exposed mahmoud abbas

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The Center for Near East Policy Research left click to activate EXPOSING MAHMOUD ABBAS: Moderation is not his goal

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Center for Near East Policy Research © 2005

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In November 2004, Yasser Arafat died. A terrorist himself, he had been an obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

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Mahmoud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen, came forward immediately as chair of the PLO. In January 2005, he was elected Palestinian Authority president.

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All over the western world, people breathed a sigh of relief… He’s a breath of fresh air, they exclaimed… A moderate who brings new hope…

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But wait! Are we sure he is what he seems to be? Appearances can be deceiving.

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He wears a good suit.. He smiles nicely… He says what he realizes we want to hear… IS THIS ENOUGH?

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Let’s look at critical factors: His history His words His actions

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His history: Abbas was Arafat’s protégé

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Not just his protégé in recent years. They go all the way back together. They founded FATAH together in the mid-50s. FATAH: a group with terrorist associations pledged even today to Israel’s destruction.

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Abbas was Arafat’s deputy. He was privy to all of the plans and schemes of Arafat and the PLO. When the PLO was advised by other revolutionaries to disguise its intentions and pretend to be moderate, Abbas was there.

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Abbas was Arafat’s deputy. He was privy to the plans and schemes of Arafat and the PLO. When the PLO decided to adopt the “Strategy of Stages” Abbas was there. The plan, adopted at a 1974 conference, calls for dismembering Israel in stages, with negotiations used to gain a foothold that would later be used for attacks.

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When Arafat made Oslo agreements he had no intention of keeping, Abbas was there. We saw Arafat in photos. But Abbas actually signed the document on the White House lawn!

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Israeli Oslo architect Yossi Beilin has voiced the opinion that Abbas’s positions were more extreme than Arafat’s since he “was among Arafat’s ’s restrictors during the Camp David Summit.” He kept Arafat from compromising. Beilin cited by Dan Scheuftan in Yediot Achronot, March 11, 2002.

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When Arafat gave a speech in Johannesburg in May 1994 after the Gaza-Jericho provisions of Oslo were signed, and referred to the Hudaibaya Pact, Abbas understood. This pact, forged by Muhammad, set the precedent in Islamic law for breaking agreements with non-Muslims.

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When Arafat, in April 1996, pretended to change the provisions in the PLO charter that called for Israel’s destruction but never actually did so, Abbas was there. He knows that to this day the PLO charter continues to call for Israel’s destruction.

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When Arafat decided to keep the terrorist option alive, Abbas was there. He knew that a formal pact was struck between the PA and Hamas in 1996 that called on the PA to cease all preventative security against Hamas and give Hamas a role in the PA government.

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Abbas was Arafat’s disciple, absorbing lessons of the PLO. He learned that: Israel’s destruction is to be maintained as the long-term goal. Deception is helpful in achieving that goal – especially a pretense of moderation. The goal will be achieved in stages, with some negotiation probably necessary to acquire additional land and move to the next stage. Terrorism should be retained as an option; good relations should be maintained with Hamas.

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In September 1972, Abbas arranged for the funding of the terrorist slaughter of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Munich.

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Abbas also made the arrangements for the Ma’alot Massacre of May 15, 1973. Palestinian terrorists entered a school in the town of Ma’alot in northern Israel, killed some children and took 100 hostage. When attempts to rescue the children were undertaken, they deliberately killed others. Some 24 children were killed in all.

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Mahmoud Abbas is a holocaust denier. His 1982 doctoral thesis -- submitted to Oriental College, Moscow, in Russian -- later became a book: The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and the Zionist Movement. In Arabic, Abbas added new material denying historical data on the holocaust and delegitimizing Zionism. Yigal Carmon, MEMRI More recently he said on Palestinian TV that the Nazis had no plans to murder Jews.

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His words: When considering Abbas’s statements, it is critical to look at what he says in Arabic for his people, and not just what he delivers for western consumption.

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In recent years he has said: “I challenge the assertion [that there has ever been a Jewish temple]…But even if it were true, we do not accept it…” (2000) MEMRI citing Kul Al-Arab, August 8, 2000

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In recent years he has said: “Our position on Jerusalem remains simple:…Jerusalem is part of the lands occupied in 1967…Jerusalem must return to our sovereignty, and we will establish our capital in it.” (2000) MEMRI Special Dispatch 157, citing Al-Hayat [Note: Jerusalem cannot “return” to Palestinian sovereignty as they never had it.]

