We were taken by PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s television address to a large Gaza audience, which included both members of his own Fatah group and also the rival Hamas. Long hailed by world leaders as the only Palestinian “peace partner” on the horizon, Mr. Abbas actually revealed himself for what he really is.
Though the Oslo Accords commit the PA to eliminate the Hamas infrastructure so as to remove its terrorist threat to Israel’s security, Mr. Abbas turned his Gaza speech into an opportunity for lionizing various individuals who stand out in history for their unwavering hostility to Jews and Israel. Among those he mentioned were Abdel Aziz Rantisi and Sheik Ahmed Yassin, two terrorist leaders assassinated by Israel, and Marwan Barghouti, currently serving several life terms in an Israeli prison for his role in the murder of several Israelis.
Mr. Abbas also spoke to the current political rift between Fatah and Hamas: “Soon we will regain our unity.” It is clear from the speech that he envisions a move to accommodate Hamas’s opposition to a Jewish state in any form and its commitment to violence.
And Mr. Abbas reminded everyone what he really thinks about Jews. It is sometimes forgotten, but his doctoral dissertation was a purported demonstration that the Holocaust was a myth. And in his Gaza speech he paid glowing tribute to the notorious mufti of Jerusalem during World War II who was a notorious ally of Hitler’s and an enthusiastic supporter of the Final Solution. Indeed, the mufti urged Hitler to expand his murderous plans to include sustained direct action against the Jews of the Middle East.
It also bears mentioning, as we have in on prior occasions, that under Mr. Abbas’s leadership, the Palestinian Authority, regularly and with great fanfare, glorifies terrorist murderers of Jews, to the point of naming streets and structures after them.
So let’s end the charade. There may – though at this point it seems doubtful – be actual peace partners for Israel among the Palestinians. But Mahmoud Abbas is not one of them.