Abbas' real condemnation vs. his bogus condemnation
Abbas' real condemnation
vs. his bogus condemnation
vs. his bogus condemnation
by Itamar Marcus
In a period of a month, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has twice condemned terror. He first condemned the murder by Palestinians of four worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue. This week, he condemned the terror attack in Australia, in which an armed radical Islamist held nine Australian citizens hostage and eventually murdered two of them.
Significantly, Fatah's official Facebook "Main Page" and statements by two Fatah leaders informed Palestinians that the condemnation of the murder of the four Israelis was for diplomatic reasons, as reported by Palestinian Media Watch. However, no one has said that Abbas' condemnation of the terror in Australia was insincere.
A comparison of the language used by Abbas in his two condemnations makes it clear that he knows how to condemn seriously if he wants to and why his "condemnation" of the murder of Jews was seen as insincere.
Abbas condemns murder of 4 Jews | Abbas condemns terror attack in Australia |
| "The President's [Abbas'] Office has always condemned the murder of citizens on any side, and today, it condemns the murder of the worshippers in the synagogue in West Jerusalem. In addition, it condemns all acts of violence regardless of their source, and demands an end to the invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the provocations of the settlers, and the incitement on the part of several Israeli ministers. In addition, the President's Office emphasizes that the time has come to end the occupation and eliminate the causes of the tension and violence. We emphasize our commitment to a just solution based on the two-state solution, in keeping with the resolutions of the international institutions, and to preserving the atmosphere of calm and the understandings reached with [Jordanian] King Abdallah II and with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Amman [in November 2014]." [WAFA (the official Palestinian news agency), Nov. 18, 2014] | "President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the holding [hostage] of dozens of Australian citizens by an armed terrorist group in the [Australian] capital Sidney. In a telegram he sent to the Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, [Abbas] said: 'It is with great anxiety that we learned of the loathsome terror attack in Sidney in which dozens of innocent civilians from among your nation, our friend, are being held [hostage]. In the name of the State of Palestine and its people and in my name personally, we condemn such loathsome and criminal acts, and [hereby] express our absolute rejection of them. [Such acts] are contrary to all human values, conventions and morals, as well as to monotheistic religions. We emphasize to your country, government and nation that we stand beside you in these difficult circumstances, which we hope will be resolved through the liberation of the hostages and their return to their families in full health." From WAFA, official PA news agency [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 16, 2014] |