Israel News from Jerusalem Newswire

Friday, December 03, 2004 22:33 IST
JNW HEADLINE NEWS

ZOA President Morton Klein said:

“Democracy is not the heart of the problem; the heart of the problem is Palestinian Arab
terrorism, the Palestinian Arabs' commitment to the destruction of Israel, and the Palestinian Authority's promotion of an entire culture of anti-Jewish hatred and violence in its official media, schools, and mosques.”

Klein noted, “This 'hate process' is succeeding - polls show the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs support suicide bombings and other violence against Israel.”

“Although democratic elections are important,” Klein said, “they are not enough when dealing with candidates, and a society, that promote hatred and violence.”

The ZOA chief pointed out both of the leading candidates in the upcoming PA chairmanship election are “mass murderers.”

“How can the election of one of these killers serve the cause of peace?”

Independent candidate and jailed Fatah official Marwan Barghouti is currently serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison for his direct involvement in the terrorist murder of numerous Israeli Jews.

Frontrunner and newly appointed PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas co-founded Fatah with Yasser Arafat, and was the deceased arch-terrorist’s right-hand man for more than four decades.

Violating the ‘Bush doctrine’

But the US State Department said the identity of the candidates was unimportant, and that the administration’s focus was ensuring a smooth election process.

During a Q&A session Thursday, spokesman Richard Boucher evaded a question on the legitimacy of Barghouti’s candidacy.

“I think we need to remember what the big issue is here. And that's working with the Palestinians to ensure that the January 9th presidential election results in an outcome that produces a credible and clear result, that it goes as smoothly as possible,” Boucher said.

At one point Boucher was asked whether or not the administration was concerned that some candidates in the PA election were “convicted murderers.”

Who leads the PA “is ultimately up to the Palestinian people,” he responded.

Boucher said Washington’s interest was in seeing a “Palestinian leadership that can take responsibility, that can stop the terror and violence, that can represent them in discussions and move forward” emerge through “a smooth election.”

“Our goal is not to choose presidential candidates in the Palestinian election. It's not to judge the presidential candidates in the Palestinian election.”

In his June 2002 Middle East policy speech, Bush insisted the “Palestinians” replace their leadership with one “untainted” by terrorism and financial corruption.

Following Thursday’s press conference, it appeared that condition had been dropped in favor of ensuring the appearance of democracy was preserved through January 9.

Prime Minister Barghouti won’t go free

In Jerusalem, Sharon told an annual gathering of newspaper editors that even if Barghouti were elected, Israel would not set him free.

Should Barghouti emerge victorious on January 9, he will be constrained “by the conditions of the prison in which he sits,” Sharon was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post .

Sharon said he hoped the “Palestinians” would elect an leader who would confront anti-Jewish terrorism.

However, the only other serious candidate – Abbas - has publicly and repeatedly stated he has no intention of honoring the PA’s commitment to disarm and dismantle the terrorist organizations.