Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) fulfilled the time-honored PA tradition of rejecting any form of peace with Israel on Monday afternoon as soon as nearly 200 convicted terrorists crossed the border into PA territory. “I promise we won’t rest until we bring about the release of all the prisoners,” vowed Abbas in a special welcome ceremony for the 198 terrorists released by Israel in the latest “goodwill gesture” offered by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as a means of supporting Abbas in his bid to retain control of the Palestinian Authority. Abbas’s Fatah faction lost its grip over the Gaza region more than a year ago, when the rival Hamas terrorist organization seized control over the area. “Despite the great happiness, we know that there is also sadness over those who were left behind, 11,000 who have yet to be released,” added Abbas in a speech gauged to maximize the moment of popularity. “They all have a place in our hearts, but there is a special one, senior brother Marwan Barghouti and the leading brother Ahmad Sa’adat, whom we hope to see soon,” he said. Barghouti, head of the Fatah Tanzim terror group, is considered the most popular figure in PA politics today. He is currently serving five consecutive life sentences, in addition to a 40-year term for masterminding the murders of numerous civilians . Both Fatah and Hamas have tried numerous times to alternately persuade and coerce Israel into freeing Barghouti in negotiations for various prisoner release deals. Sa’adat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group, was one of the masterminds of the terrorist murder of former Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. Abbas reiterated his intention to reject peace with Israel, despite numerous security concessions by the Olmert government. He has said he would accept only an agreement that includes continguous land between Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and with Jerusalem as the capital of the new PA state. The condition is not new. His predecessor, Yasser Arafat, rejected equally tempting proposals for peace settlements with Israel, including one by then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In July 2000, Barak offered at Camp David to hand over 94 percent of Judea and Samaria and 100 percent of Gaza, plus one percent of pre-1967 Israeli territory in the Negev, but on condition that Jerusalem would remain in Israeli hands forever. As did his protégé Abbas with Olmert earlier this month, Arafat refused to compromise, and rejected the proposal. The talks collapsed, leading to a long-lasting round of PA Arab violence that has since become known as the Oslo War, or Second Intifada.
