Friday, December 08, 2006
Elder of Ziyon
Looking south, about 10 PM last night.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Elder of Ziyon
You can now vote for the Best Middle East or Africa Blog at the Weblog Awards.
Already after a few hours, Iraq the Model (going for a threepeat) and Rantings of a Sandmonkey have more votes than I'm likely to get after the full week. Treppenwitz is doing respectably. I'm avoiding the dreaded last place position so far.
Normally, I do not ask for votes for things like this, but in some ways David's and my blog seem to be representing the entire JBlogosphere to the larger blog universe, so in that sense I would like to see my readers vote for either this blog or Treppenwitz. (Dry Bones is also up for an award in the Best Comic Strip category.)
You can vote once a day until next Friday. So check out the nominees and vote!
UPDATE: Treppenwitz has a shot to win this thing. I don't. Do the right thing.
But I will accept a few pity votes.
UPDATE 2 : Jack's Shack is also up for an award.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
- Thursday, December 07, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
The EU said that so far this year they paid $865 million to the Palestinian Arabs.
The Hamas finance minister says that Arab governments are giving $45 million each month, which annualized is $540 million.
Hamas has smuggled $60 million into Gaza this year.
This adds up to $1.465 billion of foreign money into Gaza in 2006.
The PA budget in 2005 was roughly $2 billion.
So without lifting a finger or selling anything of value, the PA is getting three quarters of what it got last year. The entire shortfall is covered by Israel's withholding of tax revenue.
Some boycott!
And the UN wants to add $450 million more.
Amazing.
The Hamas finance minister says that Arab governments are giving $45 million each month, which annualized is $540 million.
Hamas has smuggled $60 million into Gaza this year.
This adds up to $1.465 billion of foreign money into Gaza in 2006.
The PA budget in 2005 was roughly $2 billion.
So without lifting a finger or selling anything of value, the PA is getting three quarters of what it got last year. The entire shortfall is covered by Israel's withholding of tax revenue.
Some boycott!
And the UN wants to add $450 million more.
Amazing.
- Thursday, December 07, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Fatah's secretary in Gaza, Ahmed Hales Abu Maher, proudly said on PA TV:
And Mr. Maher is being modest, too. Because his people also popularized the airplane hijackings in the 70's that culminated in 9/11.
Their R&D efforts are not slowing down either as they plan to export their expertise in grandmother suicide bombers, stuffed animal bombs, and booby-trapped donkeys.
If they can accomplish so much with so little, the least we can do is reward their selfless work with a state so they can work on much more effective and efficient methods of mass-murder.
“Oh warrior brothers, this is a nation that will never be broken, it is a revolution that will never be defeated. This is a nation that gives an example every day that is imitated across the world. We gave the world the children of the RPG [Rocket Propelled Grenades], we gave the world the children stone [-throwers], and we gave the world the male and female Martyrdom-Seekers [suicide bombers]."Their generosity is touching.
[Palestinian Authority TV, November 14, 2006]
And Mr. Maher is being modest, too. Because his people also popularized the airplane hijackings in the 70's that culminated in 9/11.
Their R&D efforts are not slowing down either as they plan to export their expertise in grandmother suicide bombers, stuffed animal bombs, and booby-trapped donkeys.
If they can accomplish so much with so little, the least we can do is reward their selfless work with a state so they can work on much more effective and efficient methods of mass-murder.
- Thursday, December 07, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Reuters just blasted out a dispatch to its hundreds of newspapers and other media subscribers, where it is being reproduced on hundreds of websites, with the headline:
One gets the impression of poor, helpless unarmed Palestinian Arabs just scavenging for scrap metal (seemingly on the ground or from another structure) near the border, heartlessly shot by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers, with the lame excuse of "sabotage" concocted afterwards.
You need to go to The Jerusalem Post to learn a bit more:
Nine people cutting a border fence, for whatever reason, is a bit more serious.
And clearly Reuters knew this because they mentioned the "collecting scrap metal" idea but didn't bother to say that it was metal from a fully functioning security fence, not "scrap." Also, the JPost story above was written when only one was known to be injured while the Reuters update mentions two, so Reuters knows quite well it isn't "scrap metal" and what they were doing.
But in the Reuters Bizarro world where Kassam rockets are "home-made" even while Israel used to target "metal workshops" in Gaza, and somehow the reporters at Reuters were never able to put those two pieces of information together, it is not surprising that "collecting scrap metal" and "sabotaging a fence" can seem to be unrelated as well.
