Mahmoud Abbas, the leading candidate to win the upcoming elections for president of the Palestinian Authority, has told an Arabic language newspaper in an interview published Tuesday.
Abbas told a reporter from the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that, 'The uprising should be kept away from arms because it is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means.' He then added, 'The use of arms has been damaging and should end.'
More than 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis have been killed since the start of the second Intifada in 2000. The violence broke out after Yasser Arafat walked away from a summit at Camp David in which Israel offered him roughly 95% of the West Bank, Gaza and part of Jerusalem for a Palestinian state. Arafat refused the deal, and failed to even make a counteroffer. Negotiations broke off and the violence was started very shortly thereafter.
Abbas is a veteran of the PLO and was a close associate of Arafat. He is considered a moderate and favors negotiations rather than violence as the way to a Palestinian state. Both the United States and Israel would like to see Abbas win the upcoming election but do not wish to speak out about it for fear of compromising Abbas's legitimacy.
Meanwhile, terrorist groups like Hamas have vowed to continue violence until Israel is destroyed. Today, a Tai worker was killed by morter shells fired at a Jewish settlement in Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. A statement issued by the terrorist group said, 'We call upon foreign workers to abandon their work in Jewish settlements, otherwise they will be subject to rocket and mortar attack.'
Hamas has already said they would boycott the upcoming elections, scheduled for January 9th. Israel has indicated that it will continue to limit its responses to acts of terrorism and try to maintain a low profile at least until the elections are held provided there is not significant violence and terror attacks by Palestinians.
President Bush is hopeful that Abbas will be elected and that Arafat's death will be a new opportunity for peace in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has already announced his intention to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005. He is hoping to coordinate the withdrawal with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. Any cooperation between the parties may increase the chances for a final peace agreement and the state Palestinians have hoped for all these years.
