PMW in Foreign Affairs Committee of US House of Representatives

Palestinian Media Watch director Itamar Marcus made a presentation in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives last week, stressing the Palestinian Authority's continued rejection of the basic principles of peace in its Arabic media. Mr. Marcus focused on the PA's continued support of violence, terror and terror glorification, as expressed by numerous Fatah leaders and the PA media in anticipation of this week's Fatah Sixth General Conference.

After the presentation, lIleana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the committee, released a statement calling on the US to make demands of the Fatah Party at its General Conference, and said that US aid to the PA should be conditional upon the PA's fulfillment of these meaningful steps towards peace:

"The U.S. should demand that Abu Mazen and Fatah reform their charter, renounce and combat violent extremism, stop using Israel-free maps, and recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
"If they do not, the U.S. should condition assistance to the PA on such meaningful steps to embrace a real and lasting peace with Israel." 

Earlier last week, PMW issued a bulletin recommending that Fatah use the General Conference as an opportunity to eliminate the four principles cited by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen that are serious obstacles to a peaceful solution.

On Aug. 4-5, 2009, the Fatah movement will convene its Sixth General Conference - the first such gathering in 20 years and the first since the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords. This official gathering offers a historic and unique opportunity for Fatah, and for Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of both Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, to officially and publicly eradicate four Fatah principles that are basic foundations of the conflict. This would demonstrate to the world and to Palestinians that the Palestinians have joined the peace process.

1- Fatah does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Fatah leaders emphasize that this ideology is current and not merely an oversight.

Mahmoud Abbas, PA Chairman:

2- Fatah continues to use maps that don't acknowledge Israel's existence.
President Barack Obama has condemned such maps as a threat to Israel's security:

Obama: "I will never compromise when it comes to Israel's security... Not when there are terrorist groups and political leaders committed to Israel's destruction. Not when there are maps across the Middle East that don't even acknowledge Israel's existence."

In photo to the right, note PA flag and word "Palestine" in English at top of map. [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Apr. 28, 2009]

Such a map also appears as an official Fatah symbol under guns and under the PLO flag. When this symbol was created it had only one meaning - that Fatah would destroy Israel through violence. This map is not merely a historical symbol. Today Fatah promotes this symbol and it appears no fewer than 11 times on the official Fatah website home page.

At the coming Fatah Conference, will Abbas sit under the official Fatah symbol, a symbol that to Palestinians implies the goal of destroying Israel?

In photo to the right: Fatah website home page

3- Fatah charter still calls for Israel's destruction.
Fatah's charter, calling for Israel's destruction, is still valid and still appears on Fatah's website:

Article 8: "The Israeli existence in Palestine is a Zionist invasion with a colonial expansive base, and it is a natural ally to colonialism and international imperialism."

Article 19: "Armed struggle is a strategy and not a tactic, and the Palestinian Arab People's armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated."

4- Fatah continues to endorse violence and terror.
On many occasions Fatah leaders have echoed the Hamas policy of justifying a ceasefire as a temporary or tactical measure:

- If Abbas's Fatah refuses to recognize Israel,
then a peace process has not yet begun.
- If Abbas sits under a map of Israel as "Palestine,"
then a peace process has not yet begun.
- If Abbas's Fatah charter calls for Israel's destruction,
then a peace process has not yet begun.
- If Abbas's Fatah continues endorsing armed conflict,
then a peace process has not yet begun.