Powell: Next Palestinian leader must fight terror

Jerusalem Post ^ | Sep. 7, 2003 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[yonif]

The next Palestinian prime minister needs clear control over security forces to crack down on terrorist groups or progress on the plan for Mideast peace will stall, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.

"That person has to have political authority and the determination to go after terrorism," Powell said, and allow for movement on the U.S.-developed peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, known as the "road map."

"If that person does not make a solid commitment to follow the road map, go after terrorism and stop these terrorist attacks, then it's not clear that we'll be able to move forward," Powell said on ABC's "This Week."

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation on Saturday, losing a power struggle with longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and setting back U.S. efforts to broker peace in the region. The road map envisions the creation of Palestinian state by 2005.

In a statement issued Saturday listing reasons for his resignation, Abbas blamed Israel's unwillingness to implement its obligations in the road map, and said the United States "did not exert sufficient influence on Israel."

U.S. officials say the Bush administration is not wavering in is decision to avoid dealing with Arafat. Arafat's insistence that he retain authority over some security forces prevented Abbas from controlling militant members of groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Powell said.

"We did everything we could to support" Abbas, Powell said. "The major challenge we had, and he had, was that Hamas, a terrorist organization, would not stop its terrorist activities. And the Palestinian Legislative Council and Mr. Arafat and other authorities within the Palestinian community did not give Mr. Abbas the resources he needed in order to go after Hamas. We have to change that or else we will not find progress ahead of us."

Powell said it is important for the Palestinian Legislative Council to give the next prime minister the political authority as well as the resources to combat terrorism.

Powell also said he is pleased with the European Union's decision over the weekend to declare all wings of Hamas a terrorist organization and freeze its assets. The EU previously had blacklisted only the group's military arm.

"They made a political decision over the weekend to consider all of Hamas a terrorist organization," Powell said.

[yonif]

I have said this months before. That once they find that Mazen leaves the picture, they will go to the next new terrorist face in line after Arafat and Abu Mazen the terrorists, give him millions of money, and here we go again. How many lives will be lost this time? Can't the US understand that it cannot deal with anyone in the Palestinian Authority terrorist regime?

[Mr. Mojo]

"If that person does not make a solid commitment to follow the road map, go after terrorism and stop these terrorist attacks, then it's not clear that we'll be able to move forward,"

That all depends on how he defines "forward." As far as I'm concerned, a real step forward would be to trash this dangerous, Oslo-esqe "roadmap," fight an all-out war against all the region's terrorist orgs, and then start deporting the Palis en masse back to their homeland in Jordan.

[Bobby777]

Powell: blah blah blah, yak yak yak, yada yada yada ...

nothing Powell says can be of any significance ... if he actually believes a Pali leader is going to "fight terror" then he's seriously delusional ... might as well have "Baghdad Bob" working for the State Department ...

[Diogenesis]

Wanted by the US State Dept (puppets of Saudi Arabia):
New Terrorist for Adoption by highly-placed true-Haters of America.
Those who have not murdered children need not apply.

[joesnuffy]

Now that Mazon has collected his 4 million retirement fund (courtesy US taxpayers) its on to the next terrorist and the US taxpayers get to anty up another series of payments for his retirement.
(with a little skimmed off to Arafat/HAMAS of course...)
Any Palestinan leader is gonna be a terrorist namely because the Palestinans will not tolerate any leader who is not...what the Ferenges are gonna select a non Ferenge Damon?
aaaaaaaaaaaagh...wrong answer

[anotherview]

I'm not 100% sure I agree with you, Yoni. I do think Abbas, despite his terrorist background, wanted peace. He was one of two leaders who dared tell Arafat to take what was offered at Camp David, and that it was the best deal the Palestinians would ever get. I cannot forget that Anwar Sadat flew planes for the Nazis and led his country in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, an unprovoked attack on Israel. He still proved, in the end, to be a man of peace. Some people change, others will do what is best for their people. Abbas, if he ever had been given power, might have been such a man.

