This is the Euro attitude - Abu Mazen is a "moderate" they say it every day like it was his first name. He doesn't have to actually show he's a moderate, no no, he's been christened a moderate, and if Israeli civilians should continue to die, well it's obviously nothing to do with him, since he's a "moderate".
Abu Mazen was Arafat's loyal lieutenant for 40 years. Arafat was a terrorist and so was Abu Mazen. Best you can say about him is that his cost-benefit analysis is a little more realistic. He understands that the intifada lost, so he thinks they should stop the suicide bombings. For the moment. Not that there's anything wrong with suicide bombing, mind you, it just isn't working as they'd hoped.
During the campaign, Abu Mazen was endorsed by Fatah and the Al Aqsa Brigades, whom he promised to protect.
This is what gets you labeled as a "moderate" in Palestinian politics. Looks like Arafatism without Arafat to me. Talk peace in English, jihad in Arabic, while demanding immediate concessions for promises you can't or won't fulfill. You're going to have to show me some signs of actual moderation in Arabic to make me believe Abu Mazen is a moderate, without scare quotes. |
