NEW YORK – Hanna Siniora, who has just been appointed as the Palestinian Authority’s representative in Washington, has a long record of extreme anti-American statements and support for anti-Israel violence, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has revealed.

“Siniora is an extremist in ‘moderate’ clothing,” said ZOA National President Morton A. Klein. “The claim by some in the media that he is a moderate is contradicted by his long record of denouncing the United States and supporting violence against Israel.”

Hanna Siniora’s Record—A Sampler:

Since the 1970s, Siniora has served, first as editor-in-chief, and later as publisher, of the Jerusalem Arab newspaper Al Fajr, which has an English-language edition known as The Jerusalem Times.

Denounces the United States:

Accuses U.S. of “Waging War Against the Palestinians”: Siniora’s Jerusalem Times, in an editorial on August 23, 2002, asserted: “Sharon and the U.S. are not truly interested in Palestinian reforms but they only use that excuse to justify their war against the Palestinian cause and people. We should not allow them this easy task without a battle…The Palestinian people have been asking for reforms for a long time when the U.S. and Israel were actually encouraging corruption by misguiding the Palestinian National Authority…”

Opposes Action Against Saddam: Siniora’s Jerusalem Times has vehemently opposed American action against Saddam Hussein. For example, a feature article in its August 16, 2002 issue complained that “America now prepares itself to wage an attack against Iraq that nothing justifies except Israel’s regional hegemonic inclinations.”

When President Bush launched military action against Iraq in 1991, Siniora authored an op-ed condemning him. He wrote that Bush “has ignited a schism between the West and the Moslem world…The millions of victims that are going to feel the effects of this war could have been spared…had Bush opted for a diplomatic resolution instead of relying on his technological superiority.” (Jerusalem Post, Jan.22, 1991)

Accuses America of “Imperialism” and Urges Arabs to Threaten America: An editorial in Siniora’s Al Fajr (April 20, 1992) referred to U.S. sanctions against Libya for refusing to hand over two terrorists who bombed Pan Am flight 103, and added: “The U.S. moves against Libya had nothing to do with the two agents, and are directed at Libya as a whole. This is exactly what has happened and is still happening to Iraq.” It called American’s position “this new imperialism coming from the United States, Britain and France,” and urged the Arab nations to “say that they would retaliate with the same caliber against any country which acts against Libya.”

Calls U.S. “Arrogant” and “Uncivilized”: After the U.S. anti-terror raids on Libya in 1986, an editorial in Siniora’s Al Fajr (April 18, 1986) said the American action “shows an unbelievable level of arrogance and total disregard of basic norms of civilized behavior.”

Defends Kennedy’s Assassin: Siniora has repeatedly published sympathetic articles about Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of Robert F. Kennedy. One news article (July 23, 1990; written by the newspaper’s managing editor) charged that Sirhan was the victim of “a kangaroo trial,” complained about “Sirhan’s ill treatment at the hands of the California justice system,” and asserted that Sirhan is “the man politicians can safely stick it to while gaining a few political points with both the American electorate and the influential Kennedy clan.” Another article (Aug. 31, 1992, again by the managing editor) stated that “Sirhan’s ordeal is really nothing more than a political game played in California, the United States and the Middle East and Sirhan is a victim of politics.”

Blames Israeli “Occupation” for Gulf War: In a 1991 op-ed, Siniora wrote that “the Israeli occupation” of Judea-Samaria “is the main cause underlying the outbreak of war.” (Jerusalem Post, Jan.22, 1991)

Blames Kuwait for Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: In the same 1991 op-ed, Siniora asserted Kuwait itself was to blame for the Iraqi invasion: “The Kuwaiti rulers could have avoided the takeover of their country; overproduction of oil, and the avarice of the rich is an indirect cause of what is happening in the region.” (Jerusalem Post, Jan.22, 1991)

Defends Terrorist Groups and Supports Terrorism: Siniora’s Jerusalem Times routinely praises Palestinian Arab terrorist groups.

* A recent editorial (August 2, 2002) called the Hamas and Islamic Jihad “the Palestinian resistance movements.”

* Siniora said in a 1991 interview: “The best thing about this generation [of Palestinian Arabs] is they see they have to fight.” (Associated Press, Feb.23, 1991)

* At a press conference in Washington, D.C. in March 1986, Siniora “maintained that Palestinians had a right to continue ‘the armed struggle’ against Israel in any part of the country… ‘If some Palestinian wants to throw Molotov cocktail on an Israeli army jeep, this is a legitimate military target,’ Siniora said.” (Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 14, 1986)

Hysterical Israel-Bashing: Siniora’s Jerusalem Times regularly publishes extreme, irrational accusations against Israel.

* A recent editorial (August 2, 2002) claimed that Israel “continues to annihilate and obliterate the Palestinian people, culture and history.”

* A recent news article (August 9, 2002) claimed that there is crime within PA-controlled areas because of “Israeli attempts to help it expand.”

* Even after the United Nations determined that there was no Israeli massacre of Palestinian Arabs in Jenin, a Jerusalem Times editorial (August 16, 2002) continued to insist that there was “a very obvious Israeli massacre in Jenin refugee camp.”

* Trying to deflect blame from Palestinian Arab terrorists, a news article about bus bombings claimed that “Jewish extremists helped the Palestinian suicide bombers.” (March 1, 1996) Another article claimed that an Islamic Jihad bomber was actually an agent for the Israeli Secret Service. (May 9, 1997)

* News articles claimed that Israeli policies are to blame for increases in the rate of cancer among Palestinian Arabs. (February 9, 2001, April 12, 2001)

* A recent news feature claimed that Israeli doctors pressure Palestinian Arab women to have unnecessary abortions. (March 22, 2002)

* Siniora regularly publishes article that falsify history by claiming that the Palestinian Arabs are the descendants of the ancient Canaanites. (For example, on Sept. 27, 1996; Jan.2, 1998; June 26, 1998)

* A recent feature story warned of what it called “a Zionist scheme to destroy Al-Aqsa mosque in the near future to erect a Jewish temple in its place.” It said one possible method would be “a man-made earthquake that would demolish the weakened structure.” (June 14, 2002)

* A typical Al Fajr headline: “Jewish Gang Steals Arab Babies” (Dec. 26, 1988)

* During the years of persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union, Al Fajr minimized their suffering, referring to “the so-called fate of Soviet Jews” (Aug.22, 1986) and “a so-called Soviet Jewish refusenik.” (Nov.14, 1986)