Abbas And The Culture Of Violence

From a press release on May 28, 2005--from the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)

Reality Checkpoint: An End to the Culture of Death?

As reported by Haaretz on May 30th, PA President Mahmoud Abbas believes the era of suicide bombing to be over (Haaretz, Article 1190761). Considering the decrease in successful suicide attacks in recent years, his assumption is a reasonable one to make. However, it is critical to analyze the cause of this decrease. Two main factors influence the occurrence of suicide attacks: inability on the Israeli side to prevent them, and desire on the Palestinian side to commit such attacks.

Israeli ability to deter attacks has improved significantly since the peak of suicide bombings in 2002. Soft targets have become hard and casualty numbers have decreased. As a result, suicide bombing has become a less opportunistic tactic. While this decrease in suicide bombings is a welcome change, it is irresponsible to conclude that violent intentions have decreased altogether.

Mahmoud Abbas went on to say that, “…we stopped the culture of violence and the Palestinian people have started looking at it as something that should be condemned.” While PHRMG agrees that people have begun to condemn these activities, PHRMG disagrees that the culture of violence has been stopped. [emphasis added]

Looks like the PHRMG was right, because just 3 months later:

Abbas credits 'martyrs' with Israel's Gaza withdrawal
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
RAFAH, Gaza Strip

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Friday promised his people jobs, freedom of movement and new homes after the Gaza Strip comes under Palestinian control.

Speaking to a cheering crowd at the defunct Gaza International Airport, Abbas said Palestinians were experiencing "historic days of joy" as they watched Israeli settlers being taken out of Gaza. His speech was frequently interrupted by cheers from about 700 flag-waving supporters.

Abbas and Hamas have been engaged in fierce competition over who will be credited with the Gaza pullout. Hamas claims its terrorist attacks drove Israel out, while Abbas credits diplomacy and hopes to gain political capital from eventual improvement in the daily life in Gaza as a result of the withdrawal.

In his Friday speech, however, Abbas praised the "martyrs and their patience" for Israel's withdrawal.

Palestinian Arabs under Abbas are still murdering Israelis--and it comes from the top.

Remember August 2007?

A school in the West Bank town of Tulkarm this week organized a soccer tournament named after Ziyad Da'as, a Fatah terrorist, Palestinian Media Watch reported on Thursday.

Da'as planned a 2002 attack in Hadera in which a gunman opened fire with an M-16 rifle at a bat mitzva, killing six and wounding 30.

He was also behind the kidnapping and murder of two Israelis in Tulkarm in 2001.

Da'as was killed in an IDF operation in August 2002.

Under Abbas, the culture of violence never stopped, and has never been condemned.

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