New York — Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas stated today that “We remain committed to the two-state solution, the recognition of Israel, renouncing violence and terror” and to adhere to existing agreements between Israel and the Palestinians ( Jerusalem Post, February 23). In fact, Abbas himself has stated that none of the Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Fatah, now partners in the new PA unity government, need recognize Israel; insists on the so-called ‘right of return,’ whereby Palestinian refugees and their millions of descendants would inundate Israel and turn it into a Muslim majority state; and has not fulfilled any Palestinian obligations under prior agreements to arrest and jail terrorists and confiscate their weaponry and end the incitement to hatred and murder in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps that feed terrorism.

Abbas made his false statement at a press conference with the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Javier Solana, in an attempt to reassure international donors to the PA, from whom he is seeking a resumption of direct international aid to the Palestinian government that was halted last year after Hamas, which unambiguously seeks Israel’s destruction, won parliamentary elections.

Abbas’ recent words and deeds contradicting his current claims:

• On recognizing Israel: “It is not required of Hamas, or of Fatah, or of the Popular Front to recognize Israel” (Al-Arabiya [Dubai] and PA TV, October 3, translation courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch).
  
  
• Fighting Israel: “We have a legitimate right to direct our guns against Israeli occupation … Our rifles, all our rifles are aimed at The Occupation” ( Jerusalem Post, January 11, 2007; Independent Media & Review Analysis, January 12, 2007).
  
  
• On Jews: “The sons of Israel are corrupting humanity on earth” ( World Net Daily, January 11, 2007).
  
  
• On Israel: “the Zionist enemy” (Associated Press, January 4, 2005; CNN.com, January 7, 2005).
  
  
• On disarming Palestinian terrorists: a “red line” that must not be crossed (Washington Times, January 3, 2005
  
  
• On jailed Palestinian terrorists: “our heroes.” (Israel National News, May 26, 2006).
  
  
• On Palestinian terrorist leaders Yasser Arafat, Hamas’ Ahmad Yasin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Fathi Shikaki: “martyrs” (Palestinian Media Center , September 9, 2005).
  
  
• On the so-called ‘right of return’: “We won’t give up on this issue” (Yediot Ahronot, November 12, 2006; Israel National News, November 12, 2006).
  
  
• Abbas has partially funded the salaries of members of Hamas’ so called Executive Force, an armed terrorist group created by Hamas in May 2006 that consists of over 5,000 men, many from Hamas’ Iz el-Din al-Qassem Brigades, which is listed on the U.S. list of terror organizations (Reuters, October 6, 2006).
  
  
• In June 2006, Abbas endorsed the so-called Prisoners’ Plan, which supports terrorism, does not accept Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state, abrogates Palestinian obligations under past agreements and insists on the ‘right of return.’
  
  
• In May 2006, Abbas named a wanted terrorist, Mahmoud Damra, to command one of Fatah’s military units, Force 17. Damra is wanted by Israel for leading shooting and roadside bomb attacks against Israelis, including the killing of IDF soldiers near Neve Tzuf in 2000 and of an Israeli citizen near Tapuach, in Samaria, in 2001. (Israel National News, May 30, 2006).
  
  
• He approved legislation mandating financial benefits to be paid to families of Palestinian shahids [dead terrorists] (Israel National News, December 11, 2005).
  
  
• Abbas rebuffed President Bush’s call at the June 2003 Aqaba summit to accept Israel publicly as a Jewish state.
  
  
• Abbas wrote a Ph.D. thesis and a book denying the Holocaust.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “Abbas’ statement is simply another Orwellian big lie. Every claim he made today is untrue, as the list of his recent statements and acts easily demonstrates. In any case, Hamas is now the leader of the PA unity government and explicitly rejects recognizing Israel and fulfilling past signed agreements, so it doesn’t matter what Abbas says to the contrary.

“Additionally, one should note what Abbas has not said or done — he has not condemned terrorism against Israelis or the killers that perpetrate it as a moral obscenity which must end. And he has not fulfilled any of the Palestinian signed obligations to arrest and jail terrorists and end the incitement to hatred and murder in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps that feeds terrorism and rejection of Israel. His claim that the PA accepts Israel, renounces terror and accepted signed agreements is meaningless and untrue.”

“Until the PA fulfills it obligations, there is simply no peace process and there should be neither rewards for nor concessions to the PA by Israel, the U.S. or any other state.”