Mahmoud Abbas released a statement on the anniversary of Yasir Arafat's death.
He said that the Palestinian investigation into the cause of his death, twelve year later, were going to be released "soon."
But besides that, Abbas repeated something he has said many times before, something that demolishes his reputation in the West as being a "moderate" and a peacemaker.
In this passage, he speaks about the unchanging positions and principles of the PLO. The main word is translated as "constants" or "invariables" (الثوابت) indicating that the word is stronger than just principles, so I have kept that wording:
The PLO achieved recognition as the sole and legitimate representative of Palestinian people and kept the unchanging positions ("constants"), and declared Palestinian independence in 1988 in Algeria, and we went back with him [Arafat] to establish a Palestinian national authority, on our land, Palestine .
Many people are talking about constants. Where are the constants?, They are the constants that were declared at the Palestinian National Council in Algiers. And some people speak without knowledge, ...and I say here, I challenge [them to show] that we gave away one constant since 1988. We come back to the constants adopted by the famous National Council, which was attended by 700 members, which represent the entire spectrum of the Palestinian people, and have taken these decisions, and we are sticking to these constants by our teeth and say: We are sticking by them and continue to hold firm in order to achieve them.Abbas is bragging once again that no concessions have been made by the PLO since before Oslo, let alone during his entire term as Arafat's successor.
None.
During that time period, Israel has has allowed terrorist leaders to move into the territories, it has given up land, it has accepted a two state solution.
And the Palestinians have done literally nothing for peace since 1988 - according to their own leader.
Notably, that part of his speech (and other inflammatory parts that I will write about) were not translated into English by the official Wafa news agency report of the speech.
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