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PrintJune 9, 2010
Abbas lies to Obama
There they were the two leaders at a press availability in the Oval Office -- President Obama and his guest Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority.
Their remarks followed predictable patterns, but there was one conspicuous disagreement that should have interested reporters covering this event. Here it is in their own words:
PRESIDENT OBAMA--"I was very frank with President Abbas that we have to continue to make progress on both security as well as incitement issues."PRESIDENT ABBAS--"I say in front of you, Mr. President, that we have nothing to do with incitement against Israel, and we're not doing that."
Some chutzpah by Abbas to lie so flagrantly to Obama in the very heart of the White House!
Obama must have at least cursory information about the Palestinian Authority's continued incitement against Israel in its schools, mosques and news media. PA TV repeatedly airs programs that depict all of Palestine -- from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea -- as Palestinian soil, blotting out Israel completely from every square inch of the Middle East. Abbas and the PA, including Prime MInister Fayyad, also continue to glorify some of the bloodiest Palestinian terrorists and suicide bombers as heroic "martyrs" worth emulating by new generations of Palestinians. And at the latest political convention of Fatah, Abbas's party, its terrorist wing -- the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- received ringing endorsements and pledges of support.
Now that Abbas has had the gall to dare tell Obama to his face that he doesn't know what he's talking about, the question is: Will Obama continue to extol Abbas as a worthy peace partner to negotiate a two-state solution, or will he make good on his promise to hold each side publicly accountable when they fail to conform to his own peace-making criteria?
Abbas's lie has put the ball squarely in Obama's court. Or, in this instance, right smack in the Oval Office. What say you now, President Obama?
