Abbas: Recognizing Israel not required

Abbas: Recognizing Israel not required
Speaks of peace with Rice, but states opposite in Arabic interview

Fresh from claiming in a meeting last week with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he will demand Hamas recognize the existence of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in an Arabic-language interview neither Hamas nor his own Fatah party is required to recognize the Jewish state.

"Hamas is not required, Hamas is not required to recognize Israel. ... It is not required of Hamas, nor of Fatah, nor of the Popular Front (for the Liberation of Palestine) to recognize Israel," Abbas told the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya satellite television network last week according to a translation by the Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch monitor group.

Abbas and Hamas the past few months have been negotiating the possibility of forming a national unity government in part to end international sanctions imposed on the PA after Hamas won the majority of parliamentary seats earlier this year. But Abbas has said the unity talks fell through because of Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas have been clashing in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria the past week.

The U.S. and Europe label Hamas a terror group while Fatah largely is considered "moderate," in part for its purported willingness to accept Israel. The U.S. has given large sums of financial aid and weapons to Fatah since late Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Peace Accords with the Jewish state in 1993.

In a meeting in Ramallah with Rice last week, Abbas said he would demand Hamas recognize Israel as a precondition for establishing a unity government.

Rice in turn told reporters at a press conference alongside Abbas that the U.S. would find ways to help the PA president. She said she had "great admiration" for Abbas' leadership and for what she said was his "willingness" to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

"You have the strong commitment of the United States to that cause and the personal commitment of me and the personal commitment of the president," Rice told Abbas.

But Abbas explained to Al-Arabiya that Fatah itself has never officially recognized Israel.

"The PLO, in 1993, recognized Israel as Israel recognized the PLO. Every person has the right to say 'I do not recognize.' Okay? It's your right. It is the right of every organization," said Abbas.

The PLO was the official governing body of the Palestinians until the PA was formed following the Oslo Accords. Subsequent Israeli-Palestinian agreements were signed officially by the Fatah-led PA but not by Fatah as a party.

Still, Fatah leaders, including Abbas, have made scores of statements recognizing the Jewish state.

But Abbas told Al-Arabiya such stated recognition was necessary to deal with "every day" Palestinian matters. He explained his recognition only extends to Israeli political counterparts, but not to Israel itself.

"The (Palestinian) government which will be formed, and which will function opposite the Israelis on a daily basis ... [every hour and perhaps every second, there will be contact between Palestinian ministers and Israeli ministers. And I ask] how can this government, or these ministers, not recognize their counterparts, and then solve people's problems?"

As an example of the need to recognize Israeli politicians, Abbas referenced nearly $500 million in tax revenues intended for the PA but put on hold by Israel after Hamas was elected.

"The Palestinian finance minister has to come to an agreement with the Israeli finance minister about the transfer of the money. So how can he make an agreement with him if he does not recognize him?"

Abbas' latest statements follow a WND exclusive interview last week in which a Fatah member and terror group leader explained the PA president's acceptance of Israel is a "political calculation" aimed ultimately at destroying the Jewish state.

"The base of our Fatah movement keeps dreaming of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jaffa and Acco," said Abu Ahmed, Fatah member and leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip.

"There is no change in our position. Abbas recognizes Israel because of pressure that the Zionists and the Americans are exercising on him. We understand this is part of his obligations and political calculations," Abu Ahmed said.

The Brigades is the declared "military wing" of Abbas' Fatah party. Together with the Islamic Jihad terror group, the Brigades has taken responsibility for every suicide bombing inside Israel the past two years, including an attack in Tel Aviv in April that killed an American teenager and nine Israelis. The Brigades also has carried out scores of deadly shooting and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians in recent months.

Brigades leaders are members of Fatah. The terror group's founder, Marwan Barghouti, is an elected Fatah official and largely is considered one of the most popular Fatah figures. Several top Brigades members serve in Abbas' Force 17 personal security detail.

'Al Aqsa Brigades loyal to Abbas'

The U.S. State Department considers the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades a terror organization.

A State Department spokesman last week told WND the Brigades is "separate" from Abbas' Fatah party.

But Abu Ahmed explained his Brigades group is "one and the same" with the Fatah party.

"We are members of Fatah, and there are normal organic relations between us and the Fatah. We are in the Al Aqsa Brigades because we are Fatah members. We participate in all political decisions-making of the Fatah movement."

Abu Ahmed said Brigades members consider Abbas their legitimate leader and answer ultimately to the PA president.

"Of course we are loyal to Abbas. He is our elected leader. We would of course prefer if his policy toward Israel was different, but we understand his obligations and calculations, and we do not consider ourselves limited by these calculations," the terror leader said.

Abu Ahmed explained the difference between Hamas and Fatah is that the Fatah party "is ready to discuss a political arrangement for the Jews."

But he said any arrangement must include the "right of return" of millions of Palestinians to Israel.

"We demand [any agreement with Israel] be based upon the principles that the great majority of our people support and first of all the right of return to the refugees, which mean that there cannot be any recognition of the Zionist entity.

"If any Palestinian government will dare sign a deal without this it means that this government has decided to throw away the fate and destiny of more than four million Palestinian refugees, and we cannot accept this."

The "right of return" is widely seen by Israelis as a ploy to flood Israel with millions of Palestinians, thus threatening the country's Jewish character.

Israel has a population of about 6.9 million; about 5.3 million are Jewish; nearly 1.3 million are Arab. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria claim a population of 3.8, but recent studies found the current Palestinian population may be inflated by up to 50 percent, with some major cities even being counted twice.

Abu Ahmed pointed to recent opinion polls showing upwards of 70 percent of the Palestinian public does not support Israel's right to exist.

He warned if the PA concludes an agreement with Israel that does not include the "right of return," it will result in civil war.

"We will fight such a government that would make an agreement (without the "right of return"), even if this may lead to a civil war. We are, of course, not interested in such a war, but we want to ensure that any political process does not give up any of our holy principles," Abu Ahmed said.