Abbas Is A Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine

 

"In a lecture at a women's gathering in West Bank on 7 March,  Mahmoud Abbas said he would not mind releasing Saadat if PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] sent him a written promise saying the movement would not hold the PA responsible for anything that might happen to Saadat after his release."

...or anything Saadat does, to be more to the point.

Al Jazeera provides the background:

The agreement that kept six Palestinian prisoners under foreign watch in a Jericho jail was forged in an effort to end the Israeli siege of then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank City of Ram Allah four years ago.

Israeli troops had surrounded the compound during Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002, demanding Arafat turn over the six men who had sought refuge inside. Five of the men, including Ahmad Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, [PFLP], were implicated in the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi. The sixth, Fuad Shobaki, masterminded an illegal weapons shipment to the Palestinian Authority on a ship called the Karine A.

US President George Bush brokered the deal with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that sent the six men to a Palestinian prison in Jericho, where they were guarded by US and British monitors. In return, Israeli troops pulled back from Arafat's compound.

After winning Palestinian parliamentary elections on 25 January, Hamas leaders said they wanted to release Saadat, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said last week he would not oppose freeing the six men.

US and British officials sent a letter to Abbas last week, accusing the Palestinians of repeatedly violating the agreement and saying the security situation at the prison needed to be improved immediately or the monitors would leave.

So, let me get this straight. Abbas wants to release Saadat & Co, Jack Straw withdraws the guards and Israel is supposed to stand idly by. Yeah, right.

Why should Israel set themselves up by having to deploy more troops to run around the country side looking for the criminals who murdered an Israeli official. If Abbas acts like a terrorist government, he will be treated as such, and we will play by their "ignore sovereignty rules".

The deal made with the previous government was clear regarding Saadat & Co. He was to be kept in the Palestinian prison only under the condition that international monitors were present. Abbas was repeatedly warned that the situation in the prison was becoming intolerable, and that if he did not reinstate the rule of law, those countries would be forced to pull their monitors out.

Abbas' answer was to ignore the warnings, and casually announce that Saddat would be released anyway. This brazenly bandit like behavior, not befitting a president of a country, needs to be shown zero tolerance. This was the right message for Israel to send; this is not a terrorist game, and if you play by terrorist rules and ignore all previous agreements, you will be treated as such, and not as a recognized government with sovereignty rights.

Meanwhile, the attack is over and the inmates, especially Saadat and his four accomplices in the killing of the Minister, who were of course the target of the raid, are under lock and key. Can you blame Israel?

Well, CNN certainly can, and is quick to act by interviewing Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian Legislative Council, admonishing Ehud Olmert for staging a cheap election-campaign stunt:

CNN anchor: "Act tough on defenseless prisoners."

Hanan Ashrawi: "It's all part of Israel's policy of assassination and unilateralism."

Wow.

Omri Ceren, the talented Israeli blogger, reminds me that the prisoners had broken into the armory and were quite well armed.

Scott Johnson @ Powerline has more details; The Big Pharaoh spares no punches and A Blog for All goes further; Gateway Pundit has pictures;

More @ Vital Perspective, Meryl Yourish

After all this, calm your nerves with truly inspiring words from Wafa Sultan in her first ever English interview on Israel National Radio . But first don't miss her by now famous debate on Al Jazeera TV watched by over a million people, which I brought to you back in February with a video on my 'Are You A Heretic' post. I love this woman, she is an inspiration to us all.http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

Comments

[jack]

Really, our Women Deserve respect , they are fighting beside the men in evry aspect of life side by side and hand in hand & neck by neck. Inorder to fulfill the great mission in this life that corrupted by the Zionizm movement all over the world . Above all, I want to point -out that both the the genders must work in this life as a unite and as a bee-hive to a chieve the victory which every on dreams of day and night to reach our palestinian state and Jerusalem its state.please keep in touch with me bye for an other participation

[Darrell]

Someone had to act...These prisoners were about to start commenting here under the name "Davis Byron." We couldn't have THAT!

