Oxymoron, for sure

An oxymoron is:

a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.

Oxymoron is a Greek term derived from oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull"). The meaning is "that which is sharp and dull," thereby designating and also exhibiting an opposition between two adjectives which serve as predicates for one subject.

Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms.

There is a popular phrase in the international media and with unrealistic diplomats and politicians. It is:

• moderate "Palestinians"

It holds a double-whammy, since there is no such thing as a "Palestinian people," and those who call themselves as such are for the destruction of the State of Israel, and there's no way that could be cooked up, or spun, as "moderate."

Following are two excellent articles to explain further:

Abu Mazen Tells the Arab Media What he Really Thinks
07:22 Oct 11, '06 / 19 Tishrei 5767
by Yechiel Spira

Deemed a ‘moderate’ by Israel and the United States, PA (Palestinian Authority) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) told the Arab media his Fatah Party needn’t recognize Israel.

While both Israel and the United States reject the legitimacy of the Hamas-led PA government, they are placing their hopes for peace with the PA on Abu Mazen, who heads the Fatah opposition party.

Abu Mazen, whose doctoral thesis surrounds his denial of the Holocaust is deemed a ‘moderate’ in today’s political arena, seen as the only option to replace Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah.

Abu Mazen of late has not missed an opportunity to tell world leaders that one of his criteria for entering into a coalition government with Hamas is the latterÂ’s formal recognition of the State of IsraelÂ’s right to exist. This alongside a number of other demands which have contributed to his increasing popularity among Israeli and American lawmakers.

In a recent Arabic-language interview with al-Arabiya, Abu Mazen told the Islamic world what he really thinks, stating that Hamas, Fatah and the PFLP Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) do not have to formally recognize Israel, contradicting his statements to US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Just last week, in Ramallah, Abu Mazen told Rice during her brief regional visit that Fatah will insist that the ruling Hamas Party recognize Israel as one of his preconditions to entering into a coalition agreement, along with his demands that Hamas disarm, cease terror, and honor existing agreements signed in the past by Yasser Arafat. In addition, above all, Abu Mazen has stated he will not sign any coalition with Hamas until such time IDF soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit is released from captivity. Shalit was taken captive in a June 25th terror attack.

Sources in PA-controlled Gaza continue to release messages that while they favor ShalitÂ’s release, the move is being vetoed by Hamas politburo leader Khaled Meshal, who is based in Damascus.

Rice told reporters at a joint press conference that she has “great admiration” for Abu Mazen, pressuring Israel in turn to act to boost the Fatah leader’s popularity among PA residents in the hope of ousting the current Hamas-led administration. Rice recently pressured Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to unfreeze $500 million in tax-revenue funds, insisting if the PA is permitted to collapse, anarchy will be the result and such a situation would significantly harm the fragile regional realities that exist today.

Despite American support for Fatah and pressure on Israel, reports from the PA indicate coalition talks between Abu Mazen and Haniyah are deadlocked, with Hamas unwilling to play FatahÂ’s game, unwilling to make statements that will appease the White House.

Haniyah and his senior aides remain tenacious in their refusal to recognize Israel and insist they will never comply with such a demand.

In the meantime, the groundwork is being laid for a meeting between Abu Mazen and Olmert, one that Olmert insisted would not take place prior to ShalitÂ’s release by the terror organization.

A Moderate Fatah: Wishing Does Not Make It So
by Arlene Kushner
Oct 09, '06 / 17 Tishrei 5767

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has just been in the Middle East. As has been the case in the past, one of her goals was to "strengthen" the "moderate" Mahmoud Abbas. Her desire to do so is all part of a complex scenario; Rice and her boss, President George Bush, have their eyes on Iran.

The State Department has let it be known on more than one occasion that putting together a coalition of moderate Arab states that will stand against Iran requires signs of progress with regard to "peace negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians. Why this should be seen to be the case is not altogether clear, for it is in best the interest of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, et al, to participate in such a coalition: the radicalism of Iran threatens them. It is in their best interest whether Israel negotiates peace with the Palestinians or not. Yet, this link has been made in certain quarters.

If Israel is going to negotiate with the Palestinians, it must be with Abbas of Fatah. Clearly, Hamas will not do. And so, Abbas must be transformed into a "moderate," in spite of his willingness to sign on to the Prisoners' Document with Hamas: a document that doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist and seeks "right of return." He must be seen as an acceptable "partner for peace."

As it happens, recently breaking news with regard to the "moderation" of Fatah makes the stipulations of the Prisoners' Document suddenly appear modest - relatively speaking, that is.

Back in 2000, the wily Yasser Arafat, who founded Fatah along with deputy Mahmoud Abbas, had a need, as head of the Palestinian Authority, to appear anti-terrorist, if not exactly pacific. He thus fostered a spin-off from Fatah: the Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades. This enabled him to play the good cop-bad cop routine he so excelled at: "Who? Me? I'm against terrorism. It's that other independent group that commits those terrorist acts."

Over time, however, fairly irrefutable proof emerged that Al-Aksa was linked to Fatah.

In 2002, Brigades leader Maslama Thabet declared. "The truth is, we are Fatah itself, but we don't operate under the name Fatah. We are the armed wing of the organization. We receive our instructions from Fatah." (USA Today)

In 2003, a payment of $50,000 from Fatah to Al-Aksa was uncovered. (BBC)

Just a little over two years ago, the anchorman of the official PA station Voice of Palestine, Nizar Al-Ghul, referred to "the Brigades of the Martyrs of Al Aksa that is part of the Fatah movement." (Translation by Michael Widlanski)

Then, shortly after that, Ahmed Qurei, as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, stated in an interview with London's A-Sharq Al-Awsat: "We have clearly declared that the Aksa Martyrs Brigades are part of Fatah. We are committed to them and Fatah bears full responsibility for the group." (Reported by Khaled Abu Toameh)

Now, Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily has released an interview he held with a leader of the Al-Aksa Brigades, Abu Ahmed, who told him, "We are turning Gaza into south Lebanon. We learned from Hizbullah's victory that Israel can be defeated if we know how to hit them and if we are well prepared. We are importing rockets and the knowledge to launch them and we are also making many plans for battle."

And that's not all Abu Ahmed said. He explained, "We have warm relations with Hizbullah, which helps with some of the training programs.... The Sinai (where he explained that Hizbullah has cells) is an excellent ground for training, the exchange of information and weapons and for meetings on how to turn every piece of land into usable territory for a confrontation with Israel." Hizbullah assistance, it seems, includes development of bunkers inside of Gaza similar to those used by Hizbullah in Lebanon.

So, the questions must be asked: Is the Secretary of State aware that an arm of the Fatah party, which she seeks to promote as moderate, is being assisted by the proxy for Iran?

Might it be that she is genuinely unaware of what Al-Aksa Brigades is doing these days?

And, as she proceeds in building that anti-Iran coalition (oh, irony of ironies), would it truly matter to her if she did know? Would she find the courage and integrity to call a halt to the refashioning of Abbas as a "moderate"?

That would require putting it straight to the projected members of the coalition: the threat of Iran and its proxy is even greater than we had imagined. Forget that illusionary "peace process" and let us proceed with what is most important to all of us, before it is too late.

© Arlene Kushner 2006