New PA libel: Israel plans to assassinate Abbas like it did Arafat
New PA libel: Israel plans to assassinate Abbas like it did Arafat
Fatah still adheres to use of violence,
12 years after Arafat’s death
Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Israeli is planning to “eliminate Abbas politically and physically,” as it did Yasser Arafat, according to the newest Palestinian Authority libel against Israel.
With the 12th anniversary of the death of former PA leader Yasser Arafat approaching, the PA is using the opportunity to reiterate its old libel that Israel murdered Arafat, ignoring the fact that it has been disproven by several different medical teams. To this libel documented by Palestinian Media Watch numerous times, Palestinians are now adding a new libel, warning of the impending “assassination” by Israel of current PA Chairman Abbas.Israeli leaders’ criticism of Abbas is being twisted by Palestinian leaders as a sign of Israel plotting his imminent “elimination”- “politically and physically.” In an article entitled "Will Israel repeat the scenario of the assassination of Arafat with PA President Mahmoud Abbas?" an independent Palestinian news agency quoted Fatah Movement Spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi:
“The Israeli statements regarding President Abbas are most dangerous and testify to an Israeli plot in the region and exploitation of the situation in order to eliminate Abbas politically and physically.”
[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, Oct. 26, 2016]
He added that “Fatah views with full severity the attempts to repeat what happened with the late Yasser Arafat and the use of the same means in the elimination attempts.”PLO Executive Committee member and Secretary-General of the PFLP Ahmed Majdalani also repeated the two libels, stating that Israel wants to copy “the scenario of the assassination of the late Yasser Arafat”:
“Israel is striving to repeat the scenario of the assassination of the late Yasser Arafat with President Mahmoud Abbas... the occupation government is striving to politically assassinate Abbas and to blacken his good name in preparation for his physical elimination."
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, Oct. 26, 2016]
A columnist for the official PA daily made a specific connection between the criticism levelled by Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman of Abbas recently and the alleged impending murder:"Israeli Minister of Death (sic., Minister of Defense) Avigdor Liberman gave an extensive political interview to the Al-Quds newspaper... in which he attacked [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and called to 'replace him' with a new leadership...
Anyone who will go back and review what happened to the late president, the symbol Yasser Arafat... can understand the Israeli method of dealing with the Palestinian leaders in general and with the decision makers in particular. There is no need to remind the Palestinians and the Israelis of the cruel campaign against the symbol Yasser Arafat, until he was brought for burial after being poisoned by the Israeli intelligence and the mercenary henchmen."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 29, 2016]
Similarly, Fatah Revolutionary Council member and Director-General of the PA Commission for Information and Culture Muwaffaq Matar described “three stages” of an alleged Israeli “assassination attempt” against the Palestinian “national project.” Matar “warned against the political assassination operation, after which will come the physical assassination of [PA] President and Commander-in-Chief Mahmoud Abbas as part of the preparation for the assassination of the spirit of the national project.” “[Matar] warned of the dangers of the second stage that has also already begun, with the talk about the legitimacy of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, and noted that it is liable to be a political assassination operation, after which will come a physical assassination. Likewise, he mentioned the signs preceding the assassination of the leader, president, and symbol Yasser Arafat... and noted that the one who stood behind this plot was then occupation army Minister of War (i.e., Israeli Minister of Defense) Ariel Sharon, and today [Minister of War] Avigdor Liberman stands at its head."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 28, 2016]
An example of a tribute to Arafat is the image at the top which was posted by Fatah on Facebook. It shows that Fatah today, as during the days of Arafat, continues to adhere to the option of using violence - “the armed struggle” - against Israel. The image shows Yasser Arafat with the number 12, marking 12 years since his death, with the number “1” formed by a Kalashnikov assault rifle. [Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 30, 2016]The following are longer excerpts of the statements above about Israel’s alleged plotting of the “assassination” of PA Chairman Abbas:
Headline: "Will Israel repeat the scenario of the assassination of Arafat with [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas?"
"The statements being occasionally made by Israeli government ministers about Palestinian [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, which constitute a danger to his political and personal life, are increasing...
Fatah Movement Spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi said: 'The Israeli statements regarding President Abbas are most dangerous and testify to an Israeli plot in the region and exploitation of the situation in order to eliminate Abbas politically and physically.' Al-Qawasmi added in an exclusive interview with [independent Palestinian news agency] Donia Al-Watan that Israel's repeated statements that President Abbas is an obstacle to peace are part of its efforts to get rid of him, particularly after the international efforts of the PA in the UN.
He clarified that Israel considers Abbas a strategic danger to its ideas and intentions, and emphasized that Fatah views with full severity the attempts to repeat what happened with the late Yasser Arafat and the use of the same means in the elimination attempts. ...
PLO Executive Committee member [and Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)] Ahmed Majdalani emphasized that the Palestinian leadership must take the statements of the Israeli government ministers seriously and deal with them with great care, and he noted that these statements express a trend in the Israeli government and not personal opinions.
Majdalani clarified in an exclusive statement to Donia Al-Watan that Israel is striving to repeat the scenario of the assassination of the late Yasser Arafat with President Mahmoud Abbas, and noted that the occupation government is striving to politically assassinate Abbas and to blacken his good name in preparation for his physical elimination."
[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, Oct. 26, 2016]
Excerpt of op-ed by Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul, regular columnist for the official PA daily"Israeli Minister of Death (sic., Minister of Defense) Avigdor Liberman gave an extensive political interview to the Al-Quds newspaper that is published in Jerusalem on Monday, last Oct. 24 (sic., 2016(, in which he attacked [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and called to 'replace him' with a new leadership...
Anyone who will go back and review what happened to the late president, the symbol Yasser Arafat (for who in a few days it will be 12 years since his death as a Martyr) [parentheses in source], can understand the Israeli method of dealing with the Palestinian leaders in general and with the decision makers in particular. There is no need to remind the Palestinians and the Israelis of the cruel campaign against the symbol Yasser Arafat, until he was brought for burial after being poisoned by the Israeli intelligence and the mercenary henchmen."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 29, 2016]
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman gave an interview to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds on Oct. 24, 2016, in which he promised to build a port and airport in Gaza if Hamas stops rearming and attacking Israel, and said he supports the two-state solution."Fatah Revolutionary Council member and Director-General of the [PA] Commission for Information and Culture [Muwaffaq Matar] said that the [Palestinian] national project is being subjected to an assassination attempt in three stages, and warned against the political assassination operation, after which will come the physical assassination of [PA] President and Commander-in-Chief Mahmoud Abbas as part of the preparation for the assassination of the spirit of the national project...
Matar explained yesterday, Thursday [Oct. 27, 2016], in an interview with Radio Mawtini, the dangers of this plot, and said: 'The first stage began with the attempt to thwart the holding of the Seventh General Conference of the [Fatah] Movement, and this is because of the plotters’ understanding that the conference is the main basis for reviving Fatah, in other words, for reviving the PLO and the Palestinian national project.'
He added and warned of the dangers of the second stage that has also already begun, with the talk about the legitimacy of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, and noted that it is liable to be a political assassination operation, after which will come a physical assassination. Likewise, he mentioned the signs preceding the assassination of the leader, president, and symbol Yasser Arafat (- that Israel assassinated Arafat is a common Palestinian libel and claim that has been disproven -Ed.)... and noted that the one who stood behind this plot was then occupation army Minister of War (i.e., Israeli Minister of Defense) Ariel Sharon, and today [Minister of War] Avigdor Liberman stands at its head, a minister in the occupation state’s extremist right-wing government led by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 28, 2016]