[Dave S]

I don't see how waiving past acts of terrorism is going to promote anything even closely resembling a peace process. It hasn't worked in the past, and no one can explain to me how it is somehow supposed to work this time, either. It seems to me that we first need to drain the swamps of the terrorists before any meaningful peace process can happen.

With rare exceptions, acts of terrorism by the PLO have not been directed towards Americans. Achille Lauro was done by PLF, an offshoot of PLO.

I would say a comparable situation would be negotiating with the Irish Republican Army and the Orange Men of Northern Island.

[adam_az]

With rare exceptions, acts of terrorism by the PLO have not been directed towards Americans. Achille Lauro was done by PLF, an offshoot of PLO.

Yeah, nothing except blown up and shot US citizens, hijacked airliners in the 70's, and two dead US diplomats, at least one by Arafats personal order.

[kesg]

With rare exceptions, acts of terrorism by the PLO have not been directed towards Americans. Achille Lauro was done by PLF, an offshoot of PLO.

I wouldn't make the assumption that their past is any reliable guide to how they will react to Americans in the future. One can also say that prior to 9/11 terrorists had never attempted to crash hijacked planes into buildings in an American city, yet it would have been wrong to conclude that, therefore, we were in no danger.

I would be more concerned by the fact that the PLO/PA terrorists may regard us as an ally of Israel (which, of course, we are and rightly so). My concern is that they have a ready capacity to commit acts of terrorism against us, regardless of how often or seldom they have exercised that capacity against us in the past.

[yonif]

So acts of terrorism have hurt Americans. Terrorist groups which the PLO allows the operate.