Writing in yesterday’s New York Times, James Bennet reported on Mahmoud Abbas’s address Saturday to Palestinian high school and college students:
In his remarks, Mr. Abbas said, “What has been achieved here is due to the martyrs.” But he repeatedly urged Palestinians to focus on building. . . .
At one point, a handful of young men in the audience chanted, “To Jerusalem we are going as martyrs in our millions.” Yasir Arafat, Mr. Abbas’s predecessor, had used this theme at times. By contrast, Mr. Abbas on Saturday looked down at the papers on his desk, and the young men fell silent.
He credits what has been achieved to martyrs — in a speech to students. The students start chanting “martyrs in our millions” and he looked down at his papers.
What an improvement on Arafat.
Bennet apparently believes Abbas’s reference to martyrs was an isolated tribute. He must have missed Abbas’s speech from the day before, as reported in the Jerusalem Post:
"We must remember that our achievements are the result of the sacrifices of the martyrs," he told thousands of supporters who gathered to greet him. "The martyrs have paved the road for us.
“The sacrifices of the martyrs, the wounded and the detainees, made the occupation leave Gaza and evacuate the settlements.”
I’m sure Abbas is just saying this for domestic political consumption, and his true feelings are reflected in his statements in English. At least that’s how the story went the first time I saw this movie.
Reprising his supporting role is Dennis Ross, with his perennial message about the never-ending opportunity confronting the Palestinians. As he told Fox News on Thursday:
This is a real opportunity for the Palestinians to prove to the world and to the Israeli public that they can be a partner, that they can govern themselves, that they can assume responsibilities and fulfill them. But Abu Mazen, in fact, is going to have to be more decisive and he’s going to have to act against those, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that might, in fact, decide that they’re going to carry out continuing resistance, as they call it, continuing violence. Hamas has already declared they will not surrender their weapons and they will continue with resistance.
You can just imagine the meeting between Abbas and Hamas: he calls them into a room, listens to them assert the achievements are the result of the martyrs, the martyrs have paved the road, the martyrs made the Israelis leave.
And Abbas will look down at his papers; he can hardly disagree.