Mahmoud Abbas is more like Arafat than Arafat.

Following warm embraces with militant leaders in refugee camps and his pledges that he would stand by the gunmen in their struggle to avoid capture by Israel, Abbas took an uncompromising stance on the refugee issue.

Addressing a rally in Gaza City, Abbas endorsed the claim that Palestinian refugees and their descendants from the 1948 war have the right to return to their original homes.

"We will never forget the rights of the refugees, and we will never forget their suffering," Abbas told the cheering crowd. "They will eventually gain their rights, and the day will come when the refugees return home."

And you can forget about the rule of law in "Palestine".

In a campaign speech yesterday, Abbas vowed never to take up arms against militant groups. The remarks were the latest in a series of stump speeches in which Abbas, who in the past has criticized the use of bombs and rifles against Israelis, hailed militants as heroes of the uprising.

Colin Powell is "disturbed" by Abbas' actions and comments. How elegant.