Look What the Palestinian Authority Is Hiding From the US and Britain

The Palestinian Authority (PA) often translates President Mahmoud Abbas’ important speeches into English, and publishes them on the website of its official news agency WAFA.

Abbas’ speech last week in Cairo was also translated, but one striking theme was left out: the anti-American and anti-British hate speech.

Parts of Abbas’ speech at the meeting of the secretaries-general of various Palestinian factions, which were not publicized in English, demonized the US and Britain as “colonialist” states that illegally created Israel.

He condemned the Balfour Declaration, which recognized the right of the Jewish people to establish a state in their homeland, as a “conspiracy” to “promise to one [the Jews] who has no right”:

Abbas: “Western colonialism — and the US and Britian in particular — conspired to issue the ominous Balfour Promise in 1917, in which one who has no ownership gave a promise to one who has no right.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 31, 2023]

Abbas further criticized that “the colonialist states” — especially the US — persist in their misconduct by continuing to sponsor Israel, who Abbas compared to apartheid South Africa:

“We are also especially focusing on creating changes in public opinion in the colonialist states that have sponsored Israel and are still sponsoring it to this very day, and especially in the US (in this context, we have South Africa as a model).” [Emphasis added, parentheses in source]

Abbas’ climactic point on this issue is that because of all these crimes, the PA is planning legal action against the United States and Britain:

“We also will submit lawsuits against the US and Britain for their responsibility for the Balfour Promise and its implementation through the British Mandate for Palestine.” [emphasis added]

Finally, since Palestinians — according to Abbas — have existed “on its historical homeland … on this land for thousands of years,” and Israel’s history is “false Zionist and Israeli claims and narratives,” Israel is therefore an illegal occupation that is destined to “pass”:

“We will certainly triumph, we will defeat the occupation … for every occupation passes in the end, and this will be the fate of the hated Israeli occupation of our homeland.”  

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 31, 2023]

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has exposed numerous anti-American statements and statements against Western countries by Abbas and other PA leaders and officials, and documented that PA loyalties lie with other states like Russia and China.

The following are excerpts from two reports on Abbas’ speech at the meeting of secretaries-general of the Palestinian factions held in Egypt on July 30, 2023.

The first is the translation in Arabic in the official PA daily, for Palestinian consumption, followed by the translation in English of the official PA news agency WAFA, for foreign consumption:

Headline: “The [PA] president: The PLO is the sole legal representative of our people, and we must adhere to it, its fundamentals, and its international commitments”

“Ever since Western colonialism — and the US and Britian in particular — conspired to issue the ominous Balfour Promise in 1917, in which one who has no ownership gave a promise to one who has no right, our people that is carrying out Ribat [i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic] in Jerusalem and around Jerusalem has been fighting and carrying out Jihad against the colonialism and the occupation. It has been sacrificing thousands of Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners on the path to freedom, honor, and independence.

This lauded people is continuing its legitimate struggle under the leadership of the PLO — its sole legal representative — which has succeeded thanks to the determination of its people, the sacrifices of its Martyrs, and its wise policy to extricate the entire world’s recognition of it and of our people’s right to freedom, independence, and a state

…

As part of this political and legal struggle, we will continue to work with the international institutions, organizations, and courts in order to put the occupation state on trial for the crimes that it has committed during its occupation. We also will submit lawsuits against the US and Britain for their responsibility for the Balfour Promise and its implementation through the British Mandate for Palestine…

One of our most important weapons today is disseminating our Palestinian narrative, which confirms the Palestinian people’s existence on its historical homeland and its consecutive presence on this land for thousands of years (sic., the Palestinians have no history prior to the modern period). The authentic Palestinian narrative is currently gaining acceptance and sympathy worldwide.

…
We are also especially focusing on creating changes in public opinion in the colonialist states that have sponsored Israel and are still sponsoring it to this very day, and especially in the US (in this context, we have South Africa as a model) [parentheses in source]. We will continue to take action in the European arena, in Latin America, and in Africa…

We have sacrificed thousands of Martyrs, prisoners, and wounded on the path to freedom and independence. The national responsibility, in addition to the sacrifices of these heroes, obligates us to say the truth, even if it is bitter, and to act sincerely, even if our sincerity is painful. Therefore, I say to you with sincerity and responsibility: The [Hamas] coup that was carried out in 2007 and the despicable [Fatah-Hamas] rift that it brought upon us, our cause, and our people are a new Nakba that harmed our people and our cause. We must put an end to this immediately, without hesitation or delay

…

Our heroic people’s willpower will not be broken. We will certainly triumph, we will defeat the occupation, and we will realize our state’s independence, regardless of the difficulties, for every occupation passes in the end, and this will be the fate of the hated Israeli occupation of our homeland.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 31, 2023]

Report in English from the official PA news agency:

Headline: “President Abbas says Palestinian division must end immediately”

“President Mahmoud Abbas said today that the coup that took place in 2007 and the division it caused must end immediately without any hesitation or delay.

President Abbas made the remarks during the meeting of heads of Palestinian factions that he chaired Egypt’s city of El-Alamein.

He stressed that the division is a new catastrophe that befell the Palestinian people and cause, adding that national unity and joint collective action must be based on clear principles and foundations to end division, achieve unity and arrange the inner house.

President also stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, stressing the need to adhere to its political program, and to all its international obligations.

“The entire world recognizes the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and it is the unifying home for all Palestinians…it is the national and political entity of the Palestinian people, and the mother of the independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and the protector of the independent national decision and national identity,” the President said.

He affirmed that it is not acceptable for any Palestinian to have reservations about the PLO and its national and political program, adding that it is necessary to unanimously protect it, because it is considered one of the most important gains of the Palestinian people.

“The continued barbaric Israeli aggression obliges us all to rise to the level of true national responsibility, and to work on arranging our national home, so that we can confront this occupation that targets our existence, our rights and our sanctities,” President Abbas said.

He revealed that he invited heads of factions for this meeting to study ways to achieve national unity, strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, resist the continuous aggression against the Palestinians, and protect the homeland, people, and sanctities.

“We have practiced different forms of struggle at different stages in our national march, and we see today that peaceful popular resistance, at this stage, is the best way to continue our struggle and achieve our national goals,” he said.

The President noted that choosing this method of national struggle is not a random choice, but rather a well-studied choice based on historical backgrounds and experiences.

“In the face of the occupation, and the continued terrorism of the settlers, we must agree on this resistance to confront the aggression of the occupiers, “he said.

He stressed that the international community must provide international protection for the Palestinian people from those who attack them.

“We must work to end the division and put things back in order, within the framework of one state, one system, one law, one legitimate weapon, and one government, and the interests of our people and our national cause dictate that,” President Abbas said.

As for holding elections, President Abbas said elections are “our only means of sharing responsibility and national participation, and we want to hold presidential, legislative and National Council elections today before tomorrow, provided that our people in occupied East Jerusalem can participate in these elections as candidates and voters without any obstacles, as happened in the years 1996, 2005 and 2006.”

He stressed that the one who obstructs holding these elections is the occupying power, demanding the international community, led by the United States and the European Union, to oblige Israel to allow us hold democratic elections in Jerusalem.

President Abbas thanked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Egypt for hosting the meeting, and for the facilities they provided for convening this meeting.

He also showed gratitude to Egypt for its continuous sponsorship of the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, and its sincere desire for the success of this reconciliation in order to protect the national unity and the interests of the Palestinian people.”

[WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, July 30, 2023]

Itamar Marcus is the Founder and Director of Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.

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