I wouldn't be surprised to see al-Reuters starting to refer to PalArab tunnel-diggers as "miners."
It would be completely beyond the intrepid Reuters reporters to even consider the slightly wider context that those nine scavengers may have been sent to draw fire as a pretext to say that Israel is violating the "cease fire." After all, the fence has been there for years now and we have not seen any scrap metal collectors show up before, as far as I can recall.
(I'm surprised that Reuters didn't highlight how the PalArab media is describing this - that Israel took potshots at farmers who were working their farmland. )
Israeli forces wound 2 Palestinians on Gaza borderThe story goes on to say:
GAZA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot and wounded two Palestinians on the Gaza border on Thursday, medical officials said, the second time Israeli forces have opened fire since a truce took effect along the strip last month.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said a number of Palestinians approached the Israeli-built border fence near the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya and began to sabotage it. Soldiers fired warning shots that were ignored, she said. "The force fired at one Palestinian and hit him in the leg," the spokeswoman said. The army said it was unaware of a second man being hit.
Palestinian hospital officials said two brothers had been wounded, although it was unclear if it was from the same shooting.
Residents said the men were collecting scrap metal.
One gets the impression of poor, helpless unarmed Palestinian Arabs just scavenging for scrap metal (seemingly on the ground or from another structure) near the border, heartlessly shot by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers, with the lame excuse of "sabotage" concocted afterwards.
You need to go to The Jerusalem Post to learn a bit more:
IDF troops shot and wounded a Palestinian man Thursday morning he and nine others tried to cut the Gaza Strip security fence near the community of Netiv Ha'asara.
According to the army, it was unclear whether the Palestinians were planning on infiltrating Israel, or if they were just stealing the metal from the fence. An IDF patrol that arrived on the scene called on the group to disperse, and after they refused, opened fire at their legs.
Nine people cutting a border fence, for whatever reason, is a bit more serious.
And clearly Reuters knew this because they mentioned the "collecting scrap metal" idea but didn't bother to say that it was metal from a fully functioning security fence, not "scrap." Also, the JPost story above was written when only one was known to be injured while the Reuters update mentions two, so Reuters knows quite well it isn't "scrap metal" and what they were doing.
But in the Reuters Bizarro world where Kassam rockets are "home-made" even while Israel used to target "metal workshops" in Gaza, and somehow the reporters at Reuters were never able to put those two pieces of information together, it is not surprising that "collecting scrap metal" and "sabotaging a fence" can seem to be unrelated as well.
I wouldn't be surprised to see al-Reuters starting to refer to PalArab tunnel-diggers as "miners."
It would be completely beyond the intrepid Reuters reporters to even consider the slightly wider context that those nine scavengers may have been sent to draw fire as a pretext to say that Israel is violating the "cease fire." After all, the fence has been there for years now and we have not seen any scrap metal collectors show up before, as far as I can recall.
(I'm surprised that Reuters didn't highlight how the PalArab media is describing this - that Israel took potshots at farmers who were working their farmland. )
- Thursday, December 07, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Let's see what our favorite messianic nutcase with imminent nuclear weapons is saying:
It is interesting that he links nuclear technology with crushing enemies.
Must be peaceful nuclear technology and crushing enemies economically.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday that the Iranian nation has achieved victory in the field of nuclear energy and will crush its enemies.
"The Iranian nation is nearing the pinnacle of nuclear victory through the efforts and wisdom of its talented youth. It is now recognized as a strong and courageous nation and a model for regional states," he said.
He added: "The Iranian nation has walked the path of nuclear technology and is about to reach its end with the grace of God and through resistance.
"There remains just one step to be taken before complete victory.
"We will hold a big, nationwide nuclear celebration by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2007)."
It is interesting that he links nuclear technology with crushing enemies.
Must be peaceful nuclear technology and crushing enemies economically.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
- Wednesday, December 06, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this blog has been nominated as a finalist for the 2006 Weblog Awards under the "Best Middle East or Africa Blog" category.
Being considered as a finalist among the tens of thousands of blogs that are out there is a huge honor, and I'd like to thank those who nominated this blog and got it to the final round.
Congrats also to David Bogner at Treppenwitz which is the only other JBlogger nominated. (Of course, he and the other nominees have the advantage of actually being in the Middle East or Africa.)
Thanks!
UPDATE: I just found out that Linda from Something....and Half of Something is the person who originally nominated me, so thank you!
