His statement in Arabic, in response to the release of 20 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a video proving that Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit is alive, counters his statements to Western leaders that outstanding issues with Israel will be resolved through negotiations, not violence.
11,000 terrorists are currently in Israeli prisons for terrorism-related offenses of various degrees. The PA has demanded that Israel release all of them, including mass murderers and planners of suicide terror who are serving multiple life sentences.
In the past, Abbas has emphasized his identification with imprisoned terrorists. In a February 2005 interview, he stressed that during the Terror War (Intifada), he was personally responsible for sending today's imprisoned terrorists on their missions against Israelis.
He euphemistically used the word "resistance" for the terror missions he directed:
"I sent my son, brother or others to carry out the duty of the resistance."
Earlier in the interview he emphasized that the terrorists did what "we, we, [the PA] ordered them to do."
In the five-year terror war orchestrated by Arafat and Abbas, which was based primarily on suicide terror against civilians in buses and restaurants, more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered.
In a different interview, Abbas sent "greetings of honor and esteem" to Palestinian terrorist murderers, as he singled out some of the most notorious killers.
To see Abbas acknowledging responsibility for sending terrorists, click here:
Following is the transcript of Abbas acknowledging responsibility for terrorists:
"I demand [the release] of prisoners because they are human beings, who did what we, we, ordered them to do. We, the [Palestinian] Authority.
They should not be punished while we sit at one table negotiating...
This is war. One (Israel) ordered a soldier to kill and I ordered my son, brother, or others, to carry out the duty of resistance (euphemism for terror).
This person killed and the other person killed.
So why say this person's hands are stained with blood, and must be kept in prison."
[PATV (Fatah), Feb. 14, 2005]
To see Abbas honoring terrorist murderers, click here:
Following is the transcript of Abbas honoring terrorist murderers:
"I send greetings of honor and esteem to all prisoners in the occupation's jails. First of all to the veterans, and to chief prisoner Sa'id 'Ataba [life sentence for murder in terror attack.] And to the [imprisoned] political leaders: Marwan Barghouthi [five life sentences for murder in terror attacks,] Ahmad Sa'adat [life sentence for murdering Israeli Minister of Tourism, Rehavam Zeevi] 'Aziz Duick, chairman of the Palestinian Parliament, Hamas] Jamal Huweil [life sentence for planning terror attacks], Jamal Tirawi [life sentence for murder in a café suicide attack]: Greetings to you from our people."
[PATV (Fatah), March 17, 2008]
Read the recent PMW bulletin on the Palestinian kidnapping-for-hostage policy
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Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli NGO, studies Palestinian society by monitoring, translating and analyzing Palestinian media and schoolbooks.
Specifically, PMW focuses on the messages conveyed by the Palestinian Authority and by the Fatah and Hamas parties through the media and educational systems under their control. www.palwatch.org
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