The US recycles demands of the PA, will US ignore PA violations as in the past?
The US recycles demands of the PA,
will US ignore PA violations as in the past?
- Identical demands made by the Obama administration were ignored by the PA:
- Commit to non-violence,
- Recognize the State of Israel,
- Accept previous agreements (including ending incitement)
- The PA violations as delineated in a Congressional hearing were ignored by the Obama administration. These same violations continue daily.
- Will the new administration likewise ignore the PA's violations?
By Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Last month, Jason Greenblatt, the US' special representative for international negotiations, announced US President Trump's demands of the Palestinian Authority.
These demands are identical in essence and in language to former US president Obama's demands as expressed by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Congress at a Congressional hearing:
Clinton 2009 | Greenblatt 2017 |
| "We [the US] will only work with a Palestinian Authority government that unambiguously and explicitly accepts the Quartet's principles: a commitment to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Road Map..." (which included the conditions that "All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel," and that "the PA security apparatus begins... dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.") | "The United States reiterates the importance of adherence to the Quartet principles: Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties - including to disarm terrorists - and commit to peaceful negotiations..." |
| Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Ops, April 23, 2009 | Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, statement Oct. 19, 2017 |
Following Clinton's statement in 2009, the PA "unambiguously and explicitly" continued to violate all of Obama's conditions as expressed by Clinton, but the US ignored all the violations and continued funding the Palestinian Authority. Under the new administration, PMW has already documented hundreds of violations of Trump's conditions as expressed by Greenblatt, yet the US continues to see the PA as a peace partner and continues funding it. This while:
- The PA "unambiguously and explicitly" supports, glorifies and rewards violence and terror; and refuses to disarm terrorists (they just don't call them terrorists)
- The PA "unambiguously and explicitly" rejects recognition of Israel
- The PA "unambiguously and explicitly" incites against Israel, uses hate speech, Antisemitic imagery, and demonizes Jews and Israelis
1. The PA has not renounced violence. When appearing before foreign audiences, PA officials express their commitment to peace. However, when addressing their own population in Arabic, the PA and Abbas' party Fatah continue to glorify terrorist murderers and
promote violence. Despite international criticism, the PA has vowed to continue paying salaries to convicted terrorists and murderers, and continue to stress that the use of violence - "the armed struggle" - is a "legitimate means" authorized by international resolutions.
Fatah official Abbas Zaki recently reiterated that "the weapons are pure":
"The weapons of the resistance are pure... Whoever harms the weapons is not a patriot... [but is treated] as a traitor... Let these weapons multiply."
[Alam, local Hebron radio station, Nov. 9, 2017]
2. The PA does not recognize Israel. When appearing before foreign audiences, PA officials express their commitment to the "two state solution." However, internally, the PA and Fatah leaders continue to refer to all of Israel as "Palestine," deny Israel's right to exist, and portray to Palestinians a future without Israel.
Official PA maps, including those used in the PA education system, ignore and negate Israel's very existence, as does this one posted on Facebook by the Palestinian Government:
3. The PA has not ended incitement against Israel as was part of the conditions in the Road Map. When speaking internationally, PA officials express their respect for Israelis and Jews. However, when addressing Palestinians, PA and Fatah officials and their controlled media outlets demonize Israelis, spread libels about them, and make Antisemitic statements about Jews.
A PA TV host and Abbas' appointee as head of an educational institution stated earlier this year that Jews "are usurers... who control the money, the press, and the resources":
"They [the Jews] are usurers. See, the usury money and usurer banks, those who control the money in the world can be counted on one hand - a few individuals - and all of them belong to the Jewish world. They control the media, the money, the press, the resources, the plans."
[Official PA TV, May 1, 2015 and May 12, 2017]
In his statement, listing the US' demands of the PA, Greenblatt also said:"If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements."
The question is: How can the US expect the PA to force the terror organization Hamas to accept and comply with these conditions when the PA itself violates them daily?