When challenged as to Israel’s “hidden agenda” in perpetuating the violence, Abu Toameh responded to the questioner:

“Explain to me what the Israeli occupation has to do with the total absence of a free Palestinian press;

“Explain to me what the occupation has to do with the Palestinian Authority funneling off $6.5 billion in international aid to their own personal bank accounts?

“Explain to me why, after years of misery and billions of dollars of aid money made available, not one hospital, not one housing project, has been built in the Palestinian refugee camps?

But hasn’t there been a dramatic change in the Palestinian Authority following Arafat’s death? The way Abu Toameh sees it, Mahmoud Abbas is probably a decent man, one who would like there to be real change and movement toward peace. But the problem is that although Arafat is dead, Arafatism lives...

... In mid-November U.S. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice spoke at a press conference in Israel and praised Abbas for reducing incitement in the Arab media, Abu Toameh said he laughed. In his hands he was holding three different Palestinian papers, all of which had as their headlines, “Israel setting free wild pigs to drive Arabs from their land.”...