Abu Mazen: The Whole Intifada Was a Mistake

The Jordanian daily newspaper Al-Rai recently published an interview with former PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Memri provided a translation of it. If you use the link above you can read the whole thing. I found a few bits to be of particular interest:

Question: "The negotiations did not yield any results, so why do you think that the Intifada was the worst option?"

Abbas: "If we were to sum up where we have ended up after four years of the Intifada, [we would find that] there are three opinions: the first opinion is that after the killing of 1,000 Israelis in the Intifada, Israel would collapse, as would Sharon; the second opinion is that the armed Intifada would liberate the homeland; the third opinion is that the Intifada would bring the settlements to a halt. An examination [of the matter] shows that Sharon did not fall. On the contrary, he has become the most popular [leader] in the history of Israel, after having been subjected to condemnations in Israel. On the same note, all of the Palestinian lands are now occupied and vulnerable, and the settlements have nearly doubled. We damaged our relations with the Americans and with Israeli public opinion; the latest statement from the Quartet is an additional indication of what has become of us."

Question: "You alluded to a fourth opinion concerning the Intifada – what is it?"

Abbas: "The fourth opinion says: stop the 'militarization' of the Intifada. Let us fulfill our obligations as they appear in the Road Map and in the Basic Law, and let us convince the world that we have fulfilled our obligations and that Sharon must fulfill his. Yet today the entire world condemns us instead of condemning Sharon."

Question: "What must the Palestinian side do in order to get out of this situation?"

Abbas: "We need to put our house in order. That is the first condition. This has not been done, and the fourth voice has been weak and has not been heard."