Exclusive: Bruce Phillips concludes 2-part analysis of 50-year-old Fatah party
Published: 15 hours ago 16 Note: This is Part 2 of an article examining whether or not the Palestinian party Fatah is really as moderate is we have been led to believe. Part I provided an analysis of Fatah’s own trademark logos and posters. Part 2 will examine some of the recent statements and actions of Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas and current Fatah leadership.
Introduction A revealing irony came to light while writing this article. The West is debating whether it is appropriate to publish (or even show) the post-attack issue of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, which includes a caricature of Muhammad. At the same time, Muslim leaders from several countries have issued explicit warnings about the consequences of publishing such images. In fact, after Friday prayers on Jan. 16, 2015, Muslims across the Middle Eastern marched and protested against the new Charlie Hebdo cartoon, while several countries issued warnings that the drawing could “fuel hatred.” Meanwhile, this is all happening while Fatah observes its 50th anniversary by posting images and/or issuing statements that are orders-of-magnitude more violent than any Charlie Hebdo cartoon, but without any discernible response from the Western media, let alone the Islamic world.
The ‘moderate’ Mahmoud Abbas
In one form or another, Mahmoud Abbas has been the leader of Fatah, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and/or the PLO since 2003, when the U.S. refused to conduct any further peace negotiations with Yasser Arafat. Often described as a “moderate” alternative, Mr. Abbas has frequently renounced violence and terror, but has nonetheless remained complicit as other members of Fatah and/or the PA maintain an intense campaign of provocation and incitement to violence.