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Abbas: Armed Struggle a Mistake, Harms Palestinians
Haaretz ^ | Wed., December 15, 2004 | Arnon Regular

Posted on 12/14/2004 4:15:58 PM PST by West Coast Conservative

The use of weapons in the four-year-long intifada was a mistake and should end, Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday in an interview with the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

Abbas, who is expected to win the January 9 presidential elections in the Palestinian Authority, said Palestinians should resist the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza without resorting to violence.

It is important to "keep the uprising away from arms because the uprising is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means," he said. "Using the weapons was harmful and has got to stop."

In response, the White House said it welcomed moves aimed at fighting terror. "We remain focused on working toward a strategy that will put in place the institutions necessary for a viable [Palestinians] state to emerge," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "But fighting terrorism and putting in a unified security force are key to those efforts."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office refused to comment on the interview, sticking to its policy of avoiding any show of support for Abbas lest it sour the support for him in the Palestinian street.

The idea of giving up weapons was dismissed by a spokesman for Hamas, however. Khaled Meshal, head of the Hamas politburo based in Damascus, said Hamas is not yet ready to accept a cease-fire with Israel. However, Meshal did say that a pan-Palestinian agreement for a cease-fire remains an option.

(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abbas; axisofevil; axisofweasels; goebbels; israel; neoeunazis; palestine; waronterror
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1 posted on 12/14/2004 4:15:59 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
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To: West Coast Conservative

Perhaps there is hope...


2 posted on 12/14/2004 4:17:18 PM PST by Cornpone ((Aging Warrior))
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To: West Coast Conservative

Ya think?


3 posted on 12/14/2004 4:19:15 PM PST by SF Republican
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To: West Coast Conservative

How long till he is assassinated? Seems like he's got a message that a lot of Palestinians don't want to hear.


4 posted on 12/14/2004 4:19:35 PM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Look up the meaning of "Hudna." It's a ploy to relax tensions, retrain, resupply, and rearm.


5 posted on 12/14/2004 4:22:15 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: West Coast Conservative

Ok, who has the pig wings?


6 posted on 12/14/2004 4:25:17 PM PST by Edgerunner (The left ain't right. Hand me that launch pickle...)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Nothing but propaganda. Arafat said the same years ago as well. But the sad part is the world buys it again, including the US.


7 posted on 12/14/2004 4:26:48 PM PST by yonif ("So perish all Thine enemies, O the Lord" - Judges 5:31)
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To: West Coast Conservative
In response, the White House said it welcomed moves aimed at fighting terror. "We remain focused on working toward a strategy that will put in place the institutions necessary for a viable [Palestinians] state to emerge," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "But fighting terrorism and putting in a unified security force are key to those efforts."

Why does the White House only respond when Abu Mazen says something they like? Numorous times has he said stuff like he wasn't going to fight terrorists or that he supports the right of return, and yet the White House wasn't listening or chose not to recognize he said these things. They are selecting the "good things" they want to hear.

8 posted on 12/14/2004 4:27:58 PM PST by yonif ("So perish all Thine enemies, O the Lord" - Judges 5:31)
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To: West Coast Conservative

He isn't pulling an Arafat, and saying this to the west, while inciting violence to his people is he?


9 posted on 12/14/2004 4:38:34 PM PST by vpintheak (Liberal = The antithesis of Freedom and Patriotism)
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To: vpintheak

re:"He isn't pulling an Arafat, and saying this to the west, while inciting violence to his people is he?"

If he's come to a genuine reality check, then Coloradan is right... he'll be dead soon. Some hot-shot purist will do him in.







10 posted on 12/14/2004 4:51:00 PM PST by mamapajamas
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To: 1bigdictator; 1st-P-In-The-Pod; 2sheep; 7.62 x 51mm; A Jovial Cad; A_Conservative_in_Cambridge; ...
The use of weapons in the four-year-long intifada was a mistake

Abu Mazen does not come out and say that the indiscriminate murders of men, women and children riding buses, eating pizza or drinking coffee is barbaric and evil, only that it was a poor tactical decision.

He's just Arafat with a shave and a shower.

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.

