What Bush Should Tell Abbas

Hon. Mahmoud Abbas, President
Palestinian Authority
Ramallah

Mr. President:

I was distressed to learn that you have ordered three days of mourning for George Habash, founder and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). You have referred to him as an "historic leader", but to Americans he was a terrorist and murderer.

As an official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), I trust you were fully aware of this man's criminal activities while PFLP was a major component of PLO, but in case you have forgotten them, here is a brief refresher:

1. In late August of 1970 PFLP hijacked four airliners to Jordan and threatened to kill the passengers and crew if Israel did not immediately release certain prisoners. Although the hostages were not killed, they and their families endured days of wrenching anguish while they were held at gun-point. The apparent approval of this tactic by PLO, which continued to welcome PFLP participation, signaled that hijacking aircraft and endangering innocent people were legitimate tools in the struggle for Palestinian rights.
On September 11, 2001, operatives of Al-Qaeda carried this tactic to its logical conclusion by crashing four hijacked American airliners and killing nearly three thousand of my fellow citizens.

2. In May, 1972, PFLP murdered 27 travellers at the Lod Airport.

3. In late June of 1976 PFLP hijacked an Air France airliner to Entebbe, Uganda, where an American Jewish woman was murdered in her hospital bed after Israeli soldiers rescued all other hostages.

Since you have never been accused of personal involvement in terrorist acts, I believed your assurances that you were opposed to terrorism. If so, the death of Dr Habash afforded an appropriate opportunity to remind your people that threatening the lives of travellers was not only deleterious to the prospects of peace, but also morally repugnant. The fact that you have chosen to honor the memory of man who planned and authorized these crimes indicates that you find it necessary to curry the favor of terrorists (and those who support terrorism) among the Palestinian people. This calls into question your resolve to prevent and punish acts of terrorism against Israel after the establishment of a Palestinian State.

As the leader of a nation that has been seriously hurt by terrorism, I cannot tolerate any ambivalence whatsoever on the moral evil of this tactic. Accordingly, I have today signed an Executive Order barring the transfer of weapons made in the United States to Fatah or the Palestinian Authority until further notice. I have also urged the Government of Israel to adopt the same policy.

Yours truly,
/s/
George W Bush
President