Your editorial (“’Even Hitler,’ Says Palestinian President,” Sept. 7, 2023) is right to note the virulent antisemitism of Mahmoud Abbas, who heads both the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement. For decades, Abbas has spewed antisemitic propaganda. So has the Palestinian Authority, whose official media and educational arms actively promote anti-Jewish violence.
These actions violate both the terms and spirit of the Oslo Accords, which birthed the PA in the hopes that it would be a “partner for peace.” But they are far from the only violations.
The PA has failed to prevent the rise of terrorist groups under the areas that it controls. Indeed, not only has Fatah praised recent terrorist attacks, elements of Fatah, notably the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, have perpetrated them.
Members of the PA’s Security Forces, trained and backed by the United States, have also carried out attacks throughout the years. This too is a violation of Oslo, in which Palestinian leaders promised to renounce terrorism and to resolve outstanding issues with Israel in bilateral negotiations. They have failed to do so. Yet, instead of meeting with consequences, these transgressions have been overlooked by multiple U.S. administrations, including the current one.
The PA isn’t a peace partner. Three decades after its creation, it is time to stop pretending like it wants to be one.
Sean Durns
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis
Washington D.C.
(Note: A slightly different version of this letter appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 13, 2023, as “Running Out of Excuses for Abbas’s Hatred)