The Zionist Organization of America has condemned the Palestinian Authority (PA) of Mahmoud Abbas for honoring arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat on the fifth anniversary of his death and described such a Palestinian leadership as not being a genuine peace partner. Thousands of Fatah supporters gathered in Ramallah last week for ceremonies organized by the PA and greeted Arafat’s successor, Abbas, with slogans voiced by the Palestinian Liberation Organization founder before his death, including “millions of shahids (martyrs) are marching to Jerusalem.” In his speech, Abbas ignored the role of negotiations, saying “A Palestinian state is a truth recognized by the world, and we are now leading a battle to have its border recognized … The Palestinian revolution is the longest and toughest revolution in history, but it will triumph eventually,” Abbas cried out, to which the audience chanted in response, “With might and blood we’ll redeem Abu Mazen (Abbas).”

Also, Nasser al-Qidwa, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, Arafat’s nephew and considered a contender for PA president when Abbas departs, said that “Israel is responsible for the death of Arafat. We reiterate that he was poisoned to death … The Palestinians need to rebel against the old institutions of the peace process and to turn to the Security Council with a request to recognize the Palestinian state.”

During the ceremonies, recordings of Arafat speaking were played over loudspeakers, which enthused the crowd, including the words, “We are the heroes. The Palestinian children will one day wave the flag of Palestine over the mosques and churches of Jerusalem.” Pictures of Arafat and Abbas, who co-founded Fatah with Arafat, were plentiful, including ones bearing the caption, “The worthy successor of the former leader” (Ali Waked, ‘Abbas: Palestinian state an existing fact,’ Yediot Ahronot, November 11, 2009).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “How can Mahmoud Abbas be claiming to seek a real peace with Israel when he honors someone who ordered the killing of thousands of Israeli citizens? We condemn this obscene ceremony held in Ramallah.

“Yasser Arafat founded a terrorist movement, deceitfully engaged in negotiations with Israel while radicalizing Palestinian society with poisonous incitement to hatred and murder. He then responded to extraordinary Israeli concessions in a peace plan proposed by President Bill Clinton and accepted by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak with a wave of terrorism that claimed the lives of some 1,500 Israeli men, women and children and the maimed thousands more.

“It is obscene and ludicrous that the PA continues to honor Arafat and other terrorist murders and that they have the audacity to do so while claiming publicly claiming to Israel and the world that they seek a peace.”