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The first thing that comes to mind when hearing the name Mahmoud Abbas is peace activist. The man who ordered the terrorist organizations within
Israel to disarm. The man who called for the state run media outlets to stop spreading anti-Israel propaganda, and the man who is favored in the upcoming Palestinian elections.
But who is Mahmoud Abbas? Where did he come from, and how did he gain so much popularity within the Palestinian community?
Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) was born in Safed in 1935. He moved to Syria in 1948 and became a Teacher. He also graduated from the university of Damascas and then
moved to Egypt to studie law. He also studied in Moscow where in 1982 he earned a degree in Hystory. Now for the troubling part. He wrote a book in 1983 called
"The other side: The secret relationship between Nazism and Zionism". In his book he quotes many Holocaust deniers in his attempt to convince readers that the Zionists collaborated with
the Nazis to achieve a secret goal of relocating all Jewish people to Israel. He also calls into question whether gas chambers were actually used to exterminate European Jews held in
the Auschwitz-Berkenau concentration camps. On top of Holocaust revisionism, Abbas has been charged with funding and supporting terrorism. Abu Daoud, the mastermind behind the Black September
massacre of Israeli athletes in 1972, has claimed that Abbas funded the entire operation. And let us not forget that it was Abbas who refused to disarm terrorist groups such as
the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as part the "Roadmap to Peace" and was, in no small part, responsible for damaging the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Why should we suddenly
believe that Abbas is partner for peace? Just the fact that he has the support of Fatah and is, in fact, a leading Fatah member is troubling enough. I would urge the Israeli government to use
extreme caution in dealing with a man who has, apparently, played both sides. Even his own words, Abbas backtracks on his call to disarm the terrorist groups. In an interview with the London-based
al-Sharq al-Awsat, published on March 3, 2003, Abu Mazen clarified previous statements that have been misinterpreted by many as calling for a demilitarization of the Arab conflict with Israel. He explained:
"On the basis of the talks held in Cairo [between the PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.] we agreed upon the freezing of Palestinian military operations [a euphemism for terrorism] for one year.... We did not say,
however, that we are giving up the armed struggle... The Intifada must continue."
In his own words, "The Intifada must continue". It is obvious that his term as PM (if elected) will not be greatly different than that of Yasser Arafat's previous terms. One year from now, the Violence will start up yet again...assuming of course that Hamas agrees to the terms and, as of now, they have not yet full-heartedly agreed to them. Hamas now has their own candidate gaining popularity before the upcoming elections. For now, the view for the future appears to be either Bad (Mahmoud Abbas), or worse (Hamas' candidate). The sad fact is that the Fatah movement must be dismantled in order for there to be any peace achieved at all. It is Fatah who gives orders to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Tanzim. They receive their funding from Fatah. records have been found showing wages received by those groups from Fatah. Fatah is Arafat's legacy. He may be dead but his evil plan lives on in the form of a "Political" group. Until Fatah is dismantled, there will never be peace. Mahmoud Abbas has a disturbing past and that could prove costly to ignore. I hope, for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike, that Abbas is truly seeking peace without a hidden agenda.
bravenet.com