Being considered as a finalist among the tens of thousands of blogs that are out there is a huge honor, and I'd like to thank those who nominated this blog and got it to the final round.
Congrats also to David Bogner at Treppenwitz which is the only other JBlogger nominated. (Of course, he and the other nominees have the advantage of actually being in the Middle East or Africa.)
Thanks!
UPDATE: I just found out that Linda from Something....and Half of Something is the person who originally nominated me, so thank you!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
- Tuesday, December 05, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
There is an interesting pattern in the PalArab territories. Every time there is an "international day" to raise awareness on any topic, they ue it as an opportunity to bash Israel and blame the Jews for their part in that problem.
For example, last Monday was the "International Day of Disabled Persons." So the Palestinian Arabs wrote press releases asking the world to stop Israeli attacks disabled PalArabs.
Last week was the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women," sp the PalArabs trotted out statistics of women that Israel "attacked." Somehow, Kassam rockets and suicide bombers don't make it into that report.
Well, we have just had International AIDS day. And guess what the PalArabs are saying?
For example, last Monday was the "International Day of Disabled Persons." So the Palestinian Arabs wrote press releases asking the world to stop Israeli attacks disabled PalArabs.
Last week was the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women," sp the PalArabs trotted out statistics of women that Israel "attacked." Somehow, Kassam rockets and suicide bombers don't make it into that report.
Well, we have just had International AIDS day. And guess what the PalArabs are saying?
"Israel is trying to hurt the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people also by means of exporting AIDS, drug trafficking, promiscuous norms, and making prostitution legal," warned president of the sharia religious court in the PA, Sheikh Taissir Tamimi, and spokesman of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Atalla Hanna.No word from these figures on the probability that Yasir Arafat had AIDS, and not due to "other reasons."
Hanna also said that he had read in one of the Palestinian newspapers about a young AIDS-infected Israeli woman who, according to the article, arrived in Jerusalem in order to infect young Palestinians with the disease. The archbishop called the Palestinian public to beware of such dangers.
Two religious figures emphasized that people with AIDS should not be ostracized "because there is no certainty that they were infected through immoral acts or forbidden sexual relations outside of marriage, but may have been infected for other reasons. Therefore, they should not be excommunicated."
- Tuesday, December 05, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
My never-ending quest for real statistics on the number of Palestinian Arabs killed by each other got a boost today as I saw that Al-Hayat, which hardly ever publishes stories about PalArabs being murdered, printed this (autotranslated):
Still, this list of deaths from 2006 so far seems to be more accurate than any others I've seen. As usual, it is being buried in the PalArab press (it was the very last story on the "local news" page of al-Hayat) . It verifies that there is nearly one murder a day in the territories, again which are hard tofind in the actual press. It shows that the rate of self-deaths is much worse in the West Bank than I thought, as almost all of the ones I've seen were in Gaza.
I'm also not sure if Hamas/Fatah battles are reflected here.
I'll keep an eye on the website of PICCR to see if the final report is published there. I'm not optimistic; the site is terrible and has very little information. Also, it is funded by the PA and while it pretends to be independent there may be entire classes of murders it turns a blind eye to.
UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post has the same information in real English.
Ramallah, Ibrahim Abu-Kamish statistics showed by the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights , announced yesterday. a big increase in the proportion of homicides that occurred in the light of the growing phenomenon of insecurity in the Palestinian territories during the year 2006, compared with the previous years.These numbers are much more in line with what I've been able to gather, but their report is not available on their website and last year's report is only there as an executive summary, so I can't compare specific cases and see if they are missing any.
The body that 322 Palestinians had been killed citizens in the areas of the Palestinian National Authority until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006 236 citizens were killed in the Gaza Strip, 86 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. , a rise of 90% for the full year 2005, which collapsed during which 176 citizens were 97 shells in the Gaza Strip and 79 shells in the West Bank. The equivalent proportion of those killed in the Gaza Strip until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006, three times those killed in the West Bank.
The statistics point to a rise in the monthly rate of murders during 2006 up to 26 cases per month, while the monthly rate through 2005, 15 cases, The monthly rate during 2004 amounted to 8 cases. as well as the Statistics of the documentation section in the body that during the 17 killed in 2005 against the background of what is known as honor killing, signed including seven cases in the Gaza Strip and 10 in the West Bank. while they recorded 14 cases of the killing of citizens against the background of what is known in the family's honor in 2006 until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006, 5 cases in the West and 9 cases in the Gaza Strip, the total number of bullets from the women, which was signed on various backgrounds including murder against the backdrop of honor of the family had arrived in 2005 to 26, while a woman Rtva number during the year 2006 until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006 for up to 27 women.
