(Washington Times) Zalman Shoval - Mahmoud Abbas has called for a referendum on a document drafted by terrorist leaders of both Hamas and Fatah that gives the go-ahead to armed violence against Israeli civilians - though only in the territories - and also pretends implicitly to recognize the State of Israel. The precondition would be a full Israeli withdrawal to the vulnerable pre-1967 armistice lines, including eastern Jerusalem and all the Jewish neighborhoods surrounding the city, as well as relinquishing the strategically vital major population centers on the West Bank, referred to in President Bush's famous letter to former Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. The document also requires Israel to allow millions of Palestinian "refugees" to enter the Jewish state. Whenever the occasion arises, Abbas will also talk about the international Quartet's Roadmap, conveniently forgetting that the PA under his leadership had consistently refrained from complying with even the first phase of the Roadmap, which called for an absolute end to terror and for breaking up the terrorist infrastructure. Abbas claims that peace could be achieved "within weeks," cavalierly overlooking his own history of noncompliance with previous commitments. Different Israeli governments over the last 13 years conducted ongoing negotiations with the Palestinian leadership, the only result being terror and more terror and growing intransigence on the Palestinian side.
2006-06-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive