PA Duplicity: Talk Peace to Israelis and Terror to Palestinians

From Palestinian Media Watch:

Palestinian Media Watch has for years documented the duplicity of the Palestinian Authority leadership, which sends a peaceful message to the world media and hate and terror message to its own people in Arabic.

A new example was documented this week, involving Palestinian Legislative Council member Qadura Faras. Faras has been a prominent supporter of the "Geneva Initiative," an unofficial peace proposal drafted in 2003 by a group of leftist Israelis led by Yossi Beilin and Palestinians, and appears on the Geneva Initiative website, conveying a message of peace to Israelis.

However, when Faras recently addressed Palestinians, he used his speech to honor and praise a terrorist who murdered 10 Israelis. He further spoke in memory of one he called a "Shahid" [martyr for Allah], a term that places blame for his death on Israel - even though he had died of cancer in an Israeli prison. Finally, he pledged to continue in the path of these terrorists. This is a totally different Qadura Faras than the one promoting peace on the "Geneva Initiative" web site.

The following are the transcripts of these two irreconcilable messages - the first to Palestinians, and the second to Israelis.

Faras addressing Palestinians:

"[Palestinian] Legislative Council Member Qadura Fares ... spoke on behalf of the Fatah Movement. He emphasized the continuation of the struggle until the freeing of all of the Palestinian territories from the filth of the occupation, and establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Fares blessed the prisoners behind bars, and in particular mentioned the imprisoned fighter, "The Sniper" Tha'ir Hamed, who carried out the ... operation that led to the killing and injuring of several of the occupation soldiers. [In fact, three Israeli civilians and seven soldiers were murdered in the terrorist attack - Ed.]

"Fares mentioned the good traits of the shahids [Martyrs for Allah, which in PA usage includes suicide terrorists], while clarifying their role in defending the homeland, fending off the aggression, and resisting the occupation. Faras said, 'We are all going in the way of Ziad Hamed, the Shahid of Silwad, until the fulfillment of the goal for which he became a shahid... [Hamed died of cancer while in an Israeli prison - Ed.]."

[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, January 5, 2006]

Faras addressing Israelis [Geneva Initiative website]:

"It is always asked, do you [Israelis] have a partner on the other side. I am telling you with full sincerity, we are ready to reach an inclusive agreement with you, which will promise us freedom and liberty and statehood, and will promise you the thing we know you are sensitive to, which is your full right to live in peace and security. The question is: Are you ready for this?" [Geneva Initiative Website]

Folks, Faras is just another palestinian example of the mendacity, criminality, and thievery that pollutes Middle Eastern discourse.