Same lies, new liar.
Posted on 07/02/2002 4:10:42 PM PDT by Pokey78
These days, the tightly controlled Palestinian media are trying to suppress the fact that many ordinary Palestinians are heartened by the calls for democracy for Palestinians from around the world. In the West Bank and Gaza, people are whispering that there might be an end to the repression and corruption that have characterised the past five years under the Palestinian Authority.
As if the Israeli occupation and daily hardship at the hands of Israeli soldiers were not enough, we Palestinians had to witness the ostentatious corruption of our elected or appointed officials and the denial of our basic rights of freedom. Under the tight network of internal security apparatchiks established after Oslo, the Palestinian Authority suppressed dissenting voices and denied basic freedom of expression. Writers and independent voices were harassed for criticising the regime.
Still, exasperated after years of suffering and exhilarated at the idea of having our own state, I and many Palestinians were willing to tolerate the autocratic ways of the Palestinian Authority for the ultimate goal of freedom. But that did not happen. Our legitimate cause was eventually hijacked by the despotic rule of the Palestinian Authority and by those who want to speak through violence.
Palestinians have been manipulated for too long now. Our cause has been used by numerous Arab leaders to rally their own people, distract attention from the suffering in their own societies, postpone democratic reform and to avoid being accountable for their actions. As a result, Israelis have claimed for years that Palestinians were an "Arab responsibility" and that Arabs were not ready to make peace. When the peace process finally came, we thought we had a chance to shape our future and claim independence. The return of the Palestinian leadership from exile was a symbol of that.
Unfortunately, we were mistaken. The returning leaders brought with them an alien system of governance. They had lived most of their lives as refugees or freedom fighters in other Arab countries and they felt that Palestinians should remain the cannon fodder in the battle between pan-Arabism and Zionism.
Ordinary Palestinians came to understand that their cause has been transferred to benefit the new ruling class. We are supposed to know our duty in glorifying those leaders so they may bestow some of their blessings on us.
It is curious how we Palestinians - so rich in culture, education and intellectual wealth - have become synonymous with suicide bombings and violence. Ask why and you will receive two contradictory answers. One camp will tell you it is because of years of systematic incitement and embedded hatred. Others will say the violence is a result of years of humiliation, deprivation and poverty. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
It is precisely because so many Palestinians live in squalor - owing to the Israeli-enforced economic stagnation, coupled with local leadership corruption - that many Palestinian political opportunists blame the "external enemy" for our troubles and divert attention from our own failures and corruption. We are permitted to seek only the outside enemy, never the one within.
Middle Easterners love to dwell on the past - it is part of our "victimhood game": it seems always to be somebody else's fault. But to forge ahead, we need to go beyond the past. If we are to hope for a better future for the next generation, we need accountability and new strategies. We have to place power into the hands of the true representatives of the majority, while giving the minority an equal platform.
It is only through a democratic system that we can ensure a lasting peace and prolonged prosperity. This is the only way that we can be sure that a meritocracy distinguishes one Palestinian from another. It is only then that we can be sure our elected leaders have the people's interests at heart; otherwise they know they will be voted out.
Suddenly, there is a good deal of talk about reform and elections in Palestine. That is all very well. But democracy is not just a simple practice of electing a leader. After all, the Soviet Union held elections regularly, and Cubans go to the polls every five years. Before elections are held in Palestine, we must ensure that all other elements of a free society are in place: freedom of the press; freedom to hold political rallies; equal time on state-run media.
More important, we must change our electoral system. The present one was adopted to produce a strong man in power - a dictatorial government was the inevitable result. To fall for the same trap would be a national disaster.
Israel has a major duty to ensure free elections in Palestine, since, in practical terms, it is still the occupying power. It has to allow for freedom of movement for Palestinians by withdrawing to the pre-September 2000 position. It should relinquish designs to impose, directly or indirectly, a Palestinian leader.
It may sound as if I am absolving Israel of years of wrongdoing. I am not. Israel continues to cause the Palestinians a great deal of suffering and humiliation. There is a lack of sincerity in its political dealings with Palestinians. Building more settlements is not what an honest peace partner would do. Many Israeli leaders are trying to avoid a peace agreement at any price. There cannot be a just and final end to the conflict without Palestinian rights and grievances being addressed.
But Palestinians cannot achieve their aspirations until they reclaim the moral high ground. Only then will Israeli extremists be marginalised and our own moderate and peace-loving silent majority be empowered to speak out. In order for us Palestinians to attain our dreams of freedom and statehood, we have to put our house in order first. Only then will we be strong enough to counter our adversary's designs.
We need a leadership that is worthy of our struggle, one that can address years of suffering and injustice, not one that has narrow, self-centred concerns.
Same lies, new liar.
Oh, but he did. Basically he's saying that they depended on Arafat to destroy Israel, but he screwed up and now they are feeling the squeeze. So he wants another angle, is all.
Maybe I should have you ping me on any article you post, rather than just the requisite Steyn list.
There is no such thing as a palestinian. There never has been, and hopefully there never will be.
There are Egyptian Arabs, Jordanian Arabs, and Syrian Arabs who are under the nominal 'control' of the UN and the thugs who make up Arafats 'regime'.
But, there is no such thing as a 'palestinian'.
L
Interestingly, Palestinians didn't have a single university before the "occupation" of 1967.
The guy is taking his life in his hands by saying anything at all. This should be encouraged, it's the most reasonable thing I've seen in a long, long time. True, it's a baby step, but it's a baby step FORWARD!
The Palis have no one to blame for that except themselves. They had fairly open access to Israeli cities and jobs, and many were employed by Israeli companies. As an act of self-preservation when the homicide bombers became frequent, Israel was forced to prevent Palis from entering Israel proper, so they lost access to those jobs. Quite a number of Pali workers were murdering their Israeli employers. They blew it for their own economy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.