Pope Francis Calls Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas an 'Angel of Peace'

Breitbart

by John Hayward

www.theblaze.com

Judging by this Associated Press report, Pope Francis and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas appear to be getting along quite well:

Pope Francis praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as an “angel of peace” during a meeting Saturday at the Vatican that underscored the Holy See’s warm relations with the Palestinians.

Francis made the compliment during the traditional exchange of gifts at the end of an official audience in the Apostolic Palace. He presented Abbas with a medallion and explained that it represented the “angel of peace destroying the bad spirit of war.”

Francis said he thought the gift was appropriate since “you are an angel of peace.” During his 2014 visit to Israel and the West Bank, Francis called both Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres men of peace.

Abbas, for his part, was in Rome to attend this Sunday’s canonization of two nuns from the Ottoman Empire era.  He presented the Pope with relics of the two new saints, Marian Bawardy and Marie Alphonsine Ghattas, whose canonization is viewed by the Catholic Church as “a sign of hope and encouragement for Christians in the Middle East at a time when violent persecution from Islamic extremists has driven many Christians from the region of Christ’s birth.”

“Abbas’ visit also comes days after the Vatican finalized a bilateral treaty with the ‘state of Palestine’ that made explicit its recognition of Palestinian statehood,” the Associated Press added.

The Pope is acting in accordance with the standard Western political doctrine of showering effusive praise on every vaguely “moderate” Palestinian leader who looks like a counterweight to the bloodthirsty terrorists who hold so much power among the Palestinian people.  The idea is that placing “moderates” on very high pedestals will reduce the influence of gangsters like Hamas, while simultaneously twisting Israel’s arm to make extravagant concessions in a statehood deal with the “angels of peace.”  Forget about the showers of murder rockets raining down on Israeli civilians from Palestinian territory, and take a gander at that awesome medallion the Pope gave Mahmoud Abbas.

This strategy is pursued vigorously by those who think a simple solution to the “Palestinian problem” is but an Israeli handshake away, despite decades of evidence to the contrary.

What has “Angel of Peace” Mahmoud Abbas been up to lately?  The BBC ran an article earlier this week about how “Palestinian democracy is in the doldrums after years under Mahmoud Abbas,” who is currently in the tenth year of his four-year presidential term.

“Mr. Abbas, a plodding, grey politician, has not openly cultivated a successor, as he has focused on keeping his grip on power,” the BBC wrote.  He’s canceled every election since the one that brought him into power.  Along the way, he’s raked in kleptocratic fortune estimated at over $100 million.  His sons have built impressive fortunes as well.

Quite a bit of that money was looted from American taxpayers, by way of foreign aid payments.  “Another PA official, former security minister Mohammed Dahlan, has claimed that $1.3 billion vanished from the Palestinian Investment Fund since it was turned over to Abbas’ control in 2005,” reports the Jerusalem Post.

Meanwhile, Abbas’ mismanaged government couldn’t even pay the salaries of civil servants from January through April, in part because the Angel of Peace was more interested in staging international court show-trials against Israel than working constructively with them.  His idea of peaceful negotiations involves threatening to “internationalize the conflict” with Israel even further, a threat he repeated immediately before hopping on the plane to Rome.

On the other hand, supporters of rival Palestinian factions such as Hamas and Fatah claim Abbas’ Palestinian Authority is too cozy with the Israelis.  Charges of corruption fly back and forth between Abbas and his rivals.  There have been human-rights complaints against the PA for cracking down on its political opponents.

He’s also apparently keen on enforcing Islamist speech codes, “investigating” a Palestinian cartoonist who had the temerity to draw an extremely flattering toon of someone who merely resembles Mohammed.  It took him a while to admit the Holocaust occurred, but he still thinks Zionists helped cause it.  Critics say Abbas hasn’t exactly made bold strides toward cleansing anti-Semitic material from Palestinian cultural and educational materials.  Like just about every Palestinian leader with major international media exposure, what Abbas says to domestic audiences is quite a bit different from what he says when Western cameras are rolling.

To put it most charitably, Mahmoud Abbas might be the least of the evils presented by Palestinian politics at the moment, the best card to play out of a very bad hand.  But that’s not how his Western admirers profess to view him.  Showering him with praise to build him up, and raise the bar for his conduct if he wants to keep those golden medallions coming, instead has the effect of lowering standards for Palestinian conduct.  They have every reason to believe they can take a hard, uncompromising line in negotiations with Israel, while keeping very flexible ethical standards for their own government, without the “international community” holding them accountable.

Like the mullahs of Iran, Palestinian leaders can see how desperate Western politicians are for a deal they can parade across the Sunday shows.  Quite a few Western politicians, very definitely including the current American president and his top advisers, think resolving the Palestinian problem will “fix” the entire Middle East.  They don’t think they have much leverage with the Palestinians – lean too hard on Abbas, and he’ll be replaced by some blood-splattered demon from Hamas – so all the pressure to work out a deal is directed at the Israelis, who are expected to make all the concessions necessary.

A great deal of what Western political and moral authorities say to Middle Eastern leaders is aspirational, rather than realistic: treat Mahmoud Abbas like a divine agent of peace, or the Iranian dictatorship like a responsible nation-state, and they’ll become one.  It would be easier to defend this strategy if there was any evidence from the past half-century that it works.

Arafat Recognized Jewish State, Why Won't Abbas?

The Investigative Project on Terrorism

The Arab League is endorsing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state as a part of any peace agreement.

