rebuild the economy and restore security and public order.
“We want our people in a century’s time to live a normal life like any other people in the world,” Abbas said. “Therefore the next battle will be the real battle.”
Abbas announced that he had signed a decree that would give the PA control over all lands and assets that are evacuated by Israel in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank….
On Friday, Abbas made his first visit to the international airport in the southern Gaza Strip, where he declared that the disengagement was the fruit of the sacrifices of Palestinian “martyrs.”
“We must remember that our achievements are the result of the sacrifices of the martyrs,” he told thousands of supporters who gathered to greet him. “The martyrs have paved the road for us.
“The sacrifices of the martyrs, the wounded and the detainees, made the occupation leave Gaza and evacuate the settlements. “This step will be followed by further withdrawals from the West Bank and Jerusalem.”