WND quotes PMW research on duplicity in the Palestinian Authority leadership

WASHINGTON – As the Obama administration moves to work with and fund the new Palestinian unity government formed with the Fatah and Hamas factions, two members of Congress are pointing to an admission that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is lying to “trick the Americans.”

Not that they were surprised.

“The only thing new about Abbas’ lying when he speaks to the media or to American leaders about Israel is that (a) spokesman has actually admitted that he bragged about lying,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, in an interview with WND.

“One has to be either completely oblivious to Fatah’s actions or in the Obama administration to trust Abbas at all when it comes to his position on Israel,” the congressman said.

Palestinian Media Watch translated a Facebook posting by former Hamas government spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein saying that in private meetings with Hamas, Abbas admitted he was lying in his public statements.

“When I go out (publicly) and say that the (PA) government is my government, and it recognizes ‘Israel’ and so on, fine – these words are meant to trick the Americans,” Abbas was quoted as saying.

Hamas remains designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist group.

Ghussein, who was a Hamas government spokesman until the advent of the new unity government with Fatah, put up a post about Abbas’ “duplicity,” PMW said.

PMW reported the posting said: “You know what Mahmoud Abbas says behind closed doors?? He says: ‘Guys, let me [continue] saying what I say to the media. Those words are meant for the Americans and the occupation (i.e., Israel), not for you (Hamas).’”

Abbas, according to Ghussein, said what’s important “is what we agree … among ourselves.”

“In other words, when I go out (publicly) and say that the government is my government and it recognizes ‘Israel’ and so on, fine – these words are meant to trick the Americans,” Abbas said, according to Ghussein. “But we agree that the government has nothing to do with politics (i.e., foreign relations). The same thing happened in 2006. Don’t harp on everything I tell the media, forget about the statements in the media.” ...

Some U.S. lawmakers have called for a suspension of the approximately $500 million in annual aid to the Palestinian Authority while assessing the new unity government.