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The Dishonesty of the "Palestinian Narrative"
(UK Media Watch) Adam Levick - The Guardian published an op-ed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Nov. 1 that included nearly every distortion and lie within what's known as the "Palestinian narrative." The language used by Abbas frames Jews as interlopers with no historical or religious connection to the land, despite the fact that there has been a continuous Jewish presence in the Land of Israel for over 3,000 years. While Abbas claims that the Balfour Declaration triggered devastating events for the Palestinian people, the tragic events were mostly the result of decisions by Palestinian (and Arab) leaders to reject political and territorial compromise and maintain hostility to a permanent Jewish presence in the land. While Abbas claims that 2.9 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under a draconian military occupation, in fact, over 95% of the Palestinian population in the West Bank live under Palestinian Authority control. Abbas claims the Palestinians "have made deeply painful compromises for the sake of peace, beginning with the decision to accept a state on only 22% of our historical homeland." But, in fact, a Palestinian national identity separate from Arab or tribal identities is only a 20th century phenomenon. Palestinians didn't "lose" 78% of their land because you can't "lose" land you never had control of in the first place. Abbas' op-ed is an illustration of the Palestinians' refusal to acknowledge and learn from past mistakes and come to terms with the true "obstacles to peace": endemic anti-Semitism, the glorification of violence, and the failure to promote tolerance, pluralism and other liberal democratic values.