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In recent years he has said: “Following September 11…the entire world declared itself to be against terror, and at the same time [Arafat] said that we too were against terror...and we want to gain from this position. So we cover for the entire opposition at home, and protect it…” (2001) MEMRI Special Report 15, citing Fatehorg.org of July 2002

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In recent years he has said: “…We must be statesmen in order to obtain achievements diplomatically what we cannot obtain militarily…" (2002) MEMRI Special Report 15, citing Fatehorg.org of July 2002

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In recent years he has said: “…it is the right of the Palestinian people to… use all possible means to defend its presence.” (2003) Alsharq Al-Awsat, March 3, 2003 cited in www.muslimworldtoday.com

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In recent years he has said: “Israel calls them murderers, we call them strugglers.” (2004) The Jerusalem Post, December 25, 2004

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In 2005 he has said: “It is our duty to implement the principles of Yasser Arafat.” Ha’aretz, January 3, 2005

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In 2005 he has said: “We won't forget the right of return of refugees who have been exiled from their land for more than half a century.” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, citing Abbas on January 1 2005

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In 2005 he has said: “I will not embark on an operation that will lead to a civil war.” In response to suggestions that he dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. Widlanski, cited in Israel Resource Review, April 1, 2005.

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His actions: We must first consider what Mahmoud Abbas has NOT done since assuming his position. His failures involve the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and cessation of incitement. Both are called for in the Oslo Accords and in the Roadmap.

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Incitement continues Ideas about jihad, martyrdom, and the illegitimacy of Israel abound within Palestinian culture. Still. In the newspapers, on the radio, in the textbooks, and from the pulpits.

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Palestinian clergy in the hire of the P.A. frequently include incitement in their sermons shown on P.A. television.

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On February 4, Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris (a PA employed preacher) delivered an impassioned sermon on Palestinian State Television: “We tell you Palestine, we shall return to you, by Allah’s will, we shall return to every village, every town, and every grain of earth which was quenched by the blood of our grandparents and the sweat of our fathers and mothers.

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“…We might be able to use diplomacy in order to return to the 1967 borders, but we shall not be able to use diplomacy in order to return to the [whole land before Israel's existence].  …but it does not mean that we have given up on Jerusalem and Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Natanyah and Tel Aviv. Never. We shall return to every village we had been expelled from…our grandfathers’ blood demands that we return…

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“Your father’s blood was shed there…at hundreds of villages and towns. [The blood] demands it from us, and it shall curse anyone who will concede a grain of earth of those villages. Our approval to return to the 1967 borders is not a concession for our other rights. No!... generations will come, and the land of Palestine... will demand that the Palestinians will return the way Muhammad returned there, as a conqueror.” translation: Palestinian Media Watch

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These words are not so different from what has been said dozens of times in P.A. sermons. What makes this sermon unique?

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This sermon came less than a week after Mahmoud Abbas had promised that the P.A. would end broadcast incitement to violence and hatred! This is a signal lesson on Abbas’s failure to do what he promises to do. What is more, Sheikh Muderis is known to have close ties to bin-Laden’s al-Qaeda movement.

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There are multiple other instances of continuing incitement in the P.A. media.

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After the February 25 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, none of the Palestinian broadcast media or major newspapers…referred to the…Tel Aviv attack as “terror.” Instead they all referred to it as…“explosive operation” — or even “amaliyyat istish-haadiyya” —“heroic martyrdom operation.” All three newspapers are tightly monitored by Abbas and his top aides. Widlanski cited in FrontPageMag.com, March 4, 2005 A notable example:

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There has been no order to revamp the textbooks, which are filled with incitement and anti-Semitism.

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Israel’s image is wholly negative Jihad and martyrdom are exalted. Historical Jerusalem is presented as Arab from time immemorial. Return to their homes inside Israel is presented as the only solution for the refugee problem. No map includes Israel. No Jewish holy place is recognized. In current textbooks: Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace www.edume.org

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There is a new 10th grade history book called History of Modern and Contemporary World, now in use in the P.A. schools. It refers to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a classic anti-Semitic text, as if it tells historical truth. In reality The Protocols is a forgery that purports to represent the Jews as plotting to take over the world. Students are encouraged to read it.

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Mahmoud Abbas has made no move to have the book pulled from the schools. When criticism of the use of the book was made public in Israel, an official P.A. website referred to this as a “new aggressive campaign against the Palestinian National Authority.”

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There has been no effort to dismantle terrorist infrastructure The terrorist organizations still stand. The weapons factories and stockpiles still stand. No terrorists have been arrested. No orders have been given to shoot at terrorists. No weapons have been confiscated.

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There has been no effort to develop strong independent media, which are the backbone of a democracy. By April Palestinian journalists were loudly protesting P.A. interference and pressure.

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So what has Mahmoud Abbas done since he assumed leadership posts in the PLO and the PA?

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Immediately after he assumed the chair of the PLO, he began dialogue with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. His theme – emphasized during his campaign for the PA presidency – was unity and cooperation.

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From the time he assumed the presidency, he began pushing for the release of all of the thousands of terrorists who are in Israeli prisons.

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In early February he participated in a Summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. At that time he announced a “ceasefire.” However, he had not first secured the agreement of terrorist groups, and in fact went to meet with them in Gaza four days after the Summit to try to convince them to cooperate. What they agreed to was tentative.

