Abbas Blames Hamas For Bloodshed

[tekisui]

Source: Al Jazeera

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has blamed Hamas for triggering Israel's deadly raids on Gaza, by not extending a six-month truce with the Jewish state.

He also blamed Hamas, which controls the coastal Gaza Strip territory, for disrupting national unity talks that could have paved the way for general and presidential elections.

"We have warned of this grave danger," he said in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.

"We talked to them and we told them, 'please, we ask you, do not end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop", so that we could have avoided what happened."

However, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said he was "surprised" by Abbas's claim.

"He downplayed the sufferings of our people in Gaza and belittled their pains, providing justification of the holocaust and war waged by Israel," he said.

Abbas, whose Fatah movement has been at loggerheads with Hamas, said maintaining the truce could have helped the Palestinians avoid the raids, which have so far killed more than 280 people over the past two days.

more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008122813459308175.html

[sam sarrha]

1. in Iraq Sadr had a problem controlling the Rogue Terrorists in his army.. he killed them all.

[Mosby]

2. Abbas blames Hamas for bloodshed

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has blamed Hamas for triggering Israel's deadly raids on Gaza, by not extending a six-month truce with the Jewish state.

He also blamed Hamas, which controls the coastal Gaza Strip territory, for disrupting national unity talks that could have paved the way for general and presidential elections.

"We have warned of this grave danger," he said in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.

"We talked to them and we told them, 'please, we ask you, do not end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop", so that we could have avoided what happened."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008122813459308175.html

[EFerrari]

3. Cool. There's the Official Denial. n/t

[Fozzledick]

4. Not that he's unbiased....

but he is just stating the obvious truth.

[EFerrari]

5. LOL!

[Vegasaurus]

6. Of course, but people refuse to accept Hamas's role in this

As if that murderous bunch of thugs is in any way innocent, after shooting 6000 rockets at Israel since Israel left Gaza.

They could have had a prosperous state; instead they have misery and ongoing terrorism.

Blame Hamas for the misery they have wrought on their people.

[MUAD_DIB]

9. And Israel is the hero for blockading Gaza.

"Sure we'll pull out of Gaza, but don't expect anything to come in." ;)

[AnOhioan]

27. Wow 6000

Funny how I read yesterday it was 3000, tommorrow it will be 10,000.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Its not like Hamas did not know the military strike was coming

What caught them by surprise was the timing and forethought. The IAF did a considerably better job that anyone, including themselves, thought they would. Its not just the dead and wounded Hamas personnel its the disruption of thier communications and loss of their material, including heavy weapons.

Hamas could also foresee the casualties by placing as much as they did in civilian areas, including launch sites. I looked at an online video of some of the strikes. Launching sites in residential neighborhoods. Clear military targets with human shields.

[thewiseguy]

7. Too bad, West Bank was not under a blockade

[ProgressiveMuslim]

8. If I had a shoe, I'd throw it at his wooden puppet head.

Cus umak!

[subsuelo]

10. What a good boy he is

Maybe he'll get a treat

[IndianaGreen]

13. Abbas is such a despicable tool of American and Israeli imperialism

that he deserves the same fate as Saddam. Throwing shoes at him is much too kind for his treason!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. Actually Hamas is the tool of the Muslim and Arab nations who have been abusing the

Palestinians for years, making them disposable proxies against Israel.

Hamas has the blood of the people of Gaza on it. They chose a path guaranteed to bring down military intervention from Israel.

[IndianaGreen]

21. Nice use of the Orwellian language so popular among Israel's fascists

Hamas was elected by the Palestinians in Gaza. The rejectionism of Israel and America are mere examples that went it comes to democratic elections, and freedom, there are only slogans to the imperialists.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

23. So you support the 3 state approach?

Hamas lost the popular vote but won the most seats. The PA is the recognized leader of the Palestinians, not Hamas. Furthermore Gaza is not recognized as a sovereign nation. Hamas refused to participate in what should have been a Palestine wide election. They also purged Gaza (Stalin style) of PA members. Their recent poll numbers were Bush like.

Hamas is a picture perfect fascist organization. How can you possibly defend them? I won't sacrifice my progressive principles based on enemy of my enemy crap, especially when there were clearly ways to get Gaza out from under Israel's thumb bloodlessly.

[IndianaGreen]

25. One state solution is best!

Let Israel formalize her annexation of all lands taken in 1967, followed by immediate and full and unconditional Israeli citizenship to all Palestinians, culminating in free and democratic elections for a new government comprised of all peoples living in the new greater Israel.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. What you are advocating is the effectively the original UN mandate

I've been serious whooped on for even raising that as a concept elsewhere. You are brave...

[IndianaGreen]

31. No, that wasn't the original UN mandate

It called for two states, which the last 61 years have shown it is an impossibility.

[GoesTo11]

49. That may be the craziest comment I've ever seen.

You want to hang Abbas for his treason because he is a tool of American and Israeli imperialism?

And Trotsky had to be killed as a traitor to the revolution.

