We keep hearing the same old rhetoric used to describe the new and improved moderate Fatah government: "New Government," "New Opportunity," "Fresh Start," etc. PA and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas continues to play his role in this ugly game to perfection. In the true spirit of "moderation," he has outlawed all weapons that are not in the hands of his Security Service (S.S.). "Abbas bans carrying explosives, arms without license in W. Bank," from Ha’aretz :
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday outlawed all armed Palestinian groups except for the official PA security services."On the basis of the declaration of a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories, and by virtue of my authority, all armed militias, groups and brigades that do not belong in practice to the security services shall be treated as illegal organizations," read the first order.
The order forbade such groups to conduct any activity, whether secret or public, and said that criminal investigations would be opened against anyone caught participating in such activity.
"The government must halt the phenomenon of armed groups, prevent the bearing of arms and confiscate guns, explosives and any type of weaponry purchased illegally, since they endanger the public order," the decree continued.
Needless to say, the point is moot. In "Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad Ignore Weapons Prohibition" in INN, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (a Fatah group) had this to say about the weapons ban:
The Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade, which is linked to Abbas’s Fatah, was among those to announce an intention to keep their weapons. Zacharia Zubeidi, the group’s head in Jenin, said, “Abu Mazen [a/k/a Abbas] meant the illegal weapons owned by criminal organizations, but our weapons are legitimate—the weapons of the resistance organizations.” Another wanted terrorist, Abu Aziz, called Abbas’s proclamation “irresponsible,” but said he would consider turning in his weapons if Israel would guarantee his safety.
In fact, a spokesman from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade today denied there ever was an order to disarm. This from "Terrorists deny Abbas' disarm claims" by Aaron Klein for WND:
TEL AVIV – Members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' declared military wing, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, today denied claims by Abbas he asked the terror group to turn in their weapons, stating officials instead have encouraged them to continue their "resistance" activities."No one from Abbas' office ever asked us to disarm," Nasser Abu Aziz, the deputy commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern West Bank, told WND. "We will never disarm until all issues are settled, including a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Jerusalem and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees."
Abu Yousuf, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Ramallah, told WND Abbas' claims the Brigades will disarm "are more of a message meant for the Israelis, the Americans and the international community."
"No one (from Abbas' office) addressed a single member of the Brigades and asked us to turn in our weapons," he said.
"A message for the West" is a common thread here. Say one thing and do the opposite. Whatever it takes to keep the cash flowing. And the West falls for it again and again.
One down. Hamas also cordially refused. "Hamas dismisses Abbas decree to ban all armed militia," from Xinhuanet:
Abu Obaida, spokesman of Hamas' military wing the al-Qassam Brigades, said President Mahmoud Abbas' decree was "mere ink on paper and doesn't worth the ink that was used to write it." "The resistance groups will not wait any decree when they go to combat the invasion and no one has the right to determine the groups' future as long as the occupation remains in place," said Abu Obaida.
So much for Abbas and his plans. As if he actually has a chance of enforcing this edict. As usual, it’s all smoke and mirrors. A pretty facade for Western consumption. Hi Mom…send money.
And what has Fatah been up to recently….conveniently ignored by the MSM? "Fatah combatants launch an RPG at an Israeli military base on Gaza's border," from Ma’an News Agency :
Date: 26 / 06 / 2007 Time: 21:00 Gaza – Ma’an – The Fatah-affiliated Al Buraq Army announced that they launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the Israeli military position at Karni Crossing, between Israel and the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.“We are retaliating for Israeli aggression and assassinations and will stick to the choice of resistance,” said the brigades in a statement.
More Fatah activity: "Fatah and Hamas-affiliated fighters claim involvement in fighting Israeli forces in southern Gaza," from Ma’an News Agency :
Date: 27 / 06 / 2007 Time: 12:33 Gaza - Ma'an - The Fatah-affiliated Al Buraq Army has claimed to have been involved in a gunfight with Israeli Special Forces in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.
The guns are not only still out there, but they are now pointed at Israel. RPG’s as well. I guess Olmert’s goodwill gestures weren’t rich enough.
The MSM still refuses to cover any Fatah hostilities -- to do so would surely interrupt the lovefest. As long as the naughty bits are swept under the rug, the West (and Israel) can continue to satisfy their undying hunger for appeasement.
We’ve been down this road before and nothing was accomplished. In fact, the situation is much worse. Iran -- that is, Hamas -- rules Gaza, and it seems like only a matter of time before the West Bank falls as well.
