Palestinian reconciliation nears; Reuters goes into high-gear propaganda mode

Palestinian factions Hamas, Fatah and a host of smaller terror groups like Islamic Jihad are about to sign a reconciliation agreement in preparation for application to the UN General Assembly for statehood.  Concealing the objectives, tactics and bloody history of these groups and their leaders so as to facilitate that application is a tall order, but Reuters, with its pro-Palestinian and virulent anti-Israel agenda, is fully up to the task.  In the last 48 hours, Reuters has published, in both conventional story format and as part of its propagandistic "factbox" series, a number of pieces intended to obfuscate the implacably violent and totalitarian nature of these factions and their key players.

In a story on reaction to the killing of Osama Bin Laden by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, Reuters correspondent Nidal al-Mughrabi fabricates a "good cop/bad cop" scenario, portraying the latter as supporting a non-violent, negotiated settlement with Israel:

The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority supports a negotiated peace with Israel to obtain a state in territories the Jewish state captured in a 1967 war.

No evidence is provided for this assertion and in reality, both Fatah and the Palestinian Authority remain committed to the destruction of Israel.  As we noted yesterday, the Fatah constitution calls for the total eradication of a Jewish sovereign by violent means.  The Palestinian Authority is about to bring into government, the genocidal terror group Hamas, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who has refused to accept Israel as a Jewish state or to negotiate with Israel for nearly a year, has often reminded his interviewers that the Palestinians have chosen non-violence merely as a temporary strategic option in their effort to defeat Israel.

Al-Mughrabi even provides public relations for Hamas by suggesting that its public statements condemning the killing of Osama Bin Laden were offered merely as a sop to other Islamist groups in Gaza:

Political analysts in the Gaza Strip said Haniyeh was attempting through his remarks to cool tensions in the territory with al Qaeda-inspired Salafi groups. They consider Hamas too moderate and waged gun battles recently with its forces.
"Haniyeh took in his consideration the situation in Gaza and the strong presence of Salafi groups. It was an attempt to reconcile with them after the fighting," said analyst Hani Habib.

We'll take a look at other Reuters propaganda efforts in coming posts.