It's no secret around Washington that Yasser Arafat employs a State-side organization to sweeten his speeches: the Bannerman and Associates public relations firm, whose point man is Edward Abington, one time State Department official. In 2000, thanks to Clinton's eagerness and Barak's stupidity, Arafat was offered most of the West Bank and Gaza and lots of Jerusalem as capital - and turned it down. Abington diffused people's anger at Arafat and fuzzed the whole episode up, so now, while people may not remember details of what happened, they have a vague feeling that all sides were probably at fault.

Abington is an specialist in treating hoof-in-mouthitis - he doesn't just remove Arafat's foot, he has you swearing Arafat was singing 'I wanna make peace with you.' Thanks to him and to a host of Arab diplomats and to willing media receptacles like BBC and NPR and CNN, Arafat can say exactly what he means - and he has never swerved from his intention to wipe Israel off the face of the earth - and the American public is treated to a softened, sensible-sounding version any Nobel Peace Prize recipient would be proud to have said. Arafat has on occasion - when the words out of his mouth weren't replaced in time - been forced to double talk. But most of the time, the PR buffer works splendidly, and he is free to say what he wants, and we get to hear what sounds nice.

Last week, the world was treated to an insightful example of how Arafat's virulence is dampened and masked. On May 15th, Arafat, speaking live on Palestinian television on the 56th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, called on Palestinians to "terrorize your enemy." As reported by Arnon Regular in Ha'aretz, Arafat was in fine form.

... "Our nation is patient and determined," he said, "... which sacrificed its body to defend itself, which was laid bare by the Nakba carried out by the international, Zionist and imperialist power, which didn't have the right to allow [the creation of Israel], for those who didn't have the right [the Zionists]."

..."We have proved that the Nakba, which caused harm to millions of Palestinian refugees, is not a fate that we cannot fight, and we proved that through stubbornness it is possible to battle for this homeland and the holy places, and return to them. The aggression of the Israeli occupation is pitted against the force of history."

"...Arafat ended the speech with a quote from the Koran. 'Find what strength you have to terrorize your enemy and the enemy of God,' he said."

Mr. Regular noted that "[t]he phrase in the Koran refers to Muslims' wars against pagans. It is followed by a phrase saying 'if they want peace, then let's have peace.'" (Arnon Regular, Ha'aretz (/www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/427699.html, May 15, 2004).

This was, in its own way, an important speech. America and Israel has often come close to the brink, but they've never been resolute enough to do anything irretrievable to the man who, since Hitler's death, has been the world's ugliest and nastiest embodiment of evil. He has invented new ways, highly effective ways, to murder: highjacking planes, massacring Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Munich, hiding snipers among Arab women and children, dressing bombers up as women, and sending the young to blow themselves up among a crowd of Jews. He has never hesitated using up his own people to kill Jews. He has boldly proclaimed that Israel - a venerable people - was illegitimate and he has persuaded the world that a ragtag bunch of Arabs was a legitimate people, whose land - Palestine - was occupied by Israel.

And after all the huffing and puffing by America and Israel, here he is, still in charge. So you'd expect journalists would do a serious analysis of the speech for indicators of where a major player stands, and if, by a miracle, he has become less belligerent. A more perceptive journalist might see it as a temperature-taker of the mood of the 'Palestinian' Arabs - after all, the Arabs under Arafat have been so corrupted and damaged, Arafat could drop dead tomorrow but their death-loving twisted culture would not change - no matter who was in charge.

Some obvious aspects of Arafat's "Terrorize Your Enemy" speech should have been included in any news account. Leo Rennert has done an excellent job stating them:

1. Arafat showed his true colors by calling on Palestinians to continue terror attacks against Israel and by praising Palestinian "warriors of jihad."

2. He made it absolutely clear that the Palestinian agenda is NOT a two-state solution but to regain all of Palestine -- i.e., annihilate Israel. In this connection, he skipped any complaint or criticism of post-1967 "occupation" and denounced the international system which he said made the creation of Israel possible. He wants to reverse 1948, not 1967 -- "Palestine is the homeland of the Palestinian nation and Palestinians will not accept an alternative."

3. It was no coincidence, of course, that at the very same time Colin Powell was meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Qureia that Arafat delivered his incendiary "terrorize your enemy" speech. Arafat did the same thing after Qureia's predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, returned from a peace summit with Bush. At that time, Arafat quickly pulled the rug from under Abbas. Now he wants the world to know that Arafat -- NOT Qureia -- is the guy who calls the shots.

4. Arafat also humiliated Bush and Powell, who bowed to Arab protests against Bush's support of Sharon by agreeing to enter high-level talks with Qureia. After what Arafat said, Qureia's promise to try to arrange a cease-fire sounds more than hollow. In fact, after Arafat's pronouncement, anything Qureia says is worthless. So why continue to talk to Qureia, unless he has the guts to repudiate Arafat. Fat chance!

5. In light of Arafat's speech, the most inane statement of the day came from Powell, who told Qureia that he "couldn't predict" whether the road map's objective of a Palestinian state by 2005 could be met. Arafat's speech should have been the umpteenth wake-up call to U.S. and Palestinian officials that, as long as Arafat remains in charge, the peace process will remain frozen and Palestinian terrorism will continue unabated -- with the full support of the primo Palestinian leader.

