Mahmoud Abbas , the new head of the Fatah movement after Arafat’s death, and the front runner in the upcoming Palestinian election, was welcomed recently by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza. He gave further proof that he is no different than the arch terrorist he succeded by praising Arafat and all those Palestinian terrorists who have fought and died trying to wipe Israel off of the map, and promising that there will be a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. The fact that Abbas calls Arafat by his nom de guerre Abu Ammar, and continues to be called by his own nom de guerre Abu Mazen is very telling.
Abbas repeatedly praised longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died on Nov. 11. Both men were among the founders of the Fatah movement.
“Today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the revolution begun by Abu Ammar,†he said, referring to Arafat. “We will continue until a Palestinian boy and girl place a Palestinian flag over the walls and minarets of Jerusalem.â€ÂÂ
Repeating previous campaign themes, Abbas pledged to find a fair solution for the hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced after the establishment of Israel, called for the release of prisoners held by Israel, and praised Palestinians killed in the fighting. He also called for Palestinian unity.
Abbas’s aides say that this is really just for show, and that Abbas doesn’t really mean what he’s saying. Not only does Abbas’s track record not support this claim, but the last thing the peace process needs is yet another Palestinian “leader” who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
His aides have said he needs the support of the Palestinian street for a large margin of victory that would enable him to negotiate with Israel in the future. However, Abbas is also signaling that he wants to co-opt the militants, not confront them as Israel and the United States have demanded.