WARNING: This is a high volume ping list

11 posted on 12/14/2004 4:56:50 PM PST by Alouette ("Who is for the LORD, come with me!" -- Mattisyahu ben Yohanon, father of Judah Maccabee)
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To: SF Republican

Duh! He's a keen observer of the obvious.


12 posted on 12/14/2004 4:59:58 PM PST by elhombrelibre (Liberalism is proof that intelligent people can ignore as much as the ignorant.)
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To: West Coast Conservative
If we could only go back to 1998 when BJ Clinton had everything under control.

Clinton receiving a copy of the Koran presented by Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza City, Gaza, December 14.

13 posted on 12/14/2004 5:09:11 PM PST by petercooper (DEAN in '08!)
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

A public renunciation of short term tactics that have become uncomfortable to the donor nations and nothing more. The administration will have to turn their back on last years comments about the right of "return" and 1949 borders as a condition of talking to the new terrorist leader.

Abbas will demand Palestinian right of return

Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, outlining his views on the conflict with Israel, told parliament on Tuesday that he would follow in Yasser Arafat's footsteps and demand that Israel recognize the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees. He also appeared to send the message that he'll stand tough in future talks with Israel.

...

The speech marked the first time since Arafat's death Nov. 11 that Abbas outlined his views on the conflict with Israel. Abbas appeared to be sending a message to Fatah's young guard that he would stand tough in future talks with Israel, despite his pragmatism and opposition to violence.

...

Abbas' ideas about a peace deal with Israel have always been close to those of Arafat: a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with east Jerusalem as a capital, and Israeli recognition of the "right of return" of some four million refugees and their descendants.

...

We promise you (Arafat) that our heart will not rest until we achieve the right of return for our people and end the tragic refugee issue


Who do you think will win the power struggle, Arafat or Abbas? - Neither. Sharon will.

15 posted on 12/14/2004 5:12:29 PM PST by SJackson ( Bush is as free as a bird, He is only accountable to history and God, Ra'anan Gissin)
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To: vpintheak
He isn't pulling an Arafat, and saying this to the west, while inciting violence to his people is he?

Yes. He's been unwavering in his belief that the destruction of Israel is the final objective. He has disagreed on tactics on occasion. In the context of a "peace process", he likely has a better feeling for manipulating the west than Arafat.

16 posted on 12/14/2004 5:15:09 PM PST by SJackson ( Bush is as free as a bird, He is only accountable to history and God, Ra'anan Gissin)
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To: West Coast Conservative
Mr. Abbas requires additional security protection. Those which have read my post are cognizant where I stand on Islamic terrorism. In relation to Mr. Abbas I for one take the man at his word and feel he is someone Israel could work with ....but...the culture of Islamic death must be crushed if there is going to be a long lasting peace.
17 posted on 12/14/2004 5:39:13 PM PST by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: Cornpone

no, no hope.

this guy is not bloodthirsty enough for the pallies.
they will kill him...

too bloodthirsty for Israel, and not enough for the arabs surrounding her.

they do not, in reality WANT an independent Pallie state living side by side with Israel... but a pallie state, in the place of Israel.

the arab/islamist world will NOT stand for this.


18 posted on 12/14/2004 5:56:26 PM PST by Robert_Paulson2 (real republicans WIN.)
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To: West Coast Conservative

Deja vu from the P.A.

Again and again, the Palestinian Authority leaders say for Western consumption that they will put down arms, while in fact they do nothing to stop terrorism and everything to promote it. This guy knows the score. The Palestinians have been whipped into a lather of hate. Under the Oslo Accords, Israel went ahead unilaterally gave the Palestinian Arabs 98.5% of the Israeli land Israel said it would give them under the terms of the agreement. Israel got zilch in return; no peace, as promised, no attempts to put down terrorism, but instead an acceleration by the P.A. of the mass murder of Israelis and visitors to Israel.


19 posted on 12/14/2004 7:01:45 PM PST by Seeing More Clearly Now
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To: West Coast Conservative

one quibble:

"the occupation"

This doesn't refer to "the West Bank and Gaza", it refers to all of Israel. When western "journalists" translate "the occupied territories" as "the West Bank and Gaza", they are full of ****.


20 posted on 12/14/2004 10:41:13 PM PST by SunkenCiv ("All I have seen teaches me trust the Creator for all I have not seen." -- Emerson)
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