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America in the Middle East

Rice 'understands' Abbas' difficulties


By Ryan Jones
September 22, 2005

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ?understands? PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas' difficulties in dealing with the likes of Hamas, and so has suggested he start fulfilling his obligations by disarming those closest to him ? the ?military wings? of his own Fatah faction.

?I think it would be a good start for the Palestinians...if they would disarm the militias of Fatah,? Rice told Time Magazine. ?That would be a good start.?

She noted that the Palestinian Authority has a decade-old obligation, reiterated in the Road Map peace plan, to disarm all terror groups operating out of territories under its control. But Rice said she could ?understand that there are complications with Hamas and there are questions about how capable [the PA] would be of actually insisting on disarmament of Hamas.?

Israel provided the PA with thousands of guns and other military equipment at the start of the peace process for the express purpose of ensuring such arms were never acquired by the terror groups. Now Hamas is believed to be better armed than the PA.

?They really do need to start getting, as Abbas has called it, one authority and one gun,? Rice said.

Abbas angrily reacted to the growing calls for him to eliminate the threat of anti-Jewish terrorism, despite having committed to doing so years ago.

?With regard to dealing with the Palestinian organizations, this is our affair,? Abbas told reporters in Gaza Wednesday. ?We know more and are more capable than others in dealing with our brothers.?

Abbas has repeatedly insisted he will not forcibly disarm the terror groups, and prefers to engaged them in dialog, brushing aside the fact Israel's Jews must continue to live under the threat of death.

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