The deaths of children who have died due to security problems have reached during 2005, 28 children while until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006 killed 33 children in the same background.
The STA pointed out that 95% of the killings were a firearm or explosive materials.
Until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006 killings were classified as follows : 41 cases of murder committed on the political background of which 40 occurred in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank. 88 homicides occurred due to family quarrels signed 54 of them in the Gaza Strip, 24 of which occurred in the West Bank. 83 murder cases resulted from the chaos and the misuse of weapons, the case of 71 shells in Gaza, 12 of them fell in the West Bank. previous classifications and the total up to 222 murder cases by 59% of all cases, As for the rest of the cases, which reached 110 cases by 41% and has signed the background issues and revenge killings against the backdrop of the so-called family's honor.
At the level of other attacks that were committed during 2006 and until the date of 30 / 11 / 2006, it reported that its statistics in the attacks came as follows :
A 12 attack on academic freedoms, and 16 attack on the municipalities or workers or on their property, and a 12 assault on the symbols of the judiciary, as well as the 22 attack on press freedoms. There have also been 93 kidnappings individually and collectively, to the citizens and foreign visitors, , 344 incident falls under the pretext of security problems occurred injuries individually and collectively.
Still, this list of deaths from 2006 so far seems to be more accurate than any others I've seen. As usual, it is being buried in the PalArab press (it was the very last story on the "local news" page of al-Hayat) . It verifies that there is nearly one murder a day in the territories, again which are hard tofind in the actual press. It shows that the rate of self-deaths is much worse in the West Bank than I thought, as almost all of the ones I've seen were in Gaza.
I'm also not sure if Hamas/Fatah battles are reflected here.
I'll keep an eye on the website of PICCR to see if the final report is published there. I'm not optimistic; the site is terrible and has very little information. Also, it is funded by the PA and while it pretends to be independent there may be entire classes of murders it turns a blind eye to.
UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post has the same information in real English.
Monday, December 04, 2006
- Monday, December 04, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
From YNet:
The plight of Sderot's residents struck a chord with students from the Jerusalem Visual Theater School who decided to opt for an ironic display of protest in their effort to convey frustration with the state's continuous foot-dragging over the residential fortification project.
The students decided to go ahead and fortify a home in Qassam-struck Sderot by themselves. With bubble wrap.
The students call it a social-art project, but Merav Svirsky, who used to live in nearby (and often Qassam target) kibbutz Be'eri said that the group has no political pretensions.Wrapping the house in Sderot with bubble wrap (Photo: Amir Cohen)
"We aren't holding a political protest because we don't have political solutions," says Svirsky, "we're not pretending to save the day or come up with solutions. We came here to discuss the fortification problem and the absurdity that it has been dragged for so long. There is protest in our actions, but no political statement."
The house selected for the bubble treatment belongs to Moshe Nagar who lives in the heart of town. His house has been damaged by Qassam rockets more than once in the past.
"At first I thought that they were coming to fortify my house, so I was pleased," said Nagar, "but even after Svirsky told me it was only a display I agreed."
Nagar says that one of the reasons he agreed to have his house bubble-wrapped was his desire to keep the fortification issue on the agenda.
- Monday, December 04, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
Last week, the Israeli Government posted on its website:
The incompetent Olmert government is once again waiting for someone to get killed (or, in the case I linked to, to be kidnapped) before they act.
This is not how one defends one's country. It is as if Olmert feels he doesn't have the political chips to act until someone is dead, reducing Israeli citizens to game pieces.
Every other Israeli govenment had its priorities straight. Even if people disagreed, it was undeniable that the previous governments acted in ways that they passionately felt was the best for the security of their citizens. Olmert is doing the exact opposite.
As part of the cease-fire announced this morning (Sunday, 26 Nov 2006), Israel has begun withdrawing all of its forces from the Gaza Strip.Israel's ability to deter terror would be significantly enhanced if it would actually act on its tough words. As it is, Israel's promises of retaliation are regarded as a joke by the terrorists who have kept firing rockets since this was written.
This decision was taken in an effort on Israel's part both to bring about a calming of the situation and as a signal of Israel's readiness to contribute to an improvement in the security and political condition of the region.
Israel is interested in maintaining a cease-fire as a means to end the violence and to enable progress in the political negotiations. In doing so, Israel is knowingly undertaking the risk that the terrorist organizations will exploit the cease-fire to rearm and to rebuild their infrastructure.
