RUTHFULLY YOURS

AKCAKALE, Turkey — For the wife of the gunman accused of killing four people at a kosher super market in Paris 10 days ago, the escape from questioning about complicity in the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks was relatively easy.

Once Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, got to Turkey, she followed the path of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other European jihadi volunteers before her – into the self-declared Islamic State.

Aided by smugglers in the Turkish border town of Akcakale, and several companions, she walked through a disused border crossing on Jan. 8 and into the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, which has been an Islamic State stronghold for months.

Note: The purpose of this two-part article is to examine whether Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority, is really as moderate is we have been led to believe. Part 1 will be a straightforward analysis of Fatah’s own official symbols to determine whether Fatah is really moderate (or not). Part 2 will be a chronological review and analysis of recent statements and actions of Mahmoud Abbas and/or the current Fatah leadership to help further answer the question “Is Fatah is really moderate?”

Introduction

Why is this question about Fatah even important? We’ve been hearing a lot in the news lately about Fatah and/or Mahmoud Abbas, including 1) the on-again/off-again unification of Fatah and Hamas, 2) the ongoing efforts at the United Nations to create a Palestinian State, and 3) recent announcements that the Palestinians intend to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Moderate or not, the influence of Fatah vis-à-vis Israel will be dramatic in 2015 and beyond. Clearly, this is important not only for the future stability of Israel, the “Two-State Solution” and the entire Middle East, but for American (and the West) as well.

More specifically, why is it so important for America and the West to understand the long- and short-term strategy and tactics of Fatah? Because on March 21, 2013, President Obama stated, “Of course, Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with anyone who is dedicated to its destruction. But while I know you have had differences with the [Fatah-controlled] Palestinian Authority, I believe that you do have a true partner in President Abbas.”

A 120-page research paper entitled “No-Go Zones in the French Republic: Myth or Reality?” documented dozens of French neighborhoods “where police and gendarmerie cannot enforce the Republican order or even enter without risking confrontation, projectiles, or even fatal shootings.”

In October 2011, a 2,200-page report, “Banlieue de la République” (Suburbs of the Republic) found that Seine-Saint-Denis and other Parisian suburbs are becoming “separate Islamic societies” cut off from the French state and where Islamic Sharia law is rapidly displacing French civil law.

The report also showed how the problem is being exacerbated by radical Muslim preachers who are promoting the social marginalization of Muslim immigrants in order to create a parallel Muslim society in France that is ruled by Sharia law.

The television presenter asks: “What if we went to the suburbs?” Obertone replies: “I do not recommend this. Not even we French dare go there anymore. But nobody talks about this in public, of course. Nor do those who claim, ‘long live multiculturalism,’ and ‘Paris is wonderful!’ dare enter the suburbs.”