But in taking this position, Abbas – considered by the Obama administration to be a moderate Palestinian leader with whom a deal can be struck – is not going as far as his predecessor. Yasser Arafat recognized Israel as a Jewish state at least twice. In an undated video, Arafat said the PNC (Palestine National Council) accepted two states. One Palestinian, and a "Jewish state ... Israel."

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Obama appeals to Israelis: Give justice to the Palestinians

NBC News

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By Ian Johnston and Kari Huus/

President Barack Obama on Thursday urged the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of Palestinians and recognize their "right to self-determination, their right to justice."

In a televised speech at the Jerusalem Convention Center, Obama said there should be "two states for two peoples."

Breaking off from his prepared text, he said that he recently met with a group of young Palestinians.

"Talking to them, they weren’t that different from my daughters, they weren’t that different from your daughters or sons," he said.

"I honestly believe that if any Israeli parent sat down with these kids, they’d say, 'I want these kids to succeed, I want them to prosper, I want them to have opportunities just like my kids do,'" he added to applause.

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Obama, on the second day of his first official trip to Israel, warned that "the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state" was through the creation of an independent Palestine.

That state had to be "viable" with real borders, he said, criticizing the building of settlements in the West Bank.

President Obama receives applause from a crowd in Jerusalem Thursday by challenging groups that reject Israel.

He urged ordinary Israelis to put pressure on their leaders to achieve a future in which Jews, Christians and Muslims could live in peace.

"I also know that not everyone in this hall will agree with what I have to say about peace. I recognize that there are those who are not simply skeptical about peace, but question its underlying premise, have a different vision for Israel’s future and that's a part of democracy and the discourse between our two countries," he said.

"Peace is necessary, I believe that. I believe that peace is the only path to true security. You have the opportunity to be the generation that permanently secures the Zionist dream, or you can face a growing challenge to its future," he added.

At a state dinner in Jerusalem Thursday evening, Israel's President Shimon Peres awarded Obama with Israel’s highest honor — the Presidential Medal of Distinction — emphasizing what Peres called his "unforgettable contribution" to the security of Israel.

U.S. support for the Iron Dome missile defense system had been instrumental in saving Israeli lives, Peres said.

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As Obama sat at the dais with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara before a room full of Israeli dignitaries, Peres called out the U.S. president's "tireless work to make Israel strong to make peace possible."

Peres said he was "convinced" the United States "will do whatever is necessary on the Iranian threat."

Obama said he was accepting the award "on behalf of the American people."

Israel must avoid 'isolation' In his address at the convention center Obama stressed that America would always support Israel, echoing his comments Wednesday that the U.S. was Israel's "eternal" ally.

But he said peace had to be made between "peoples" and could not be achieved through military hardware alone.

"Given the frustration in the international community, Israel must reverse an undertow of isolation. And given the march of technology, the only way to truly protect the Israeli people over the long term is through the absence of war — because no wall is high enough, and no Iron Dome is strong enough and perfect enough, to stop every enemy that’s intent on doing so from inflicting harm," he added.

There was a warm, official welcome for President Obama in Ramallah. In the streets, away from the Palestinian government compound, street demonstrations. NBC's Martin Fletcher reports.

Obama said Israel could not be expected to negotiate with anyone "dedicated to its destruction."

But he said he believed that Israelis had a "true partner" in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. On a visit to the West Bank earlier Thursday, Obama condemned the Palestinian Hamas party, which holds sway in the Gaza Strip and is a rival to Abbas' Fatah movement.

"So many young Palestinians have rejected violence. There’s an opportunity there. There’s a window," he said. "Peace is possible."

At one point in the speech, someone in the audience began heckling Obama, who peered toward the back of the hall to try to see what was happening.

"This is part of the lively debate we talked about," he said, referencing a line earlier in his speech. "This is good."

He joked about media reports that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu do not get along. It was just a "plot" between him and "my friend Bibi" to give journalists something to write about, he suggested.

Earlier, Obama met with Abbas in the West Bank.

After his helicopter touched down in Ramallah, Obama was greeted cordially by Abbas and the two hugged.

"We cannot give up on the search for peace, no matter how hard it is. ... Too much is at stake," the president said during a joint news conference.

President Barack responds to a heckler in the crowd during his speech Thursday to the Israeli people at the Jerusalem Convention Center .

'Misery' of Hamas He sounded hopeful about Abbas and the Palestinian Authority and reiterated U.S. willingness to help.

"The United States is deeply committed to the creation of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine," he said, adding, "Simply, Palestinians deserve a state of their own."

When asked whether he thought a halt to further settlement activity was required before peace talks could begin in earnest, Obama demurred. 

"If the only way to even begin the conversation is that we get everything right from the outset … then we’re never going to get to the broader issue, which is how you actually structure a state of Palestine that is sovereign and contiguous," the president said.

"The core issue right now is how do we get sovereignty for the Palestinian people and ensure security for the Israeli people," he added. "If we solve those two problems, the settlement problem will be solved."

The president praised Abbas for his leadership and sharply criticized rival group Hamas for the "misery" of Palestinians in Gaza.

For his part, Abbas said he had "renewed confidence" in U.S. assistance with the peace process after meeting with Obama.

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"We have conducted a good and useful round of talks," he said through an interpreter.

Abbas called for an end to Israeli construction of settlements in Palestinian territories.

He warned that continued building of the sites was causing Palestinians, particularly the younger generation, to lose hope that Israel and a sovereign Palestine could peacefully co-exist.

When young Palestinians see the settlements, he said, "they do not trust the two-state solution anymore, and this is very dangerous" for the future.

Two rockets that may have been a show of protest were fired into southern Israel close to the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip early Thursday.