Leadership

Let's review the condemnation of yesterday's terrorist attack in Jerusalem by the "Palestinian leadership," as translated on its own official website.

“The Palestinian leadership, which has always rejected and condemned the targeting of civilians from both sides, announces its strongest condemnation to the Jerusalem bombing against Israeli civilians.”

Once, just once, it would be interesting to hear one of these condemnations without that equivocation, without reference to "both sides." But leaving that aside, just how strong is this "strongest condemnation?"

The leadership stressed that such attacks severely damages the Palestinian “just cause” and are used by the Israeli government as a pretext to avoid implementing the “roadmap.”

The leadership “stresses that these attacks against civilians are causing severe security, political, and international damage to our people and their just cause, and are used by (the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and his government to reject the ‘roadmap’ and perpetrate more attacks and assassinations against our people,” it said in a statement reported by the official news agency WAFA late Tuesday.

I'm far from the first person to point this out, but it bears repeating. This condemnation is based solely on the damage this "operation" is deemed to have done to the "just cause" of the palestinians. Not on the horrific loss of 20 innocent people, many of them children, not on the sickening implications of a so-called human being deliberately exploding himself on a crowded bus taking worshippers home from prayer. What's to be condemned about this unspeakable act is simply the fact that it gives Israel an "excuse" to continue defending itself. Make no mistake about it. If the atrocities committed by these suicide bombers are seen to be in error by their "leadership," it is for this alone: they tend to generate momentary setbacks to "the cause" by creating sympathy for the necessity of Israeli self-defense.

Keep reading, though, because this "leadership" is well versed in how to snatch victory from the hands of momentary setbacks. For years, it's been clear to them that the presence of international observers would be easy to exploit to their advantage. For years, they've called for such intervention at every opportunity. And what better opportunity to renew this campaign than in the afterglow of a bloodbath instigated, funded and carried out under their own auspices?

Palestinian leadership called on the United States and the Quartet of the US, the UN, the EU and Russia who drafted and adopted the “roadmap” to quickly intervene to stop the dangerous security and political deterioration, and to send international observers to monitor the implementation of the peace plan.

“The Palestinian leadership, while condemning the Jerusalem attack, calls upon the international community, the US administration, and the Quartet to intervene immediately to stop this security and political deterioration” the leadership’s statement said.

“The leadership has called and still calling for sending international observers and establishing a firm and effective international monitoring to both sides’ implementation of the ‘roadmap’ and to maintain peace and honor the signed agreements,” the statement concluded.

On January 27, 2002, a woman named Wafa Idris exploded herself in the heart of Jerusalem, killing an 81 year old man and injuring dozens. The "Palestinian leadership" also "strongly condemned" that attack (and called for the immediate return of General Zinni to save them from Israeli retribution). Today, that same "palestinian leadership" broadcasts television announcements praising Idris for her heroic act and proudly names children's summer camps after her. Despite their phony "condemnations," the PA has honored each and every suicide bomber as a martyr, a shahid, one who has died for the glory of Allah. The same will be true of this one.

So while the "condemnations" hiss from the mouths of the PA today, watch for the posters and announcements and reverent memorials that will shortly appear to honor the martyr turd Raed Abdel-Hamid Masq who blew up the #2 bus last night. In the meantime, I'll try to concentrate on the memory of his victims, like Goldie Taubenfeld and her 5 month old son Shmuel, who will all too soon be forgotten by the world at large.

No? Pinhas Tokatli. He was the man Wafa Idris murdered. I was several blocks away when it happened. But I had to look up his name.