Fatah's Central Committee stressed the necessity for an escalation of non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, officials said following a meeting on Tuesday.

United Palestinians should continue to protest the crimes committed against them by Israel, the Central Committee said, and recruit the help of international solidarity activists, officials said, noting their willingness to put forward a concerted effort toward Palestinian unity.

Fatah commissioner for international relations Nabil Sha’ath spoke to reporters following the Central Committee meeting, telling them that the best answer to the Israeli occupation was non-violent resistance. As such, he added, efforts to resist the occupation will be supported by Fatah.

During the news conference Sha'ath was flanked by fellow Fatah Central Committee members Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, Hussein Ash-Sheikh, and Mahmoud Al-Aloul.

Sha’ath promised that Fatah would play a major role in leading popular non-violent resistance efforts, noting past support in Bil'in, Ni'lin, AL-Ma'asara, Bethlehem and Ramallah, adding that "We will be seen in all sites where popular resistance is organized. This is part of the movement’s program ratified during the sixth congress held in Bethlehem,” he added.

With the insistence of demonstrators, Sha'ath said, "Occupied Jerusalem has become the center of a political battle where the whole world is leaning against Israel," citing the decisions taken during the Arab League’s summit in Libya to support the Palestinian capital, but calling them insufficient to protect the city.

Words must be translated into practical actions so the aggressive tactics of Israel can be stopped, he added.