Just think as them as "embryos," David. The they were have no rights, including the right to exist, in your way of thinking.

[MarcH]

Thank you Washington.

[Washington]

Bravo MarcH

[MarcH]

David Byron’s explanation for Israel’s capture of Saadat: ‘They decided they want to torture them perhaps? "Just because"? The motivation isn't clear but when did Israel ever need an excuse for killing Palestinians?’

Well David, it’s just possible that Israel would like to see Saadat spend the rest of his days in jail for his part in a variety of murderous terrorist conspiracies, including the assassination of an Israeli cabinet Minister and Member of the Knesset.

Oddly enough, Saadat will not be executed by Israel. Even though (in your eyes) Israel is a brutal, fascist, retrograde society, they do not have a death penalty.

The one exception was made for “political prisoner” (based on your comment, your preferred term terrorist ring leaders?) Adolph Eichmann. You may remember Adolph. He was a high achiever in the field of “activism” a few years ago. Perhaps you’d like to register a protest against his brutal treatment at the hands of Israel?

[Steven]

What fantastic and idiotic comments you have here.

Here are some important points in this story:

- These people were murderers, not political prisoners.
- These people were in a Jail that was to be monitored by the US and UK by an agreement with the PA.
- The US and UK pulled out because the PA was in violation of its agreements (again).
- The PA says that it will release the prisoners.
- Israel can not allow these people to be released, so they move in and transfer them to an Israeli jail.
- Prisoners receive 3 meals a day in a secure compound.

Glad that is sorted.

[Omri Ceren]

At this point, I'm not sure it matters - but the anchor was wrong even on the whole "defenseless" thing. The prisoners broke into the prison armory - they were quite well-armed.

[Alexandra]

Of course Israel acted correctly. Saadat was in the Palestinian prison due to the agreement made which involved international monitors. Those governments have been telling Abbas for months that the facility is no longer safe, that they do not feel their people are safe, and that they will be forced to pull out if the government does nothing to restore the rule of law.

Abbas' brazen answer was that Saadat and the other 4 will be released anyway, and ignored the warnings by the Brits, US and Israel. He is now irate because Israel did not idly stand by and allow a mickey mouse process to take place which would have cost Israel more in deploying troops, and by having to instigate ridiculous country wide searches for a criminal who murdered an Israeli official.

It is about time the terrorist government in Palestine realized that they will be dealt with harshly if they play silly buggers, and are arrogant to think Israel and the rest of the world will stand by and watch.

Sovereignty, what flipping sovereignty. You cannot just win an election thinking this entitles you to act like a bandit, break all the rules, and all the agreements the previous government made. This is the right message for Israel to send, this is not a terrorist game, and if you play by terrorist rules you will be treated as such, and not as a recognized government with sovereignty rights.

[Washington]

One can seize the moment to inveigh against Israel. A careful look at the situation, not involving emotion but reason, leads the thoughful person to conclude that Israel acted correctly.

[DavidByron]

Unintentional humour that time, but I'll take it. Thanks :)

[North by Northwest]

David,

[roaring with laughter] I love your black sense of humor. The best sarcasm yet. You are of course not serious--sorry for stating the blindingly obvious. LOL.

[Stefan]

Of course we all know that the Palestinians always have a good reason for killing...in the childlike simplicity of a Marxist worldview where the world is divided into only two categories: the “oppressors” and the “oppressed”. Any action taken by the “oppressed” is justified a priori no matter how vile

[DavidByron]

Israel criminally shooting up Palestinians is hardly news. That CNN might not bless it, certainly is.

I assume from what you wrote than none of the Palestinians have been found guilty of anything. So Israel murders and kills a bunch of people to force the Palestinian puppet government to lock up some prisoners of conscience (political prisoners held without trial). These political prisoners are held for 4 years. Then Israel suddenly decides to kill some more people because... what? They decided they want to torture them perhaps? "Just because"? The motivation isn't clear but when did Israel ever need an excuse for killing Palestinians?