Why does anyone think that supporting the "moderate" Jihadists will work now?
Crossposted from The American Israeli Patriot.
So much for backing the democratically elected government of Palestine.
If this had happened in Iran, or say may be North Korea or Cuba. We would call them freedom fighters. Instead we are doing business with Fatah, an organization we would not even recognize two years ago.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Is this the same kind of democracy that we brought to Iraq?
"Mahmoud Abbas continues to play his role in this ugly game to perfection..."
-- from the article above
The Ministry of Photographic Propaganda. It's always been an important part of "Palestinian" propaganda. It plays or played its role in the "constructon of 'Palestinian' identity" project (Current President: Rashid Khalidi), which started after the Six-Day War and had been going like gangbusters, until Bin Laden's attacks and rhetoric, and the unavoidable problem posed to the West by Muslim demands and behavior in Europe, started Westerners to begin to learn about Islam. Photographs of local Arabs engaged in what is described as "Palestinian" folk-dancing -- essentially, the same handful of steps shared with Arabs in Jordan, Lebanon, and even Iraq. But part of that "Palestinian identity" that had to be "constructed" if the Lesser Jihad against Israel were to be re-packaged into the more acceptable "two tiny peoples, etc." business.
Then there are the careful staged pictures, whereby, whenever the Israelis would raid a home, to capture a terrorist, at least one wife would be sure to have a small child in her arms, and surrounded by others, all in a tableau of carefully-staged anguish, the photograph then snapped by some Arab stringer for the Western press -- it never failed. It was always essentially the same picture, because it was always deliberate.
And now Abbas and the corrupt Slow Jihadists of Fatah have two goals. The first is to present themselves as men of Peace, that is to say, quiet and bland technocrats, or possibly Accountants Obsrving Generally-Accepted Accounting Principles. Hence the picture of Abbas's new cabinet, the faces all of the same bland middle-age and casper-milquetoast station, each of them looking like...Mahmoud Abbas. Remember how whenever Saddam Hussein would meet with his generals or even his civilians, they would all look like Saddam Hussein? Well, that's what the Fatah cabinet is all about. We are All Accountants Now. So play the game of "Where's Waldo" with Abbas' cabinet, as you may once have done for that of Saddam Hussein. And don't forget that Abbas was the collaborator, for decades, of Yassir Arafat -- collaborator who was in the know about everything (except possibly where part of the money went), knew and approved of terrorist acts against Israelis, and American diplomats, and Puerto Rican pilgrims at Lod, and a thousand, ten thousand other acts. Remember that Kim Chon Il also looks like a mild-mannered accountant.
But the piece de resistance, I think, in the Fatah Photographic Fictions, appeared the other day. It was a picture with, to the left side, two smartly-dressed Fatah soldiers, tall and good-looking (and above all, smooth cheeks, nothing Islamic about them) and to their right, dominating the scene, a fetching "Palestinian" girl, wearing sandals, and a summer frock, possibly kohl-eyed, looking as no Arab woman in Gaza under bad old Hamas could ever be allowed to look. The picture screamed out: We Are Not Hamas. We Have Nothing To Do With the Fanatics of Islam. Just Look At This Girl (likely a model brought in from Jerusalem or the "West Bank" for the occasion). Perhaps someone can find the original, and post it here -- and then we can all have fun putting up, and analyzing, other examples of the Fatah Ministry of Proopaganda items, and analyze their mastery.
Not exactly photographs in the line of Lartigue, or Cartier-Bresson in purity of intent. More like...Leni Reifenstahl.
Arab democracy is like NAMBLA voting for boy of the year. It's democracy, but a perverse result just the same.
"“Abu Mazen [a/k/a Abbas] meant the illegal weapons owned by criminal organizations, but our weapons are legitimate—the weapons of the resistance organizations.”
....what is the difference between an Illegal Muslim organization and a Muslim resistance organization?......I am looking for a difference and my vision is blurred...
Gun control in a Muslim held land? oooohhh hahahahahahaha....You would have to kill them all to be sure your plan worked....
Dis-arm?? he's only kidding...I think I hear abu Mazen's heliocopter warming up for his sudden departure...
"Saddam's top generals and officials all looked alike because they were all his cousins...
Posted by: ElderlyZionist"
...and I thought he hired lookalikes to foil wouldbe assassins.....
all armed militias, groups and brigades that do not belong in practice to the security services shall be treated as illegal organizations,
I didn't know there were any armed groups that didn't belong to the "security" services.
Learn somthing new everyday.