Posted on 07/11/2006 8:21:51 AM PDT by Alouette
GAZA, Palestine -- As Americans commemorated their annual celebration of independence from colonial occupation, rejoicing in their democratic institutions, we Palestinians were yet again besieged by our occupiers, who destroy our roads and buildings, our power stations and water plants, and who attack our very means of civil administration. Our homes and government offices are shelled, our parliamentarians taken prisoner and threatened with prosecution.
The current Gaza invasion is only the latest effort to destroy the results of fair and free elections held early this year. It is the explosive follow-up to a five-month campaign of economic and diplomatic warfare directed by the United States and Israel. The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship; its failure was predictable, and the new overt military aggression and collective punishment are its logical fulfillment. The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
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Another case of "Journalism Under False Pretenses".
They're having some trouble with this part of your thought. Perhaps more bombs will show them the way... :)
Translation: "the US and Israel have refused to fund terrorism. We can't understand why, since they, and the Europeans have always been willing to do so in the past."
The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship;
As if a "her" had anything to say in this or any other Mohammedan state, but I guess it plays well with your useful idiots in the Academy.
its failure was predictable,
And that is why your government is on the verge of collapse.
The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.
In which case, you have only to release him and expose the Israeli and US duplicity for what it is. You are in a no-lose position with respect to Cpl. Shalit: if you release him and are wrong, the military operation will end. If you release him and are correct, you'll gain an immediate legitimacy, at the cost of sparing the life of a single Jew--something you can certainly make up for later. But of course, the idea that one can disprove an hypothesis by submitting it to an empirical test is not one that connects to the Arab "mind."
Actually, you don't know anything. I was responding in kind to "Paleoswinians".
I chose to do that because it's important to understand and remember the Palestinian point of view. Jabotinsky had it right; they're 500 years behind the West but they're a people, not a rabble, and they're attached to their homeland and will fight for it until they feel there's no hope.
Yes, they've had trouble with this part. I'd prefer they had the intelligence, decent leadership and the other Arab nations to show them the way. They almost made it in Jordan, but Arafat blew it.
they're attached to their homeland and will fight for it until they feel there's no hope.
That's pretty damning of these people. Makes them out to be anachronistic un-changing suicidal fools. While the other Arabs treat them as useful idiot cannon fodder.
They were attached to Jordan for a while, they can become attached to a new home without the destruction of Israel - if all the radical terrorists, governments included, in the region weren't blowing up every chance they get.
The problem is far from being all the displaced people attached to their homeland as usual. If it were, you'd have Jewish refugee camps bombing Arab states that kicked them out sixty years ago.
Your opinion of these folks is much lower than most.
It isn't. There was an article in the Jerusalam Post a few days ago which provided an explanation.
The peoples of the surrounding states may not like Israel but they can go on with their lives. Palestinians are reminded on a daily basis, in the most direct and brutal ways, of what they've lost and how poorly they live...and there's very little they can do about it. Their "state" is to small and poor to provide them with opportunity.
Now, if the Arabs were truly one people the Arab part of the West Bank would be joined to Jordan while Gaza would become part of Egypt. I think that was the motivation behind Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. But it faces huge obstacles because Jordanians do NOT want more Palestinians and Egyptians aren't crazy about them either.
Even Europeans are finding it hard to give up tribe and nationality. Arab society and religion are medieval. For them it's impossible.
I think your position fails logically. Almost as many Palestinians, excluding fedayeen, live in Jordan as live elsewhere. And the West Bank WAS part of Jordan from '48-'67.
While there are ruling families/tribes, and jealousies between others, there exists no one tribe - one country rule in the Arab world.
You've neglected to mention Black September.
And the West Bank WAS part of Jordan from '48-'67.
It was also part of the Ottoman Empire c.1550 to 1918, and of the British protectorate 1920 to 1948. So what?
While there are ruling families/tribes, and jealousies between others, there exists no one tribe - one country rule in the Arab world.
I was speaking broadly. Evidence suggests that the Sunni-Shiite animosity is worsening, that tensions between Arab and non-Arab Muslims are worsening, that Lebanon is coming apart again, that Egypt and Iran are in for some very rough times. And, of course, Iraq is in the midst of a combined civil war and occupation.
Black September expelled the fedayeen; it's implied in my response. The great majority of Palestinians remained and still remain.
The significance of the West Bank being part of Jordan in the near past, willingly on Jordan's part, was in response to your citing huge obstacles to it, coming from Jordan, in the future.
We'll see. It looks like the entire Middle East is coming apart...and the Indians have yet to respond to Mumbai.
yes, interesting times..
Obviously, there is no easy solution or it would have been done.
thanks for your replies..
(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)
Light, sweet crude at $78 and rising. If the major powers don't make a move soon it'll all spin out of control.
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