...Until you read carefully
...Until you read carefully
The EUrabians and their twin brothers in the US administration must be salivating over Abu Mazen, for, as AP puts it, "Abbas Calls for End of Armed Uprising".
The reaction in Washington:
In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the Bush administration welcomes Abbas' call for an end to violence.
Careful readers, which defines IsraPundit readers, are less enthusiastic.
First question: Whatever Abu Mazan said to generate the enthusiasm, did he say it in Arabic in Ramallah to his own people?
The answer is "NO" - the joy-generating statements were made to a London paper:
In an interview with the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Abbas said...
Why not at home, on the Arab Incitement-TV [TM]?
Second question. Assuming AP's report is accurate -- and that is some assumption -- exactly what did Abu Mazen say?
Answer:
"The uprising is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means," Abbas said. "Using the weapons was harmful and has got to stop."
...
"We, at this stage, are against the militarization of the intefadeh (uprising) because we want to negotiate. And because we want to negotiate, the atmosphere should be calm in preparation for political action," Abbas said. "That's why we have frankly called for ... an end to the militarization of the intefadeh."
...
"Frankly, the Palestinian (security) apparatus needs discipline. There is security chaos, that's why we're demanding and are seeking to unify the security apparatus," he said.
These quotations represent
ALL the direct quotes given in the AP report; all other attributed utterances paraphrase whatever Abu Mazen said, and their value is therefore zero.
So what did Abu Mazen say? In the foregoing quotation, what Abu Mazen really said is, in effect, this (my turn to paraphrase):
The violent war against Israel has not worked [nothing is said about right and wrong, just that it didn't work. Nothing is said about the Oslo commitment to renounce violence forever, just that violence didn't work.] Furthermore, "at this stage" it seems better to negotiate without too much violence, but tomorrow, should Israel refuse to commit suicide, then... In the meantime, under the guise of reform, "we're demanding and are seeking to unify the security apparatus", the better to assault Israel at the next stage, in accordance with the 1974 Phased Plan.
Third question: Rather than assure a London paper that violence "must stop", why not order the security forces to crack down on the terrorist infrastructure, as even the infamous Roadmap requires? Is it not because Abu Mazen has no intention of stopping the violence?
I am currently searching for a translation of the interview to see what Abu Mazen actually said, beyond the three quotations given by AP. Check in shortly.
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at December 14, 2004 05:20 PM
...Until you read carefully
The EUrabians and their twin brothers in the US administration must be salivating over Abu Mazen, for, as AP puts it, "Abbas Calls for End of Armed Uprising".
The reaction in Washington:
Careful readers, which defines IsraPundit readers, are less enthusiastic.
First question: Whatever Abu Mazan said to generate the enthusiasm, did he say it in Arabic in Ramallah to his own people?
The answer is "NO" - the joy-generating statements were made to a London paper:
Why not at home, on the Arab Incitement-TV [TM]?Second question. Assuming AP's report is accurate -- and that is some assumption -- exactly what did Abu Mazen say?
Answer:
These quotations represent ALL the direct quotes given in the AP report; all other attributed utterances paraphrase whatever Abu Mazen said, and their value is therefore zero.So what did Abu Mazen say? In the foregoing quotation, what Abu Mazen really said is, in effect, this (my turn to paraphrase):
Third question: Rather than assure a London paper that violence "must stop", why not order the security forces to crack down on the terrorist infrastructure, as even the infamous Roadmap requires? Is it not because Abu Mazen has no intention of stopping the violence?I am currently searching for a translation of the interview to see what Abu Mazen actually said, beyond the three quotations given by AP. Check in shortly.
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at December 14, 2004 05:20 PM