Having said that, you are 100% correct about the U.S. in general and Colin Powell in particular going in the wrong direction. Any new Palestinian Prime Minister is going to be an Arafat loyalist, and Yasser Arafat has proven that he is still very much in charge. He in an unreconstructed terrorist, and very much responsible for the last three years of bloodshed.

President Clinton laid the failure of Camp David and Oslo squarely on Yasser Arafat. So did Dennis Ross, the former Middle East envoy, and originally a Bush appointee. Ross called Arafat "incapable" of making peace. President Bush needs to have the courage to stand up, as Clinton and Ross did, and lay the failure of the so-called Road Map squarely on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. It is high time the U.S. supports Israel's war on terrorism, which is part and parcel of the same war the U.S. is supposed to be fighting. Bush needs to stop worrying about offending the same Arab nations who pretend to be allies and then fund al-Queda, Hamas, Hezbullah, and all the other terrorist groups.

[tubavil]

Bowell is every bit as dangerous as abbas, arabrat, kofi, hamas, and all the others committed to Israel's destruction.

Bowell only excretes filth.

[yonif]

do think Abbas, despite his terrorist background, wanted peace

Arafat in 1993, despite his terrorist background, wanted peace too. He even signed a document renouncing terrorism. The fact of the matter is that these terrorists utilize propaganda and deceit those people they negotiate with in order to get more levy.

In Abu Mazen's case, I strongly agree with the opinion that he did this and that to show he wanted "peace" even though he did make statements such as never agreeing to go after terror organizations, etc. so that the US would pressure Israel to go easy on him.

Now that Abu Mazen has resigned I can assure you that the US will try to pressure Israel to lay off Abu Mazen, in terms of what Israel wants him to do, so that Mazen can become "PM" again.

I agree with your other comments.

[Rome2000]

Powell: blah blah blah, yak yak yak, yada yada yada ... nothing Powell says can be of any significance ... if he actually believes a Pali leader is going to "fight terror" then he's seriously delusional ... might as well have "Baghdad Bob" working for the State Department ...

Yeah, he and Condoleeza Rice with ridiculous statements about how the Palestinians are being betrayed by the "terrorists" in their midsts, and how if the PLO's prime minister could just stop those terrorists, world peace would ensue.

All of the godammned Palestinians are terrorists or sympathizers, especially Abbas and his sucessor, and that goes for the rest of the arab league nations and their allies.

The only way to deal with these insane ululating evil demented nazi subhuman montsers is to crush them like insects and make it clear that any attack against the US or its allies will be met with disproportionate retaliation.

Rice and Powell sound like they are clueless, and God help us if they really believe what they are saying.

Amin Al Husseini seen inspecting his Hanzar Division made up exclusively of Muslims, mostly from the Crotia/Bosnia/Serbia region. They actively lead the genocide against Serbs, Serbian Jews and Gypsies.

Amin Al Husseini meets with Adolf Hitler in November 1942, weeks before the decision to implement the Final Solution which sent Europe's Jews to the gas chamber. The Third Reich provided Amin Al Husseini with a salary and appointed him Head of the Hanzar SS Division. The Hanzar Division was made of Nazi Muslims and implemented the genocide of 250,000 Serbs, Gypsies and Jews during WWII.

Amin Al Husseini shown here on a Nazi poster recruiting fellow Muslims to join Hitler in the fight against the West and the Jews. His disciples today include Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein and the leaders of Hamas, Al Qeida and Islamic Jihad.

Amin Al Husseini, future President of the World Islamic Congress (1961) and founding father of the Arab League (1944) inspects his Muslim Nazi troops, the Hanzar Division. Amin Al Husseini making the traditional nazi salute.

Yasser Arafat became a disciple of Amin Al Husseini since the age of 17. Here: recent picture of Palestinian soldiers under the leadership of Arafat making the traditional Nazi salute.

