Dear Editor:

The countries of the UN should spend their time trying to have the Palestinian Authority, Fatah, and Hamas convert their mindset to destroy Israel, rather than waste their time on Israeli settlements.

Were the West Bank settlements the reason why the Arabs attacked Israel in 1948, when the UN resolution established Arab segments and the establishment of the Jewish state?

Were the West Bank settlements the reason in 1964 when the PLO and its 29-clause charter were created to destroy Israel?  Charter clause 24 stated, “this organization does not exercise any sovereignty in the West Bank or Gaza.”

Were the West Bank settlements the problem in 1967 when Egypt forced the UN troops to leave the Sinai?  The UN troops were stationed in the Sinai to prevent Egypt from attacking Israel.

Were the West Bank settlements the problem in 1967 when Egypt closed the Tiran Straits to Israel ships?  This was an act of war.

Were the West Bank settlements the problem in 1967, when Egypt and Syria massed hundreds of thousands of troops and tanks ready to attack Israel?

Were the West Bank settlements the problem in 1968, when the Palestinian National Council (PNC) slightly amended the 1964 charter by eliminating clause 24 and adding clauses to use “armed struggle” to “liberate” Palestine?  The same PNC is the only entity which can change the charter (1968 charter clause 33).

Were the West Bank settlements the problem when the PNC issued its 10-clause Political Programme in June 1974 after the Yom Kippur War?  This document stated that the aim of “the Palestinian National Authority will strive to achieve a union of the confrontation countries, with the aim of completing the liberation of all Palestinian territory, and as a step along the road to comprehensive Arab unity.”

Were the West Bank settlements the problem when Arafat sent a Sept 1993 letter to Rabin in which he listed a series of PLO promises of peace which were all contradictions of the 1968 charter?  The last sentence of Arafat’s Sept 1993 letter stated, “consequently, the PLO undertakes to submit to the Palestinian National Council for formal approval the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant.”

There has never been a valid PNC recognition of Israel.  There has never been a change of one word in the 1968 charter.  The Fatah, the PLO, and Hamas still have formal documents calling for the destruction of Israel.  There is no Palestinian document in existence to show that there has ever been a change in their mindset to destroy Israel.

Respectfully,

William K. Langfan

(This letter to the editor was written on 1/3/2017)

Dear Editor:

President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry are now spending the last few days of their administration complaining about Israeli settlements and extolling the virtues of a two-state solution.

Their time would be more usefully spent if they would translate for us what the Palestinian leaders are telling their people in Arabic, such as:

1. Naming streets, buildings, and other facilities after their “martyrs” who have murdered innocent Israeli civilians.
2. Paying families for the murderous acts which their “martyred” relatives committed.
3. Inciting their people against Israel on TV, radio, the press, and Friday sermons.
4. Informing us that the two other Palestinian parties, Hamas has a charter which is far worse than the PLO charter, and Fatah has a constitution which also calls for the destruction of Israel.
5. The PLO fraudulently received land for peace with an absolute Oslo Palestinian commitment to amend their 1968 charter by annulling charter clauses calling for the destruction of Israel. Not one word of this charter has ever been changed.

Please type Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) into your computer, and you will be amazed with the English translations of what the Palestinian leaders are saying in Arabic about us and Israelis.

Respectfully,

William K. Langfan

(This letter to the editor was written on 12/29/2016)

Dear Editor:

Page one of the Oct. 29, 2016 New York Times contained an interview with a West Bank woman who was prepared to be a suicide bomber.  She was arrested before she could perform her act of revenge.  After six years in prison, she claims to have been transformed into an advocate of peace.  She might want peace; however, every act and word in Arabic of the Palestinian leaders is contrary to the meaning of peace.

Are the following examples of “peace” illustrative of what the Palestinian leaders call peace?

1. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was created in 1964 with its charter calling for the Liberation of Palestine. Israel was within her UN established borders.

The Charter clearly declared that the original dimensions of the former British Mandate were the borders of Palestine, and that the establishment of Israel was illegal and void. Charter clause 24 specifically stated that the PLO does not claim any sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza.  Jordan controlled the West Bank and Egypt controlled Gaza in 1964.  There are several other clauses which call for the Liberation of Palestine.  The PLO was to resort to conflict until Israel was eliminated.

The 1968 charter amended the 1964 charter after the 1967 war by eliminating clause 24 and re-stated most of the 1964 clauses.  They changed the words struggle to liberate Palestine to “armed struggle” including commando action to liberate Palestine.  The Oslo peace process obligated the Palestinian Leadership to eliminate from their 1968 charter the various onerous clauses calling for the destruction of Israel.  Israel did meet her Oslo obligation by conveying control of large segments of the West Bank.

Arafat and the Palestinian leaders went through a series of steps of Chicanery which bamboozled President Clinton, Israeli leaders and the World into believing that they removed these drastic clauses to destroy Israel.  Not one word of this 1968 charter has ever been changed.  This 33 clause 1968 charter with its unchanged clauses to destroy Israel, remains the mantelet of the Palestinian leadership today.

