The Real Truth From The PLO

Friday October 04, 2002 03:12

by Zahir Muhsein - Trouw Newspaper (Holland)

The Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview with Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein, before the public relations guard of the muslims was up. Here's what he said:

The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of
a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our
struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab
unity. In reality today there is no difference between
Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only
for political and tactical reasons do we speak today
about the existence of a Palestinian people, since
Arab national interests demand that we posit the
existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose
Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign
state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to
Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can
undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and
Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to
all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to
unite Palestine and Jordan.

That's pretty clear, isn't it? And it is hardly the
only such statement of its kind. Arafat himself made a
very definitive and unequivocal statement along these
lines as late as 1993. It demonstrates conclusively
that the Palestinian nationhood argument is the real
strategic deception ? one geared to set up the
destruction of Israel.

In fact, on the same day Arafat signed the Declaration
of Principles on the White House lawn in 1993, he
explained his actions on Jordan TV. Here's what he
said: "Since we cannot defeat Israel in war, we do
this in stages. We take any and every territory that
we can of Palestine, and establish a sovereignty
there, and we use it as a springboard to take more.
When the time comes, we can get the Arab nations to
join us for the final blow against Israel."

No matter how many people convince themselves that the
aspirations for Palestinian statehood are genuine and
the key to peace in the Middle East, they are still
deceiving themselves.