[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...They were soon replaced with staged images of Palestinians "mourning" the attack....

And what of those Palestinians who actually DID mourn the attacks? People whose ancestors have lived in the Holy Land since Jesus walked the earth? Mourned them not only for their animal cruelty, but because they knew that it would result in a weakening of the Palestinian position in the USA---feeble as that already was. Mourned it for a variety of reasons--some humane, some selfish (like all humans).

The psychotics, the cruel, the merely stupid are ALWAYS "real"...."authentic".

While the thoughtful, the rational are "staged".

Welcom to hell....

[Right Wing Professor]

This is a little too much special pleading. There clearly was open celebration in Palestine, in Lebanon, and elsewher in the Arab world post 9/11. The PA clearly tried to prevent filming of these celebrations, and it did appear to try to stage some 'mourning' events to counter the initial impression. To deny these is as bad as those who are trying to claim photos of US celebrations have been 'disappeared'.

Perhaps some Palestinians did mourn, and perhaps some of the mourning even went beyond a rational but self-interested consideration that 9/11 would hurt the Palestinians. But there was no conspicuous reaction in Palestine to the initial celebrations, no revulsion.

I have no doubt a minority of Germans in 1941 were active Nazis, and most Germans wished the war over. But the fact is, that when you're at war with Germany, the fact that all Germans don't hate you is irrelevant.

[Burkeman1]

They were horribly staged events put on by Arafat and the PA government. The PA police were even deployed to stop the widespread celebrations because they knew the effect it would have on US opinion. It is indicitive that every time one of the suicide bombers blows up civilians in Isreal they run around in the streets cheering. Contrast that to when the Isrealis kill civilians- they debate it- they apologize for it- they fight with each over it- but Ihave yet to see any Isrealis celebrate the deaths of Palestinian civilians (except for one group of Jewish fanatics that made a hero out of that whacko who killed like 30 people in a mosque several years ago.) Funny- but even the NAzi's didn't publically celebrate their horrendous crimes.

[mewzilla]

With respect, what is at issue here isn't what percentage of Palestinians were celebrating. It's why John Zogby denied the celebrations. And I think we know why Zogby did it.