[GoesTo11]

11. Why doesn't Abbas care about the Palestinians?

[IndianaGreen]

14. Like Pelosi/Reid, Abbas knows who butters his bread.

Perhaps he should change his name to Moshe.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

18. He does. Why does Hamas want to see Gazans killed?

With Fatah and the PA, this attack would never have happened and there would not be massive casualties.

Hamas knew that Israel would respond, they just did not think it would be so effective and so personal on them.

[IndianaGreen]

22. The butchers of Jerusalem are innocent lambs to their apologists

here in US and over there, in our ungrateful psychopathic client state.

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. didn't he also condemn the attacks by Israel?

I'm confused.

[Fozzledick]

16. Apparently he doesn't hate Israel fanatically enough for the Hamas fans here

[IndianaGreen]

17. Israel and America pay Abbas, and have been doing so since the Arafat assassination

which was made to look like illness.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

19. He did, but he also called out Hamas for its wanton disregard for lives in Gaza

[Kurska]

24. Fuck yeah, Go Abbas

Finally someone serious about peace on the Palestinian side. This stupid game of baiting israel needs to stop, no good ever comes of it. Palestinian DOES NOT NEED MORE MARTYRS, IT NEEDS PEACE.

[IndianaGreen]

26. Abbas is as bogus as Karzai

both of them have fat bank accounts in Switzerland, full of CIA money.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

29. As did Arafat

But if Abbas can build a lasting and fair peace with hope and fairness for the future, he is worth every damn dime/shekel/dinar.

[IndianaGreen]

30. Abbas has no popular support

He is just an American puppet.

[oberliner]

32. If new presidential elections are to take place today, Abbas receives 48%, Haniyeh 38%.

In the Gaza Strip, support for Abbas stands at 46% (compared to 42% for Haniyeh), and in the West Bank, support for Abbas stands at 48% (compared to 36% for Haniyeh).

http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2008/p30e.html

[IndianaGreen]

33. Hamas won the elections and you frakers refused to recognize results

in the typical fashion we have seen American imperialism reject results at the ballot box when they go against US corporate interests.

[oberliner]

34. Hamas won legislative elections - Abbas was still President

They both won elections.

My argument is that Abbas has more popular support than you claim among Palestinians.

The poll indicates that he has the support of a little under half of the Palestinian people - enough to be victorious if elections were held today.

[IndianaGreen]

35. Let him go to Gaza today and campaign

and let's see who gets him first, an angry mob, or an American bomb dropped by IAF jet.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

37. Errr sort of

As I understand it, Hamas did not win the popular vote but got the most seats. The allocation scheme was supposed to minimize Hamas representation, but when the Fatah vote split, it backfired and Hamas ended up with the majority of the seats. If find some delicious irony in that.

Regardless Hamas promptly took over Gaza, purged Fatah members Stalin style, and generally got pretty fascist. They refused to participate in the next PA elections, leaving things pretty much in the lurch. Hamas is in no way progressive and I can see any liberal or progressive support them.

Finally I am not a fraker, as best I can tell.

[Vegasaurus]

39. Winning an election does not make a democracy

and what is a fraker?

Hamas rules with an iron fist, offers no democratic rights, few human or civil rights, including freedom of speech and the press.

Women are subjugated, armed militas roam the streets.

They shoot anyone who doesn't agree with their point of view.

Last night they murdered a man in the hospital because they claimed he was an Israeli collaborator.

They put their own people at risk every day by choosing terrorism and violence over peace and prosperity.

You call this a government?

I call that insane.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

36. The prestrike polls are pretty much worthless now...

Though one had Hamas in serious disfavor as well.

Its going to be at least 60 days after the conflict stops before any semblance of polling or an election will be meaningful

[ellisonz]

38. NO MODERATES ALLOWED!

Hmmph.

[bunnies]

40. Abbas is a useless piece of shit.

Doesnt give a rats ass about the Gazans. Time for him to go.

[Vegasaurus]

41. And Hamas cares so deeply?

They have basically sacrificed the entire Gazan population for their political goals of annihilating Israel.

Pretty stupid, and makes them worse than a useless piece of ****.

[bunnies]

44. I never said that.

They care about the Palestinians less than he does. For once, we agree.

[oberliner]

43. He's the democratically elected President of the Palestinian Authority

The most recent Palestinian polls suggest he would be re-elected to another term.

[bunnies]

45. Oh. You mean like Bush?

:shrug:

[oberliner]

46. Much more popular than Bush

Also, Bush is not eligible for re-election, thankfully, while Abbas is.

[bunnies]

47. Thankfully indeed. We've suffered our 8 years of hell.

My point was that just because someone was elected doesnt mean they arent worthless. Is he even IN Gaza? Or is he somewhere eating cake...

[oberliner]

48. Remember June of 2007 - Battle of Gaza?

Hamas took over Gaza and Fatah was shown the door.

[The Stranger]

42. It doesn't matter if Abbas, Mother Theresa, the Pope or Elvis blame Hamas.

The facts are still the facts, and everyone knows it. Israel is in the wrong for forcibly interdicting international aid organizations' attempting to provide food, medicine and water to a civilian population.

It doesn't matter who blames Hamas or how many posts you can post about it.

Those are the facts, and they aren't going to change.