2. Hamas has a charter which also calls for the destruction of Israel. Clause 11 of this charter very clearly states that every grain of sand of Palestine is sacred Muslim territory.  Fatah has a constitution which is another “peaceful” document.  Each of these three documents speaks a great deal louder than empty words of “peace.”
3. Constant Palestine leaders’ statements that a peace agreement with Israel is similar to Muḥammad’s peace with the Quraysh. Muḥammad violated this agreement as soon as he had garnered the ability to conquer them.
4. Palestinian leaders frequently refer to defeating Israel in phases.
5. Abbas and the Palestinian leaders refer to terrorist murderers of Israeli civilians as martyrs.
6. Try to find a map of Palestine, which includes Israel, in Palestinian controlled areas.
7. The Palestinian Authority continuously names schools, buildings, and streets for terrorist murderers of Israeli citizens.

There are many more examples too numerous to mention, which can only be interpreted as the opposite of peace intentions.

If the Palestinian leaders want to exhibit a real desire for peace with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Fatah and Hamas must annul all three documents pursuant to the language in their 2 charters and constitution.  Additionally, 3/4 of the Palestinians must vote in a carefully monitored election that they want to live side by side in peace with Israel.

Respectfully,

William K. Langfan

(This letter to the editor was written on 11/2/2016)

Letter to the Editor:

The Rabin Center recently immortalized Rabin as the father of Oslo.

I sincerely feel that the Rabin Center should adjust their bravado dramatically pertaining to Rabin and Oslo.

Oslo did produce 1/2 of its promise of Land for Peace.  Control of significant segments of land was transferred by Israel to the Palestinians; however, Palestinian “Peace” has been a fraud before, during and after Oslo.  The Palestinian leadership has never changed one word of their promise and Oslo obligation to annul the onerous charter clauses to destroy Israel.

Prime Minister Rabin in his September 9, 1993 letter in response to Arafat’s promise that the PLO would submit to the PNC for formal approval the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant, stated, “In response to your letter of September 9, 1993, I wish to confirm to you that, in light of the PLO commitments included in your letter, the Government of Israel has decided to recognize the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and commence negotiations with the PLO within the Middle East peace process.”  Rabin should have paid attention to Jordan’s late King Hussein’s favorite expression, “Arafat never came to a bridge he would not double-cross.”

More than two years later on October 5, 1997 in a speech to the Knesset, Rabin emphasized the importance of the Palestinian obligation to change the Charter by stating, “the Palestinian Authority has not – up until now – honored its commitment to change the Palestinian Covenant, and that all of the promises on this matter have not been kept. I would like to bring it to the attention of the members of the house that I view these changes as a supreme test of the Palestinian Authority’s willingness and ability, and the changes required will be an important and serious touchstone vis-a-vis the continued implementation of the agreement as a whole.”

The following clause was inserted in the Interim Agreement in an attempt to force the Palestinian leadership to comply with Arafat’s promise to have the PNC change the Charter.  Article XXXI, Paragraph 9: “The PLO undertakes that, within two months of the date of the inauguration of the Council (Interim Agreement), the Palestinian National Council will convene and formally approve the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant, as undertaken in the letters signed by the Chairman of the PLO and addressed to the Prime Minister of Israel, dated September 9, 1993 and May 4, 1994.”  The inauguration of the Interim Agreement occurred on March 7, 1996.

The PNC did timely meet in April 1996 and did pass a two clause resolution to supposedly respond to the obligation above.  Clause One merely generalized the PNC’s intention to change the Charter pursuant to the September 1993 exchange of letters between Arafat and Rabin.  Clause Two authorized the legal committee to redraft the Charter and present the new charter to Palestinian Central Council (PCC).  There is no language in the 1968 Charter referring to the PCC.  There is no evidence that any new Charter was redrafted pursuant to Clause Two of the Charter.  No specific clause change in the Charter was ever mentioned in either clause of the resolution.  April 1996 PNC meeting is the only meeting which has ever been held by the PNC with respect to changing the Charter.  Clause 33 of the Charter states:  “This Charter shall not be amended save by [vote of] a majority of two-thirds of the total membership of the National Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization [taken] at a special session convened for that purpose.”

Arafat sent a letter to President Clinton in January 13, 1998, in which he alleged that as a result of the PNC resolution, clauses 6-10, 15, 19-23, and 30 were annulled and clauses 1-5, 11-14, 16-18, 25-27 and 29 were partially annulled.  Arafat’s interpretation of Clause One of the resolution, is one of history’s greatest lies.

The heads of all of the Palestinian ministries verbally reaffirmed Arafat’s lying annulments and partial charter annulments.  This vote was accepted by President Clinton and Prime Minister Netanyahu.  These alleged annulments have never appeared in a PNC document or in any Palestinian document.

The 1968 PLO unchanged Charter calling for the destruction of Israel, is still the only Palestinian Charter in existence, other than the Hamas 1998 Charter, which is substantially worse than the PLO Charter.

Respectfully,

William K. Langfan

(This letter to the editor was written on 9/29/2016)