Despite the fact that the cease-fire came into effect at 06:00 this morning, five Kassam rockets were fired after that hour from the Gaza Strip at Sderot and communities in the Western Negev. It must be pointed out that if the Palestinians do not observe the cease-fire completely, Israel will have no choice but to respond.
It does not matter which organization carries out the firing -- the obligation to observe the cease-fire absolutely applies to the Palestinian Authority, which bears the responsibility to enforce it without exception.
It should also be recalled that Israel left the Gaza Strip last year with no intention of returning, but was forced to act there in order to prevent acts of terrorism. Accordingly, Israel will refrain from operating in the Gaza Strip as long as all acts of terrorism and rearming there cease. Israel will continue to monitor events in the Gaza Strip and will respond in accordance with developments.
The incompetent Olmert government is once again waiting for someone to get killed (or, in the case I linked to, to be kidnapped) before they act.
This is not how one defends one's country. It is as if Olmert feels he doesn't have the political chips to act until someone is dead, reducing Israeli citizens to game pieces.
Every other Israeli govenment had its priorities straight. Even if people disagreed, it was undeniable that the previous governments acted in ways that they passionately felt was the best for the security of their citizens. Olmert is doing the exact opposite.
- Monday, December 04, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
An article in the Palestine-Israel Journal from yet another well-meaning and wrongheaded author on how to establish peace between Israel and the Arabs shows, in passing, where Israel has utterly failed in its PR.
The author bases his peace plan on the following premises:
Besides the fact that the author purposefully frames the minimum demands in such a way as to gloss over the differences, this list shows Israel's complete inability to define its red lines to the world as clearly as the Palestinian Arabs have.
Israel's red lines are - or should be - at a minimum:
The tragedy is that this author is not making up these Israeli "red lines" - he is following what the Israeli government has been signalling themselves. The very retreat from Gaza did more to undermine Israel's long-standing position that the territories were "disputed" and not "occupied" than anything else. One resolves "disputes" with a give-and-take; one does not abandon your his position altogether.
So we have a Palestinian negotiating position that is based on very clear and oft-stated red-lines of their own - right of "return," East Jerusalem, free passage between Gaza and West Bank. And an increasingly fuzzy Israeli position on these same issues that makes the West think that Israel will willingly bend on them.
Who can blame the West for wanting to pressure Israel - Israel herself has signaled that these positions are all on the table and the Palestinian Arabs have made clear that their positions are non-negotiable!
The fact is that the two sides cannot agree unless the Palestinian Arabs show more flexibility. The idea that the sovereign state is the side that has to keep giving in indefinitely and the people who supposedly desire a state can keep making demand after demand is ludicrous. For better or for worse, Israel has already accepted the idea of a Palestinian state and it is up to the PalArabs to act as if they are willing to build one.
The very idea that a Palestinian Arab state cannot possibly exist without Jerusalem, for example, is absurd on the face of it. It is a purely emotional requirement that has no bearing on the viability of a state. Why is this considered a "red-line" for the Palestinian Arabs and not for the Palestinian Jews? Yet this is the sad situation Israel finds itself in because it has not been more adamant about Jerusalem than the Palestinian Arabs have been. And the blame rests squarely with the State of Israel wanting to appear "flexible" and "reasonable" to the West, sacrificing two thousand years of yearning for the vaporous hope of a short-term peace.
Similarly, the idea that the descendants of 1948 refugees have the "right" to "return" to Israel is a non-starter that has no bearing on the real viability of a Palestinian Arab state. Once a state is established, it can let in anyone it wants, but in no other case in world history has such a "right" been considered legitimate - otherwise every set of refugees' progeny can claim land all over the world with impunity.
Israel has failed miserably in putting forth consistent and logical positions and it is hurting Israel's negotiating position far worse than any terror attacks or threats.
The author bases his peace plan on the following premises:
The unspeakable tragedy that has unfolded in the sixth Israel-Arab war should force us to focus on what peace might look like. The building blocks are clear, but they are threatened particularly by those who stop thinking when it is most needed. The building blocks are:
(1) UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and UN Security Council Resolution 242 demanding the return of Palestinians who so wish and the withdrawal of Israel to the pre-June 1967 borders.
(2)The resolution by the Palestine National Council of November 15, 1988, thereby accepting a two-state solution.
(3)The proposal by Saudi Arabia in 2002 that Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders in exchange for recognition by all Arab states.
