Abu Mazen recently expressed public support for terrorism against Jewish citizens living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. He told the London-based Arabic paper A-Sharq al-Aussat that "all means" were legitimate against Jews living in Yesha. Asked about Abu Mazen's call to murder Jews, ex-Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said, "It doesn't matter what they say." Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson reports that on June 3, 1994, Peres said something similar about Yasser Arafat: "We cannot judge the PLO and its leader just by what he is saying. Would we do so, we would be completely wrong and we would be in trouble." Seven years later, on July 12, 2001, Peres was asked by a Jerusalem Post interviewer if Arafat really wants to make peace. Peres responded, "How do they know what is really happening in the heart of a leader? All they have is words, but that is just part of the story." (Both quotes courtesy of "What Shimon Says," compiled by Roger A. Gerber and Rael Jean Isaac, published in 2001 by Americans for a Safe Israel.)



Waiting For Abu Mazen

The Palestinian Legislative Council voted today, by a large majority, in favor of Abu Mazen's appointment as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli officials said last week that they would reserve judgment on the choice of Abu Mazen until it was ascertained whether he had real authorities or is instead just a puppet of Arafat. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said the same thing today. At present it appears that Arafat will not grant Abu Mazen the right to wage "foreign and security policy," nor the right to make his own cabinet appointments. The PLC is currently debating the question of Abu Mazen's authorities, and the debate will probably continue tomorrow.