Secular Dehumanists

By Steve Feldman

In the sport of “pin-the-tail-on-the-terrorist” (or as the mainstream media and spokespersons refer to the murderers of the Middle East: “militants”) now entering its 14th year of overtime since “Oslo,” most of the world has declared Hamas the villains, and arch-rival Fatah the white-hatted heroes.

Here’s what they’d like you to believe:

· Hamas, bad.
· Fatah, good.
· Marginalize Hamas.
· Strengthen Fatah and Abbas, its leader.

What a bunch of, well, donkeys.

The media and the governments (in America, Europe and in Israel) tend to over-simplify every concept more complex than dialing a phone, and then turn everything on its head in a George-Orwell-meets-Lewis-Carroll kind of way.

Therefore, a savvy reader/observer would realize that it is not accurate to label one side “good” and the other “bad,” and those whom the media and politicians would like you to believe are the “good guys” or “moderates” are in fact as bad as the “bad guys.”

Your instinct would be right.

Fatah and Hamas are the largest terrorist groups operating around Israel in areas controlled by the Palestinian-Arabs.

Within Fatah and Hamas, there are sub-groups and more branches than a professional genealogist could track. Fatah wings include the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Force 17 and the Tanzim, to name a few. Hamas has within it the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade.

There are also a number of clans that may or may not be loyal to Fatah or Hamas – a condition subject to change in exchange for the right amount of cash.

Neither Fatah nor Hamas respect human rights, and each have at their root the goal of destroying Israel either in stages or in one fell swoop. The only difference between them is a simple one: Hamas is a fundamentalist terrorist group motivated by the Koran’s intolerance of infidels, while Fatah has no such religious dogma and instead bases its agenda on a political desire to eradicate Zionism and replace Israel with a Palestinian state.

The violence which characterizes both groups’ aims (as laid out in the Hamas charter and Fatah constitution) are two sides of the same coin. In fact, Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has claimed responsibility for more terrorist attacks against Israelis since 2000 than have Hamas.

So why the affection by the West and Israelis for Fatah and its leader, Abbas (who, conveniently is also the president of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO) and portrayal of them as “moderates” and the marginalizing of the like-minded and equally violent Hamas?

It is a mystery, but it could be a case of the secular humanists of the world having an affinity for Fatah’s secular de-humanists.

A few excerpts of the Fatah constitution should clearly dispel any notion that Abbas and his thugs are moderates.

· “This constitution revolves around the following principles: The armed revolution we are waging … .”

· “Article (3) The Palestinian Revolution plays a leading role in liberating Palestine.”

· “Article (4) The Palestinian struggle is part and parcel of the world-wide struggle against Zionism, colonialism and international imperialism.”

· “Article (9) Liberating Palestine and protecting its holy places is an Arab, religious and human obligation.”

Under its “goals” are listed the following:

· “Article (12) Complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.”

Under “method”:

· “Article (17) Armed public revolution is the inevitable method to liberating Palestine.”

· “Article (19) Armed struggle is a strategy and not a tactic, and the Palestinian Arab People’s armed revolution is a decisive factor in the liberation fight and in uprooting the Zionist existence, and this struggle will not cease unless the Zionist state is demolished and Palestine is completely liberated.”

· “Article (20) Achieving mutual understanding with all the national forces participating in the armed struggle to attain the national unity.”

· “Article (22) Opposing any political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation in Palestine, as well as any project intended to liquidate the Palestinian case or impose any international mandate on its people.”

In the Fatah constitution’s “Chapter Two” under “Organization Rules and Principles” are the following:

· “In its organisational work, the Movement depends on the following rules and principles:

· First: Commitment. This means:

· “Article (28) a. Firm belief in the case and the Movement’s objectives and utter readiness to sacrifice for its sake till victory.”

Also:

“He must take the following oath: [to become a member]:

“(By Allah, the almighty and by my honour and beliefs I swear to remain faithful to Palestine, and to spare no effort to liberate it; I swear not to disclose any of the Movement’s (FATEH) secrets and affairs; this is a free oath, to which God bears witness.)”

This is not the credo of a “moderate” group. The world and especially the Israelis have seen just how far the Fatah members are willing to take their “commitment” to their cause and their “utter readiness” to “sacrifice for its sake till victory.” Hundreds were murdered and thousands more maimed and scarred in the last six years alone as proof.

This is the organization Mahmoud Abbas leads. Prior to that, he was Yasser Arafat’s right-hand man and Fatah financier for 40 years.

As you can now see, the goals of Fatah and its leader Abbas are no different – and no more moderate – than Hamas.

The United States must immediately suspend any financial aid to Fatah, as well as military training and any weapons transfers, and the Israelis would be wise to do the same. Any support – material, moral or otherwise – merely enables a ruthless gang of murderers to continue killing Israelis – whether they be called Hamas or Fatah.

Steve Feldman is executive director of the Zionist Organization of America’s Greater Philadelphia District and host of “The ZOA Middle East Report” radio program also available online.