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In reality, while there have been some periods of relative quiet, there has been no “ceasefire.” Two months after the “ceasefire” was announced, terrorists in Gaza hit Israeli targets with 80 mortars and several Kassam rockets. Mahmoud Abbas confessed that he was not equipped to stop them.

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“Collaborators” are Palestinians who cooperated with Israeli authorities seeking arch-terrorists, who were then most likely killed. In other words, they helped catch murderers that the P.A. was supposed to be pursuing. In mid-February he ratified the executions of three “collaborators.”

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He also tipped his hand in another way: Even though the courts had signed off on this, he secured the permission of an Islamic authority before proceeding. This means he is headed towards a state ruled by Islamic law. He abrogated their human rights by doing this. And thereby put the lie to notions that he is a moderate developing a democracy.

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In mid-March he met in Cairo with 13 terrorist organizations. At that meeting he invited key terrorist groups, whose headquarters are located in Damascus, to relocate to Gaza after the IDF pulls out in accordance with the plans of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. If this is actualized, he will have assured the presence of a terrorist state at Israel’s western border.

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At the same time, in Cairo he forged a “tahdiyah”-- a temporary “quiet” that allows time for terrorists to regroup for the next attack. This is NOT a truce, and NOT a renunciation of terror. The P.A. is totally at the mercy of the terrorist groups to maintain this quiet, as they reserved the right to begin terror attacks again if they are displeased with Israeli concessions.

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By late March, he met with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and offered them the opportunity to officially join the PLO. They have agreed. These terrorists groups have NOT renounced their goals or their terrorist methods. The Hamas covenant still states that "the land of Palestine in its entirety is holy wakf [Islamic trust] land and no one has the right to divide it."

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Of enormous significance is the joint statement by the PLO and Hamas declaring that they are bound to the PLO’s “Strategy of Stages.” With this, the destruction of Israel is the openly declared goal!

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At the end of March, Hamas declared itself ready to participate in PA Legislative elections.

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This decision was a result of all that Abbas had done to lay the groundwork: speaking of inclusion and working towards unity. There still was no renunciation of goals or of terrorism as a result of this decision.

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In early April he gave the order for the recruitment of gunmen wanted by Israel into the security forces. This was specifically in order to protect them from Israel. Once they began to receive salaries, they also had immunity.

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The first gunmen he was concerned with were from al Aksa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah, the very same group that had caused unrest in Ramallah just days earlier. Instead of taking them on, Abbas offered them secure positions. As long as they are in the security forces they will be allowed to carry guns.

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Within short order, setting a new precedent, he began to recruit members of Hamas into the PA security forces.

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Mahmoud Abbas has done something else of genuine note since becoming president of the Palestinian Authority.

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Through dint of his personality and his words alone, he has convinced the western world that he is a moderate. Without stopping incitement. Without dismantling terror. Making partners of terrorist groups. Parading “temporary quiet” as “ceasefire.” Assuming no responsibility for violence and putting the onus on Israel.

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He has learned the lessons of his mentor well. He is a clever man who knows how to go after what he is seeking. He now calls for “final status negotiations” that would lead to a state, without having fulfilled Roadmap obligations.

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He understands that overt terror has not served the purposes of his people. Thus he acts as if he is renouncing it, while keeping open the option to use it later.

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A two-state solution, arrived at in peace, and with compromise, is not what he’s after. He wants Jerusalem, and the “return” of the refugees. Ultimately he wants to destroy the viability and the legitimacy of Israel.

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The practices and intentions of Mahmoud Abbas then raise some important questions: ?

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Is the establishment of a Palestinian state, with Mahmoud Abbas at its helm, something that is truly in the best interest of the region?

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Could such a state be trusted to accept final borders and live at peace with a viable Israel? Or would it foment terrorism?

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Would such a state be a democracy that promoted human rights? Or would it be an authoritarian state ruled by Islamic law?

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Is it the place of the western world to pressure Israel to make concessions to help make such a state a possibility?

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Should U.S. tax dollars be provided to assist in the establishment of such a state?

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“…Jerusalem must return to our sovereignty…” “…we cover for the entire opposition…and protect it…” “…it is necessary to use wits…” “…We must be statesmen in order to obtain achievements diplomatically that we cannot obtain militarily…” “…it is the right of the Palestinian people to… use all possible means to defend its presence…” “…Israel calls them murderers, we call them strugglers…” “…It is our duty to implement the principles of Yasser Arafat…” “…We won't forget the right of return…”

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“…It is our duty to implement the principles of Yasser Arafat…”

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Credits: Yigal Carmon, founder and president of MEMRI and the MEMRI website – memri.org – for background information on Mahmoud Abbas and quotes. Dr. Michael Widlanski, specialist in Palestinian media, for background information on Mahmoud Abbas and quotes. His material is found at wwwIsraelBehindtheNews.com. Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace, www.edume.org, for information on school books. Palestinian Media Watch, www.pmw.org.il for sermon translation.

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