In February,
HonestReporting documented the media's failure to describe the
close relationship between the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades ― one of the
most deadly Palestinian terrorist organizations ― and Yassir Arafat's
ruling Fatah party. While major news outlets regularly claimed mere
'loose ties' between the two groups, the overwhelming evidence indicated a
strong (and highly troubling) bond.
This problem continues ― an
AFP
wire report on June 13 described the Al Aqsa Brigades as 'a
radical and largely autonomous offshoot of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement,' and
AP (June 15) described them as a 'violent offshoot of
Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.'
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Ahmad Qurei
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But
yesterday (June 20), Palestinian Prime Minister
Ahmad Qurei openly acknowledged that the Al Aqsa Brigades are no
mere
'offshoot'. In an interview with the London-based
So most media outlets have had it dead wrong for some time.
HonestReporting has
stated that this is not a mere semantic matter, but rather cuts to
the very heart of the conflict:
The close ties that bond the Fatah-led
PA to terrorist groups are the fundamental problem that prevents
progress toward peaceful reconciliation. The dominant political
party in the PA remains a direct sponsor of ongoing terrorism ― the
ruling politicians and the terrorists are one and the same.
With Qurei's open admission of a Fatah-Al Aqsa Brigades
alliance, any
media outlet whose copy continues to deny that
alliance is blatantly
misrepresenting Palestinian reality. As such, their readership cannot
possibly understand the tough line Israel must take with the current
PA, which is in clear violation of the
road map's
demand for dismantling terrorist organizations ― not promoting them from within.
For good measure,
Qurei also admitted that Yassir Arafat continues to call all the
shots ― road map violation #2:
"There is nothing called 'prime minister' and 'interior
minister,'" [Qurei] said. "There is a Palestinian establishment
called the Palestinian Authority and it is headed by President
Yasser Arafat."
HonestReporting encourages subscribers to monitor your local media
for denial of the bond between the ruling Palestinian Fatah party and
the Al Aqsa Brigades ― labeled by the U.S. State Department
as a terrorist organization, and responsible for 23 major terrorist
attacks in the past three years.
Moreover, shouldn't Qurei's statement be making headlines? Write to
news agencies, urging coverage of the PA's confirmation that it 'bears
full responsibility' for the Al Aqsa terror organization:
