Posted on 10/11/2001 7:08:53 PM PDT by gohabsgo
The US is to make a determined effort to force Israel to enter into peace negotiations with the Palestinians, fearing that the west is in danger of losing the propaganda war with Osama bin Laden.
In an attempt to address one of the main Muslim grievances, President, George Bush will use all the financial and political muscle at his disposal to push the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table.
Mr Bush, whose patience with the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has finally snapped, is drawing up a detailed plan to be published in the next few weeks in the hope of finally resolving 53 years of conflict.
But Mr Sharon, whose camp has been unnerved by the development, will not be moved easily, and the scene is set for a gigantic battle of wills. Tony Blair, who returned to London last night from a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, highlighted a gnawing anxiety in the US and Britain.
Only five days after the bombing of Afghanistan began, Mr Blair made the extraordinary admission that the west was in danger of losing the propaganda war in Muslim states. He said: "One thing becoming increasingly clear to me is the need to upgrade our media and public opinion operations in the Arab and Muslim world. There is a need for us to communicate effectively."
Bin Laden electrified parts of the Muslim world within hours of the first bombs landing on Afghanistan by releasing a video in which he tried to polarise the conflict between the west and Islam, focusing especially on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. A senior aide to Mr Blair conceded that the broadcast had found a receptive audience in the Middle East.
The west's biggest worry is the dangerous schism between Arab leaders, who basically support the west and are appalled by Bin Laden, and sections of their people to whom he has become a potent symbol of defiance.
Acknowledging this, Mr Blair said: "All moderate, sensible parts of Arab opinion know that it is right that we are acting in Afghanistan and support that. But they do point out to us that they have a general problem with their own people, that we have lost interest in the peace process. It is a perception we need to counter."
In a series of interviews in the region and a signed article offered to Arab newspapers - all part of Downing Street's new battle for public opinion - Mr Blair stressed the urgent need to "convince people that we are sincere in our desire" to get the Middle East peace process back on track. Central to that is the new US thinking, which Saudi Arabia and Egypt are enthusiastically backing. It is based on proposals on the table when the Israelis and Palestinians met in January at Taba in Egypt, the closest they have ever come to agreement. It envisages Jerusalem as the shared capital of Jewish and Palestinian states.
The ideas, which were to be announced in a speech by the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, that was postponed because of the September 11 attack, are expected be revealed formally later this month.
Leaks in the American and Israeli press are causing tremors of nervousness around Mr Sharon, even though US diplomats say the proposals could change before they are publicly aired. "This government is not going to divide Jerusalem. Period," Mr Sharon's spokesman Raanan Gissin said. "Jerusalem will remain the capital of the Jewish people."
Mr Sharon will visit Washington next month to press his case, Israel Radio reported yesterday. He is known to be angry that Mr Powell consulted Saudi Arabia and Egypt but not Israel when he drafted his speech.
Palestinian officials lauded the idea of a "viable homeland" - seen as an improvement on Mr Bush's call for a Palestinian state.
Revealing the nervousness of Arab governments, it emerged yesterday that a tentative plan to include Saudi Arabia on Mr Blair's Middle East itinerary was scrapped at the last minute.
The Saudi government is fearful of Islamic fundamentalist opinion in the kingdom. The London paper Asharq al-Awsat quoted "informed sources" in London as saying the kingdom told Mr Blair that it could not receive him because the leadership was sensitive about its role and position in the Islamic world.
Downing Street played it down, insisting that the visit was not logistically possible.
The towers had hardly hit the ground before former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was over here appearing repeatedly on Fox over three days telling the US how it should handle its crisis and then telling us what a big mistake we were making when Bush didn't buy his analysis. He was echoed by Richard Pearle and Secretary Wolfowitz who were ubiquitous on Fox and frequently on CNN during this time. All of this was echoed and repeated ad nauseum by all the talking heads at Fox.
The message Netanyahu was trying to sell was that Afganistan and bin Laden were "sideshows" (his word). We should not "waste our time on them". The heart of the terr*rist octopus was Iraq whose tentacles were Hamas and Hezbollah. That is where we should strike in concert with our good ally Israel. It was the Palestinians and their ev*l master who were the real enemy. (This message always seemed to be in the context of the "Now, America, do you get it?" chant.)
Now I expect you can work it out for yourself but just in case you are having difficulty here's some help: Having just suffered a shocking and heinous calamity the country was subjected to a highly organized propaganda campaign to forget about those who struck us and to go to war instead on the side of Israel against Israel's enemies. After all, Netanyahu told us "there were more Israelis killed (proportionate to population) in the pizza parlor blast than we lost on September 12" (paraphrase).
Bush stood up tp the pressure and continues to. The battle is far from over.
The towers had hardly hit the ground before former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was over here appearing repeatedly on Fox over three days telling the US how it should handle its crisis and then telling us what a big mistake we were making when Bush didn't buy his analysis. He was echoed by Richard Pearle and Secretary Wolfowitz who were ubiquitous on Fox and frequently on CNN during this time. All of this was echoed and repeated ad nauseum by all the talking heads at Fox.
The message Netanyahu was trying to sell was that Afganistan and bin Laden were "sideshows" (his word). We should not "waste our time on them". The heart of the terr*rist octopus was Iraq whose tentacles were Hamas and Hezbollah. That is where we should strike, along side of our ally Israel. It was the Palestinians and their ev*l master who were the real enemy. (This message always seemed to be in the context of the "Now, America, do you get it?" chant.)
Now, I expect you can put all that together but just in case I'll spell it out. Having just suffered a horrendous and enormous calamity we were being told to forget the people who did it and instead join Israel in her war. After all, Netanyahu told us, Israel lost more people (proportionate to populations) in the pizza parlor explosion that we did on September 12. Yes, he really said that--just what the bereaved needed to hear. Bush stood up to the pressure but the struggle is not over.
The towers had hardly hit the ground before former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was over here appearing repeatedly on Fox over three days telling the US how it should handle its crisis and then telling us what a big mistake we were making when Bush didn't buy his analysis. He was echoed by Richard Pearle and Secretary Wolfowitz who were ubiquitous on Fox and frequently on CNN during this time. All of this was echoed and repeated ad nauseum by all the talking heads at Fox.
The message Netanyahu was trying to sell was that Afganistan and bin Laden were "sideshows" (his word). We should not "waste our time on them". The heart of the terr*rist octopus was Iraq whose tentacles were Hamas and Hezbollah. That is where we should strike, along side of our ally Israel. It was the Palestinians and their ev*l master who were the real enemy. (This message always seemed to be in the context of the "Now, America, do you get it?" chant.)
Now, I expect you can put all that together but just in case I'll spell it out. Having just suffered a horrendous and enormous calamity we were being told to forget the people who did it and instead join Israel in her war. After all, Netanyahu told us, Israel lost more people (proportionate to populations) in the pizza parlor explosion that we did on September 12. Yes, he really said that--just what the bereaved needed to hear. Bush stood up to the pressure but the struggle is not over.
The towers had hardly hit the ground before former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was over here appearing repeatedly on Fox over three days telling the US how it should handle its crisis and then telling us what a big mistake we were making when Bush didn't buy his analysis. He was echoed by Richard Pearle and Secretary Wolfowitz who were ubiquitous on Fox and frequently on CNN during this time. All of this was echoed and repeated ad nauseum by all the talking heads at Fox.
The message Netanyahu was trying to sell was that Afganistan and bin Laden were "sideshows" (his word). We should not "waste our time on them". The heart of the terr*rist octopus was Iraq whose tentacles were Hamas and Hezbollah. That is where we should strike, along side of our ally Israel. It was the Palestinians and their ev*l master who were the real enemy. (This message always seemed to be in the context of the "Now, America, do you get it?" chant.)
Now, I expect you can put all that together but just in case I'll spell it out. Having just suffered a horrendous and enormous calamity we were being told to forget the people who did it and instead join Israel in her war. After all, Netanyahu told us, Israel lost more people (proportionate to populations) in the pizza parlor explosion that we did on September 12. Yes, he really said that--just what the bereaved needed to hear. Bush stood up to the pressure but the struggle is not over.
You cannot convince many people that Al-Queda is different from Hamas or Islamic Jihad or Hezbullah. They have the same beliefs, they share their resources, they have the same supporters, and they conduct the same types of terror on innocent people...only they each target a different enemy be that Israel, Egypt, or the USA.
Israel has been suffering horrible terrorist attacks, and has been repeatedly told to restrain herself from retaliating. Why should Israel act any differently to terrorism than the USA has?
Now the reward for blowing up 6000 Americans is statehood for the Palestinians? What a great message we are sending... if you don't like what we are doing, kill us and then we will change our minds. What a bullshit policy. We should not restrain Israel from stomping the terrorists, just like nobody should restrain us from doing the same. Now, I have always said I am in favor of Palestinian statehood, but it is VERY CLEAR that the people who are coopting this tragedy are the Arabs, who are extracting every last concession they can from us in order to keep this coalition together, up to an including trying to donate money in order to gain a platform from which to spew propeganda and shed crocodile tears. Bin Alwaleed didn't make a peep when his uncle King Fahd kicked 300,000 Palestinians out of Saudi Arabia, but now he tries to use this tragedy to blame the victims and obfuscate the truth.
There comes a time when no amount of money can usurp principle. We have now arrived at that time. It is time for the Arab states to rise to the occasion and announce that they will recognize Israel as a legitimate state in the middle east. We have had to intercede far too many times in this region at incredible risk and death of Americans -- in Kuwait, in Lebanon, in Yemen, and probably in Afghanistan and Iraq in the future. It's time for us to insist that they get with the program and stop this petty hypocricy.
I'm always so impressed with those who side with the people who CHEERED when 6000 of our people were murdered. NOT!
Why don't you lock and load, and put it to your forehead while you're at it.
The sad truth is there are some people here, very few thankfully, that hate Israel and Jews more than they hate Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
despicable
You live in a Fascist fantasy world, a dream land of world conquest and genocide performed against your enemies. Go ahead, let everyone know what Zionism is all about. It’s not about protecting that little “sliver of land” but world domination, starting with all the middle-east.
Domination by .001 percent of the population?? Fred25 yours is a hateful, paranoid anti-semitic fantasy. How does that sound?
I know President Bush reads his CONSTITUTION and knows what God says about his chosen people ALL MEN BEING CREATED EQUAL.
I believe that the founders of the United States of America were divinely inspired. I believe that God has given us a GREAT LEADER to navigate these times of calamity. Have faith that God has CHOSEN well.
Hey, when are you guys going to invade Poland? A word of warning.... don’t invade Russia in the winter.
How many A-bombs do you plan to use when you start incinerating the world? Don’t you realize that the US, China, and Russia will stop you?
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