Additionally, ahead of his Mecca summit with Hamas Abbas also said, “We must unite the Hamas and Fatah blood in the struggle against Israel as we did at the beginning of the intifada. We want a political partnership with Hamas and we are not only optimistic, but also very serious about this” (Jerusalem Post, January 25, 2007). Both Fatah and Hamas, in their respective Charters, calls for the destruction of Israel (Fatah Constitution, Article 12: Hamas Charter, Article 15) and the use of terrorism (Fatah Constitution, Article 19: Hamas Charter, Article 7), while Hamas also calls for the murder of Jews (Hamas Charter, Article 7).
Other recent extremist statements by Mahmoud Abbas:
- “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).
- “The sons of Israel are corrupting humanity on earth” (World Net Daily, January 11, 2007).
- “The Palestinian leadership won’t stray from Arafat’s path” ( Yediot Ahronot, November 11, 2006).
- “It is not required of Hamas, or of Fatah, or of the Popular Front to recognize Israel” (Al-Arabiya [Dubai] and Palestinian TV on October 3, 2006, courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch).
- Praised the Lebanese Islamist terrorist group, Hizballah, saying that it is a source of pride and sets an example for the “Arab resistance” ( Jerusalem Post, August 6, 2006).
- Condemned the killing by Israel of seven Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terrorist group as a “heinous massacre” ( Jerusalem Post, October 23, 2006).
- On the so-called ‘right of return’ of Palestinian refugees and their millions of descendants which, if implemented, would end Israel as a Jewish state: “We won’t give up on this issue” (Yediot Ahronot, November 12, 2006).
Praise from the Bush Administration for Mahmoud Abbas:
- President George W. Bush: “I fully understand that in order to achieve this [peace] vision, there must be leaders willing to speak out and act on behalf of people who yearn for peace, and you are such a leader, Mr. President. I can’t thank you enough for the courage you have shown” (Meeting with Abbas in New York, White House, September 20, 2006).
- Bush: “President Abbas is committed to peace” (Address to UN General Assembly, White House, September 19, 2006).
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: “I want to take this opportunity to commend President Abbas and his leadership as well as that of his government for their ongoing efforts to enforce the rule of law in the West Bank and in Gaza. These efforts demonstrate the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to ensuring security and tracking down those who perpetrate violent attacks that only delay the achievement of a Palestinian state. There is much work to be done, but President Abbas has taken these actions with the active support of all those in the region and the international community to support a future of peace” (Press conference with Abbas, State Department, July 23, 2005).
ZOA National Chairman of the Board, Dr. Michael Goldblatt said, “As his latest statements from his Mecca meeting with arch-terrorist Khaled Meshaal prove, Mahmoud Abbas is continually renewing his extremist credentials. Quite apart from the facts that Mahmoud Abbas co-founded the terrorist group Fatah with Arafat, served as his deputy for forty years, funded the Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972 and wrote a PhD thesis and published a book denying the Holocaust, his recent actions are no better than his recent statements that we have quoted.
“As PA president, Abbas has refused to implement the signed Oslo agreements and the 2003 Roadmap peace plan which requires him to fight, arrest, extradite 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 feeds it. Last year, Abbas endorsed the so-called ‘Prisoners’ Plan’, a document produced by jailed Palestinian terrorists, that endorses continued terrorism against Israel, legitimizes the murder of Jews, does not accept Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, abrogates Palestinian obligations under the signed Oslo agreements and the 2003 Roadmap peace plan, and insists on the ‘right of return.’ In December 2005, Abbas approved legislation mandating financial benefits to be paid to families of killed Palestinian terrorists.
“In light of Abbas’ recent statements promoting extremism and violence, as well as his efforts to form a unity government with Hamas, the ZOA renews its call upon the Bush Administration to immediately cease all support for Mahmoud Abbas and the PA and to cut all ties with it. We call upon the Bush Administration to cease discussing any plans for rewards and concessions to the PA until it acts on its 13-year old commitments to fight, jail and extradite terrorists and end the incitement to hatred and murder of Israelis in the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps that feeds terrorism. It is high time for the U.S. to stop whitewashing Abbas’ pro-terror and anti-peace actions. Abbas is part of the problem, not the solution.”