Mashal: The problem began in 1948

Jerusalem Post ^ | Apr. 19, 2004 | JPOST.COM STAFF

[yonif]

"Fifty years ago people were living peacefully in Haifa and Jaffa, then came the British and Israeli occupation," Hamas chief Khaled Mashal told the BBC Monday.

Speaking on Tim Sebastian's Hardtalk program, Mashal was asked if, in his opinion, Israel had a right to exist and live in peace. Mashal would not answer the question directly, insisting only on saying, "the longest occupation does not become legitimate. The duration of the occupation does not make it legitimate."

Mashal came to Beirut from Damascus for the interview with the BBC.

"The problem was born fifty years ago," he told the BBC.

Mashal said the international community should pressure Israel into "excluding civilian populations from the violence."

"The battle should be between us and the IDF and settlers. But Israel assassinates and kills Palestinian civilians every single day," he said.

[yonif]

Hamas considers every Israeli a "settler."

[goldstategop]

"Its all the Jews' fault. All the world's problems began when Israel was born." These people's happiness depends on Israel not being around. What's a wonder is the world is even buying their BS when they should all be locked up in a mental ward.

[Asclepius]

The duration of the occupation does not make it legitimate.

Quite right. We should return the region to the Caananites immediately. After that we can return North America to the Pawnee and the Heron. I think we're about through with it anyway. On to Mars.

[JeeperFreeper]

The problem started in the 7th century when Arabs starting believing that an illiterate, murdering, thieving,lying pedophile was somehow a spokesman for God.

[federal]

Mashal said the international community should pressure Israel into "excluding civilian populations from the violence."

Man I love this one, Hamas thinks only Israeli civilians should be targets. Which in reality is already true because Israel doesn't target innocents. Man that one is rich!

[lavrenti]

Remember what I wrote you the last night? Fatah in 1966 actually called Israel a "settler state", comparing it to the European-Maltese immigrants to Algeria.

This is the mentality. There can only be isolation of this enemy. Failing that (the patience of saints), then utter destruction.

It is more than just Hamas, it is the whole crew. Only by breaking their will and forcing them to submit to the reality on the ground can this war end.

Anyhow, this bum has his history wrong. The British controlled the area after the Battle of Beersheba.

[yonif]

bump. The enemy must be destroyed, not given any levy such as an increase in land or a state.

[AmericanVictory]

In this supposed paradise, circa 1948, most of the land was owned by absentee landlords and many of the people were little better than serfs.

[Robert_Paulson2]

arabislamists... are considered a cancer on this planet by thinking rational human beings.

[lavrenti]

Give it time. Toss them the rope with which to hang themselves.

[RonHolzwarth]

Doesn't the BBC have any standards?

Don't they require the "news" programs to report "facts", and not "fantasy tales"?

Or, was this program broadcast on the "fairy tale channel"?

"A lie, repeated often enough, becomes Truth," by Paul Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's Propaganda Minister.

[wagglebee]

2000 years ago the Jews of Israel where overrun by Romans, later they were forced out by Ottomans. The British allowed the nomadic Palestinians to stay because no Arab nation wanted them. Later the Israelis allowed the Palestinains to stay and extended the hand of friendship. The Palestinians repaid this by killing as many Jews as possible to gain favor with the Arabs (who only hate the Palestinians a little less than they hate the Jews). My question is since when do outcast nomads (who by definition have no "homeland") have the right to determine who inhabits land given by God to the Jewish people?

[jaz.357]

[yooper]

Uh, the Heron is a bird. I think you mean the Huron, one band of the Iroquis Nation, a culture considerably more advanced than the Palestinians...