In view of the upcoming Fatah-Hamas unity government and the anticipated elections, a Palestinian think tank, the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion polled 1,015 of the Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, the Arab occupied parts of Judea and Samaria, and Gaza as to their preference for a future leader.
Their choice? Convicted murderer and terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life terms for his activities during the Second Intifada.
Barghouti easily won out over Hamas Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh, current Palestinian Authority dictator Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Masha'al. The closest one to Barghouti was Mahmoud Abbas, who Bargouti out polled 33% to 26%. The two Hamas politicos finished a lot further behind Barghouti, which makes me wonder how much of the Hamas 'electorate' in Gaza was sampled as opposed to Jerusalem and the other Arab occupied areas of Judea and Samaria.
So who is this Marwan Barghouti? What did he do to deserve five life terms in prison? And why are the Palestinians so enamored of him?
Barghouti ran the Tanzim and the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigade for Yasser Arafat during the Second Intifada, both terrorist groups affiliated with Fatah. They deliberately targeted civilians for murder,and Barghouti planned numerous 'operations', including the murder of 9-month-old Shalhevet Pas, who was shot by a Tanzim sniper while she was sitting in her stroller in a park surrounded by other children, none of whom by grace of G-d were killed.Her killer, Mahmud Amro admitted deliberately targeting the baby with his U.S. - supplied M-16 and is still in prison, drawing a salary from the Palestinian Authority.
Another good friend of Marwan Barghouti was Samir Kuntar shown here with Barghouti on your right:
This picture was taken of the two of them together at Ashkelon's Hadarim prison,when they were both serving their life sentences there.
One night in April back in 1979, Kuntar and three accomplices landed at the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya from the sea and kidnapped Danny Haran, 28, and his daughter Einat, 4, from their home. They shot Danny dead in front of his daughter, so that was the last sight she ever saw. Then Kuntar murdered the four-year-old Einat by smashing the child's head on a rock with his rifle butt.
Barghouti and Kuntar got on so well that the Palestinians made Kuntar an 'honorary Palestinian citizen' and gave him a hero's welcome when Kuntar was released in exchange for the tortured and mutilated bodies of the two Israeli servicemen who were kidnapped by Hezbollah, the act that along with Hezbollah's missile attacks on Israel precipitated the Lebanon War.
Barghouti himself was convicted in Israeli civil court of being personally involved in five murders - a shooting and grenade attack on a Tel Aviv restaurant in on March 5, 2002 that killed three Israeli civilians and wounded 15 people including 5 Arabs,some of them critically, the brutal murder of a harmless Greek monk in Ma'ale Adunim, an attack on a gas station in Givat Ze'ev, and a car bombing in Jerusalem that murdered an Israeli woman and injured 8 people, including two children.
While he was in prison, the same Palestinians who elected Hamas by an overwhelming majority also elected Barghouti to represent them in what passed for a parliament.
Needless to say, this new poll will probably spark cries on the Israeli Left, the Eu and of course the Obama team to pressure Israel to free Barghouti. MK Zahava Gal-on from the EU funded far Left Meretz party was quoted as saying “The only figure who can replace Abu Mazen [Abbas] is Barghouti.”
“Knowledgeable people say that the only one capable of stabilizing the situation after [Abbas] is Barghouti,” Gal-on said.
Knowledgeable people...the same sort of knowledgeable people that brought Israel Oslo, who talked about Barghouti's old boss Yasser Arafat the same way they're talking about Barghouti now. The same knowledgeable people who have blood on their hands they still refuse to acknowledge.
I do take one bit of comfort from this. Now that the Arabs whom identify themselves as Palestinians continue to make their choice for new leadership clear, it's becoming apparent to all but the most blind and clueless Israelis that the two state solution so beloved of people like MK Gal-on is simply a recipe for giving Israel's genocidal enemies a closer platform to attack them from.
The citizens of the sort of 'democratic peaceful state living next door to Israel' so beloved of those creatures still working to get Israel to retreat to indefensible borders and give away the country's birthright wouldn't choose a murderer like Barghouti to lead them if they were at all serious about peace.
A significant number of them aren't serious about it in the least. They favor Barghouti as a war chief, another Arafat - because of his record of success at Jew killing.
Such men are best suited to be the guests of honor at what the pioneers of the Old West called a necktie party under a sturdy tree. Barring that, keeping them under lock and key for the rest of their lives is a poor substitute, but it's the next best thing.
Crossposted at Jews Down Under
No comments:
Post a Comment