Speaking of organizations worthy of support, I just re-discovered this MEMRI Special Dispatch from last month. It consists of excerpts from a recent interview with much-touted "moderate," new PLO chairman and presumptive palestinian president-to-be Mahmoud Abbas published in a Jordanian newspaper. Some selections:
I think now that that the Intifada in its entirety was a mistake and it should not have continued, and in particular what is called 'the militarization of the Intifada '…"
It's statements of this nature that have earned Abbas his reputation as a moderate. But read further:
"[At Camp David] We succeeded in convincing Clinton that there are Palestinians who have the right of return and that that is a right that they may opt to exercise, as is the right to reparations. We explained all of the details and we proposed to start with [the refugees in] Lebanon. In addition, we asked [then State Attorney] Elyakim Rubinstein about the Absentee Property Fund, and he admitted that Israel 'axed it' in a cabinet decision. I said to him: 'If that's the case, then Hitler's decisions were right.' This tells you something about the kind of reasoning and dialogue that went on with the Israeli side at Camp David…"
It also tells you something about the "moderate" mentality of Mahmoud Abbas. (Never mind that Abbas is infamous for having claimed that those "decisions" are merely Zionist fiction.)
And then there's this profoundly confused and clueless response:
Question: "You constantly emphasize that fulfilling this international demand [for reform] will jumpstart the situation [in the PA], so why does Arafat stubbornly refuse?"Abbas: "If this will happen and there will be a reexamination of how to regulate security affairs, and there will be elections, then I tell you Abu Ammar will be visiting the White House within five months."
This is the leadership with whom a new chance for peace looms on the horizon? Hardly.