6. A bit more history: Arafat's real agenda of a terrorism-driven campaign to annihilate Israel goes way back and never changed. He began as a terrorist, then pretended to change his spots in 1993 by signing on to the Oslo peace process. But from the start of Oslo, he clung to his real agenda, telling Arabs right after his famous handshake on the White House lawn with Clinton and Rabin that he was merely following the example of Muhammed, who agreed to a temporary truce when his forces were weak to gain time to recoup his strength and then went on to annihilate his enemies. Arafat again showed his true colors at Camp David and Taba in 2000-2001 when he effectively blocked any peace based on a genuine two-state solution, and then launched the current intifada.

7. What happens in the next few days? Following up on Powell's meeting with Qureia, Condi Rice is supposed to meet the Palestinian PM to continue the new U.S.-Palestinian dialogue. Will she admit that all this is a sham now?

So, how was this speech reported?

The Washington Post Sunday edition (May 16, 2004) devoted three extensive stories to the Mideast conflict - a Tel Aviv demonstration for a pullout from Gaza, Secretary of State Colin Powell's efforts to revive the peace process, and the plight of refugees in Gaza caught in the cross-fire - without any mention of the incendiary speech on the same day by Yasser Arafat who called for more terror and "jihad" against Israel.

Where his speech was reported, it was for the most part sanitized. CNN and BBC in reporting the speech did not report "terrorize," but did report "steadfast" and readiness for "peace".

The speech was quoted in the context of Secretary of State Colin Powell speech May 16th during the World Economic Forum held in Shuneh, Jordan. The Associated Press (AP) headline read: "Powell criticizes Arafat for impeding peace." (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4980223/). The article quoted Mr Powell as saying

"Mr. Arafat continues to take actions and make statements that make it exceptionally difficult to move forward."

The AP commented, "Powell did not specify what actions, but mentioned Arafat's remarks Saturday to Palestinians on the 56th anniversary of what Arabs call "The Catastrophe" -- Israel's establishment."

AP whitewashed Powell's bland remarks even further - and it is the AP version that was used by many of the news media. According to AP:

"Arafat ended his speech with a quote from the Koran. 'Find what strength you have to terrorize your enemy and the enemy of God,' he said. 'And if they want peace, then let's have peace.'"

This makes it appear that Arafat actually said, "And if they want peace, then let's have peace." But as Dr. Joseph Lerner of IMRA noted, Arafat did not quote "if they want peace, then let's have peace."

What Arafat did say, at one point, was "I tell the Israeli people that our hand is extended to making the peace of the brave on this land." The Editorial Staff of Jerusalem Newswire explained what Arafat's comment meant:

"As he has consistently over the past decade, Arafat referred to the peace he is offering Israel as the "peace of the brave." It is a term often misunderstood in the West, but which holds significant meaning in the Muslim world. The "peace of the brave" has historically referred to the Prophet Mohammed's treacherous treaty with the Quraish tribe of Mecca - a treaty he promptly violated once his own forces outmatched his enemy's." (http://www.jnewswire.com/news_archive/04/05/040516_arafat.asp)

Having distorted Arafat's remarks and ignored context, AP could conclude rosily that:

"Arafat, whom Israel accuses of supporting militant groups, did not appear to be calling for new attacks on Israel [emphasis mine]. The passage in the Quran refers to the early Muslims' wars against pagans and is frequently invoked by Islamic leaders today to encourage strength in times of conflict."

And so a call to destroy Israel - by massacring Jews and flooding Israel with the descendants and adoptees of the 1948 Arab refugees - is morphed into a benevolent morale boost.

Honest Reporting spelled it out:

"So let's understand the sequence of events: (1) Yassir Arafat calls for Palestinians to expand the bloody terrorism against innocent Israelis, (2) PA officials, concerned for bad press, scurry over to reporters and proffer a creative, 'alternative' understanding of Arafat's incitement, then (3) the world's largest wire agency, the Associated Press, presents the PA apologists' line as the proper way to understand Arafat, despite the fact that it defies literal meaning. An objective report would have, at the very least, attributed the 'creative reading' to Arafat's 'associates'" ("AP Arafapologies," May 17, 2004, http://www.honestreporting.org.).

The Jerusalem Post did not delve into the implications of Arafat's speech for the region but Khaled Abu Toameh's article, "Arafat: Palestinians must terrorize enemy" makes clear that his remarks were clearly understood in Gaza.

"In Ramallah, thousands gathered in the city center, waving flags and chanting, 'No peace, No stability without the right of return.' Children held up placards bearing the names of Arab villages from which their families originated.

"Sakher Habash, a senior Fatah official and close aide to Arafat, told the demonstrators that there would never be peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state and the return of the refugees to their original homes.

"In Nablus, some 5,000 demonstrators burned a cardboard model of an IDF tank, along with life-sized effigies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. 'We say 'no' to all plans that deny the right of return,' the demonstrators shouted.

"Similar demonstrations were held in Kalkilya, Tulkarem, Jenin, Hebron and Bethlehem.

"In Gaza City, at least 10,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Palestinian Legislative Council offices, carrying pictures of Arafat and keys to what used to be their homes. 'The right of return is holy, we will return to our homeland,' they chanted. Arafat's top aide, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, was at the head of the procession."

But the message that was broadcast in the West was - thanks to the preliminary redaction by AP - that Arafat is willing to make peace.

Bernice Lipkin is editor of Think-Israel.

Thanks are due to Leo Rennert for drawing my attention to the inconsistencies in how Arafat's speech was reported and for his perceptive analysis of omitted context.

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