Clear Objectives
Those who promise violence will keep their word.

By Aaron Mannes, Washington-based writer & Middle East analyst
August 29, 2001 1:55 p.m.

t Mustafa Abu Ali's funeral, thousands of mourners chanted, "We returned in order to resist!" This was how Mustafa Abu Ali, the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) explained how he could relocate to the Palestinian Authority (PA) even though he rejected the process that created it.

Mustafa kept his word. On moving to the PA he started a PFLP terror cell and masterminded several bombings inside of Israel. When an Israeli missile killed Mustafa Monday morning he became the highest level Palestinian leader to be killed in the 11 months of Palestinian-Israeli fighting.

The sad irony is that, despite his frank calls for Israel's destruction and his long record of terrorism — Israel gave its assent when Arafat requested that Mustafa be given permission to enter the PA.

Founded in 1967 by George Habash, the PFLP is a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization within the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The PFLP engineered numerous bombings and massacres, but achieved its greatest notoriety by hijacking passenger airplanes. In 1970 the PFLP skyjacked four airplanes and forced them to land in Jordan, where the PLO was then headquartered. This set off the series of events that resulted in "Black September" when the PLO was expelled from Jordan. The PLO's actions threatened the stability of the Jordanian regime, so King Hussein attacked the PLO, which moved to Lebanon. (In that two-week war, the Jordanian Army killed over 5,000 Palestinians. By comparison, less than 600 Palestinians have been killed since the present Intifada began 11 months ago.)

Abu Ali Mustafa helped Habash found the PFLP and was Habash's top lieutenant. He played a leading role in all of the PFLP's actions. When an ailing Habash retired a year ago, Mustafa succeeded him.

When Arafat negotiated the Oslo agreement with Israel, the PFLP, along with several other organizations within the PLO, joined the rejectionist front — refusing to participate in the peace process or grant any sort of recognition to Israel. These organizations were based in Damascus, where the patronage of Syria's President Hafez Al-Assad kept them viable, but on a short leash.

Mustafa needed to be closer to the action, so he began to negotiate with Arafat. Some Israelis interpreted Mustafa's willingness to deal with Arafat and move to the PA as a sign that Mustafa was actually a moderate. But in an interview with the Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, Mustafa showed that while he was flexible in his means, age had not mellowed his ultimate demands. (The interview was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.) When asked if he still supported violence against Israel, Mustafa responded, "We believe the Palestinian people… have the right to struggle using all means, including armed struggle, because we think the conflict is a constant while the means and tactics are the variables…"

Mustafa agreed when the interviewer stated that by the Israeli definition Mustafa incites terrorism because the PFLP has not changed its principles regarding the armed struggle against Israel.

When asked about his vision of Palestine, Mustafa responded, "I perceive Palestine as the historic Palestine documented in all the UN and British Mandate records, Palestine from the river to the sea…. Israel is a plundering and aggressive entity on Palestinian land… We do not view the Palestinian state that may be established now, and that we are told will have the June 4, [1967] borders, as the final goal of the Palestinian people…."

Mustafa could not have been clearer about his intention of launching terrorist attacks or his ultimate goal of destroying Israel. Yet, when Arafat asked for Israeli permission for Mustafa to enter the PA, he received it. Israel did not bargain or exact concessions from Arafat. Israel did insist that Arafat promise to prevent Mustafa from committing acts of terrorism. But, considering Arafat's lackluster record at fighting terrorism, only the most credulous could take Arafat's word on this issue.

So Israel, unwilling to say no to Arafat, allowed Mustafa, despite his long record of terrorism and his stated intention to launch terror attacks, easy access to Israel itself. Predictably, Mustafa initiated his plans. Israel responded to the terrorism by killing its perpetrator — sparking international criticism and further inspiring Palestinians to violence. In permitting Mustafa to enter the PA, Israel initiated a chain of events in which it needlessly harmed itself. This is the consequence of not taking radical statements seriously. Israel is now learning a very expensive lesson: Those who promise violence will keep their word.