[anotherview]

Yoni, you may well be right. Since Abbas/Abu Mazen never had a chance to govern we will absolutely never know if he really wanted peace or was just another Palestinian "leader" looking for excuses to continue terrorism and blame the victims in Israel.

To quote (I believe) Abba Eban, "The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Daniel Schorr used that line on NPR in one of his commentaries. It needs to be repeated over and over so that it becomes clear that the only reason the Palestinians do not have a state today is their refusal to compromise or recognize Israel's right to exist.

Oh, and I don't think Arafat ever wanted peace, other than the peace of the grave for the Jewish people.

[Rome2000]

In a statement issued Saturday listing reasons for his resignation, Abbas blamed Israel's unwillingness to implement its obligations in the road map, and said the United States "did not exert sufficient influence on Israel."

What a surprise

The terrorists beard says it's the US and Israels fault he is stepping down

[anotherview]

I do believe Powell and Rice believe what they are saying. I think this administration is woefully ignorant when it comes to the Middle East or understanding the people there. Palestinians, or Iraqis, or any other Arabs, are not displaced Vermonters who will embrace freedom, democracy, and American values if just shown how wonderful they are. Their "values" see American freedom as decadent and corrupt. To expect Arabs to think like Americans would think is naive.

Oh, and yes, I think the administration is naive when it comes to the Middle East. Of course, Howard Dean sounds even more naive.

[montag813]

Powell: Next Palestinian leader must fight terror

Hopefully the next U.S. Secretary of State will fight terror.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Colon Bowel is the prime example of affirmative action in government. How can he seriously talk about the PA finding a leader against terrorism? The entire Arab society is on a murder rampage against the west, Israel, and anybody who isn't 100% for Hamas. I guess Colon Bowel hasn't seen those pics of Pallies performing ritual torture-murders against collaborators anybody who criticized Arafat or Hamas.

[EGPWS]

if he actually believes a Pali leader is going to "fight terror" then he's seriously delusional ...

He doesn't and he's not however in the name of diplomacy he has to say something constructive, on the record, before we put the hammer down.

That way, at least he can say we tried and then lay the blame for our hostility on the Pali terrorists.

[Robert_Paulson2]

I have no doubt powell will compromise on this.

If we stuck to our guns on it, there would be a civil war, and the more conservative palestinians would lose it...

This principle will be moderated in the next forty eight hours. I have zero doubt that hamas is now "recovered" from their "cease fire" and are ready to act precipitously against innocent, unarmed Israeli, women, children, elderly... and Israeli arabs as well.

And of course when Israel responds... they will be told how "unhelpful" to the peace process they are.

same old CRAP.

[APRPEH]

who are the more conservative palestinian arabians? i thought almost all of us agreed that anyone involved with or working for arafat was a terrorist or one in training? abu mazen's time as the PM of a govt without a country was for 1 of 2 reasons. 1) he was the front man for the old PLO to continue as the unified opposition to israel (at the urging of the colin blow) or 2) abu mazen really thought that he could eventually take control from the fading arafat, not to make peace but to the get the keys to the billions of dollars stuffed away all over the world. abu mazen, remember, the great holocaust denier seeks the same outcome of arafat but had the "academic" credibility and demeanor to hide his basic desire to destroy israel and couch it in a different strategy.

[Bobby777]

I just hope you're right ... diplomacy is one thing ... letting Arafat eat the Hellfire he deserves, priceless ...

[EGPWS]

I just hope you're right ... diplomacy is one thing ... letting Arafat eat the Hellfire he deserves, priceless ...

I am confident in my impression of the situation, however it can be frustrating at times when so many innocent people are victims of terrorism.

One DOES have to understand the attitudes generated by the rest of the world towards the US however IF we were to just go in (or advocate going in) with an attitude of "kill 'em all and let Alla sort them out".

I think it would lead to political disaster for the USA.

Keep in mind also, what the repercussions of the killing of Arafat would be.

Martyrism, for Arafat would not lead to a more peaceful solution to say the least.