Free Republic

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) threatened Sunday, in an English language interview program, to renew terrorism if the PLO’s demands are not met. Abu Mazen’s interview on ABC’s This Week program focused on his call for the Hamas terror group to renounce violence, going so far as to say the era of suicide bombings is “over”. The PLO chairman’s language, however, highlighted the fact that he sees such a move as desirable on a tactical level at the present time and not reflective of a rejection of terrorism as a negotiating tool. "The climate right now is ready...

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview aired on Sunday that the era of suicide bombings may be over. "We have started to deal with the culture of violence," he said. "We stopped the culture of violence and the Palestinian people have started looking at it as something that should be condemned and it should stop." Asked on ABC whether the suicide bombing era had ended, he said: "I believe it is over." But he warned that if progress toward a peace agreement was not achieved in meetings with Sharon next month, "despair and loss of hope will...

Hamas Political Head: Calming Down is Just a Trick Within the Resistance Plan; Hamas Does Not Object to the '67 Borders as an Interim Solution A convention held by the Egyptian newspaper "Al-Ahram," which was attended by writers and experts on Palestinian affairs following the Palestinian Cairo agreement on calming down the situation [ Tahdiah ], also hosted the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Mash'al. Speaking at the convention, Mash'al stated that the Tahdiah was a trick and that the resistance will continue as long as the occupation exists. Mash'al also expressed concern about the PA and Fatah...