NEW YORK- The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) condemned a speech Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abas gave at a Fatah Rally in Gaza yesterday. (Fatah is a Palestinian terror group responsible for a large proportion of Israelis murdered in the last four years.) Abbas, the likely future President of the Palestinian Authority said, “Everything Yasir Arafat said and believed in his life is a legacy and we will do our best to implement it.”
In the last few days Abbas also stated:
- He promised the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
- He would never make concessions on the legitimate rights of Palestinian refugees.
- He has no plans to crack down on militants stating that Palestinian leadership has a responsibility to protect its people. He said, “The debt is to protect them from assassination, and all these things they are subject to by the Israelis…We will not use weapons against any Palestinian, Israel calls them murderers, we call them strugglers.”
- He praised Palestinian fugitives wanted by Israel as heroes saying, “We will not forget those wanted by Israel. These are the heroes that are fighting for freedom.”
- He demanded the removal of the “apartheid wall” and the dismantling of “illegal” settlements.
ZOA was also appalled to learn that at one of these rallies this past weekend, the members of the terror group Al Aqse Martyrs Brigades placed a baseball cap on Abbas’ head and briefly hoisted him on the shoulders of Zacharia Zubeida, one of Israel’s most wanted men, chanting pro-Abbas slogans.
ZOA President Morton A. Klein said: “It has now become crystal clear that there is virtually no difference between Arafat and Abbas. He has now openly wrapped himself in Arafat’s mantle and gone out of his way to show respect for terrorists. But, what else should we have expected from a man who was Arafat’s top deputy for over 40 years, co-founder of Fatah, and a Holocaust denier.
“After most of the world was fooled by Oslo and Arafat — we dare not be fooled again — this time by Mahmoud Abbas.
“Until Abbas arrests the terrorists, publicly supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, abolishes the incitement in the media and education system, and permanently removes all illegal weapons, the US and Israel should not negotiate with Mahmoud Abbas. He is simply a terrorist in a moderate’s clothing.”