The Israeli media and political arena gushed over the speech by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, in which he argued that Israel executes Palestinians without trial and that this is what was done in the case of the youth Ahmad Manasirah. In the heat of the argument, the media outlets failed to check the remaining content of the speech and its complex message. As we all know, the Palestinian child was not killed or even shot. Two things should be said about the more general claim, according to which Israel is currently implementing a policy of executions:
1. The execution theory has recently been embraced by all Palestinian politicians, from HAMAS and Fatah alike. If Abu-Mazin had chosen to describe the incidents as “terror attacks”, he would have lost whatever is left of his declining popularity among the Palestinian public and maybe even his control over the Palestinian security services. IDF officers said recently, for the God-knows-how-many time, that Abu-Mazin continues his security coordination with Israel.
2. The Israeli Police has announced that it remains unclear whether the Arab woman from Nazareth who was shot in Afula was indeed a terrorist. A review of several other incidents shows that in all the other cases it appears that the Palestinian version was false. The Palestinian media outlets lie and distort reality very often in quieter times. However, the open and western Israeli media scene should not be judged by the same professional standards. So, the Israeli coverage of the Afula incident was very poor.
Abu-Mazin's speech contained several paragraphs which were buried under the heaps of reports on his lie. Below is the translation of one of these paragraphs:
“The rejection of the Israeli Government of our hands, which are extended for a just peace that guarantees the rights, freedom, and national dignity of our people; and its insistence on settlements and dictates, is the reason for the lack of security and stability. Peace, security, and stability will not be achieved except by ending the Israeli occupation and establishing the independent state of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital, on the 4 June 1967 lines. Here, I call upon you, sons of our great people wherever you are, to observe cohesion, unity, and vigilance toward the schemes of the occupation that seek to abort our national plan. We will not hesitate to defend and protect our people. This is our right.”
In a previous part of the speech, Abbas thanked the martyrs who carried out the recent attacks, but went on to say: “We shall continue our struggle on the political, national, and legal levels. We will not be hostages to agreements which Israel does not respect.” In other words: Thank you so much for your sacrifices, but I had enough. Please let me take action in non-violent channels.”
Abu-Mazin's pathetic lie harms the story that the Palestinians are trying to tell, and the European sympathy for their cause. However, one should not expect the Palestinian President, who continues to work as a “security contractor” for the Israeli Government, to commit political suicide and allow all hell to break loose. Those who wish to see him out of the picture should be willing to retake the West Bank and face the all consequences.
The unique aspect of this wave of terror or new intifada is that despite the mutual accusations of incitement and bloodletting, the leaders of Israel and Palestinian Authority do not wish the spontaneous terror attacks to continue. The fact that Netanyahu and Abbas are now trying to talk using US mediation is a proof of that. HAMAS, for its part, is trying “to have the cake and eat it” — It expresses enthusiastic support for attacks in the West Bank and sends the Gazan public to confront the Israeli army near the border fence, while it avoids firing rockets (the recent launchings were carried out by Salafi groups). The reason for this behavior is that HAMAS is not interested in and escalation and war in the south.
Translator: Michelle Bubis
