Dear HonestReporting Member,
Shahada Dadis, 30, was gunned down on Wednesday while making deliveries of medical supplies to Palestinian towns on the West Bank. A Christian Arab from eastern Jerusalem, Dadis was probably murdered by Fatah gunmen who mistook him for an Israeli Jew — disregarding that the vehicle bore the symbol of their own Red Crescent.
Fatah “took credit” for another 3 murders this week, including that of American citizen Avi Boaz, age 72, who was kidnapped and murdered at a Palestinian Authority checkpoint in Bethlehem, as PA policemen witnessed the kidnapping but did not intervene.
Who’s behind this murder spree? While the leader of Fatah is none other than Yasser Arafat, the commander and “secretary general” of the terrorist organization is Marwan Barghouti, the author of an op-ed column in Wednesday’s Washington Post.
Barghouti’s column, “Want Security? End the Occupation,” is replete with lies, threats, distortion of history, and justification of terrorism.
We wonder whether The Washington Post would print a similar piece of propaganda from one of Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist chieftains. Yes, the Post identifies Barghouti as an elected member of the moribund Palestinian National Council, but by his own words, Barghouti is a warlord who has chosen the way of the bullet, not the ballot.
Barghouti opened his column accusing Israel of “assassinat[ing] Fatah activist Raed Karmi” and stok[ing] the flames of unrest [to] avoid a return to peace negotiations.”
Barghouti does not reveal, of course, that Karmi was one of his own lieutenants, a terrorist personally and directly murdered 9 Israelis in a string of shootings and bombings.
Barghouti claims that his acts of “resistance” are aimed only against the Israeli “occupation,” but Karmi’s own words to CNN prove Fatah’s terrorism inside Israel’s pre-1967 armistice lines. On August 23, 2001, Karmi boasted in a CNN interview: “We train the teenagers to carry out terrorist attacks inside Israeli territory. We train 17- and 18-year-olds to attack settlers, kidnap soldiers from inside Israel.”
In the Washington Post, Barghouti defends the importation of weapons, such as those captured on the Karine-A: “[Israel] should not be surprised when Palestinians seek defensive weapons to bring [its] aircraft down.”
As documented by HonestReporting earlier this week, the smuggling of weapons is an abrogation of agreements and commitments Arafat made since Oslo. And weapons such as C4 and katyushas are not defensive; they are the quintessential tools for mass terrorism, able to strike at Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion airport.
Lastly, and most seriously, Barghouti shifts the blame for violence onto Israel. The only way for Israel to achieve security, he claims, is “to end the 35-year-old Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.” Israel offered precisely that in Camp David negations in 2000, and that is precisely what Arafat and Barghouti rejected with their terrorist assaults.
But in an interview with The New Yorker magazine (July 9, 2001), Barghouti called for the phased annihilation of Israel. Barghouti was asked: If you get 100 percent of the territories, will that end the conflict? “Then we could talk about bigger things,” Barghouti said.
If you believe The Washington Post editors showed poor judgment in printing Barghouti’s manifesto, write to the editor at:
[email protected]
—– MSNBC WHITEWASHES BARGHOUTI —–
Another inappropriate portrayal of Barghouti appeared on MSNBC.com, under a column entitled “Filling Arafat’s Shoes.” MSNBC describes Barghouti as:
“One of the most popular figures of the current Palestinian uprising… [He] has struck a chord with ordinary Palestinians… Barghouti has denied accusations that he participates in military operations.”
Despite MSNBC’s contention that Barghouti has no military role, the facts reveal otherwise. As Fatah commander, Barghouti is in charge of directing literally thousands of violent acts against Israelis, including selecting the targets and providing the weapons.
In March 2001, Barghouti announced that any Israeli journalist who entered PA areas would be killed. And the Associated Press, after interviewing Barghouti, reports: “Barghouti said he considers any Israeli in the West Bank and Gaza a legitimate target…” (November 19, 2001)
If you believe that MSNBC misrepresented Barghouti’s military involvement, write to:
[email protected]
We don’t recommend complaining to MSNBC’s Michael Moran. The last time we complained, he lashed out and called HonestReporting members “abusive… idiots… irresponsible… baseless… poisoned…” and a variety of expletives too vile to print.
Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias.
And for a little relief, read how Wall Street Journal readers help Yasser Arafat come up with funny explanations for the shipload of weapons.
HonestReporting.com