Putting the building blocks in place, we get two states side by side, with East Jerusalem and most of the West Bank reverting to Palestine (Israel has already withdrawn from Gaza), the Golan Heights to Syria, and some minor border problems solved, sometimes through creative adjustments. It is not a big revolution; it only takes common sense.
But there are also minimum and maximum demands on both sides. Palestine has three minimum, non-negotiable demands:Palestine has three minimum, non-negotiable demands:
* A Palestinian state in line with (1) and (2) above, with
* East Jerusalem as the capital, and
* The right of return — as a right, the numbers to be negotiated.
Israel has two minimum, non-negotiable demands:
* Recognition of the Jewish state, Israel,
* Within secure borders.
All five goals are legitimate and compatible.
Besides the fact that the author purposefully frames the minimum demands in such a way as to gloss over the differences, this list shows Israel's complete inability to define its red lines to the world as clearly as the Palestinian Arabs have.
Israel's red lines are - or should be - at a minimum:
- No return to the "Auschwitz" borders of pre-1967, even with "minor adjustments." An eight-mile wide Israel is not acceptable and was not a part of UN resolution 242, as most people choose to misinterpret it.
- Major settlements will remain intact and a part of Israel.
- No negotiations on East Jerusalem - it is a part of Israel forever.
- Not only recognition, but support for the idea of a Jewish state in the Middle East.
- Implied within that is the idea that all neighboring states that support Israel's right to exist will themselves act against any terror groups on their territory that act contrary to this idea.
- Implied also there is no real PalArab "right of return" to the Jewish state beyond a token number
- Recognition that the PalArab "refugee" problem is not Israel's problem. By any definition, the vast majority of PalArabs are not "refugees" and those in camps in neighboring states should have been absorbed decades ago. UNRWA should be dismantled.
The tragedy is that this author is not making up these Israeli "red lines" - he is following what the Israeli government has been signalling themselves. The very retreat from Gaza did more to undermine Israel's long-standing position that the territories were "disputed" and not "occupied" than anything else. One resolves "disputes" with a give-and-take; one does not abandon your his position altogether.
So we have a Palestinian negotiating position that is based on very clear and oft-stated red-lines of their own - right of "return," East Jerusalem, free passage between Gaza and West Bank. And an increasingly fuzzy Israeli position on these same issues that makes the West think that Israel will willingly bend on them.
Who can blame the West for wanting to pressure Israel - Israel herself has signaled that these positions are all on the table and the Palestinian Arabs have made clear that their positions are non-negotiable!
The fact is that the two sides cannot agree unless the Palestinian Arabs show more flexibility. The idea that the sovereign state is the side that has to keep giving in indefinitely and the people who supposedly desire a state can keep making demand after demand is ludicrous. For better or for worse, Israel has already accepted the idea of a Palestinian state and it is up to the PalArabs to act as if they are willing to build one.
The very idea that a Palestinian Arab state cannot possibly exist without Jerusalem, for example, is absurd on the face of it. It is a purely emotional requirement that has no bearing on the viability of a state. Why is this considered a "red-line" for the Palestinian Arabs and not for the Palestinian Jews? Yet this is the sad situation Israel finds itself in because it has not been more adamant about Jerusalem than the Palestinian Arabs have been. And the blame rests squarely with the State of Israel wanting to appear "flexible" and "reasonable" to the West, sacrificing two thousand years of yearning for the vaporous hope of a short-term peace.
Similarly, the idea that the descendants of 1948 refugees have the "right" to "return" to Israel is a non-starter that has no bearing on the real viability of a Palestinian Arab state. Once a state is established, it can let in anyone it wants, but in no other case in world history has such a "right" been considered legitimate - otherwise every set of refugees' progeny can claim land all over the world with impunity.
Israel has failed miserably in putting forth consistent and logical positions and it is hurting Israel's negotiating position far worse than any terror attacks or threats.
- Monday, December 04, 2006
- Elder of Ziyon
I found another Palestinian Arab "human rights" organization based out of Gaza, Al-Mezan, that again downplays internal PalArab security issues and emphasizes any perceived Israeli issues. But digging deep in the website I saw that they do pretend to keep track of internal security incidents, although without giving details so I can see which they are missing.
It is still instructive to see how the number of internal PalArab incidents soared as Israel left Gaza, even if the numbers themselves seem underreported:
It is still instructive to see how the number of internal PalArab incidents soared as Israel left Gaza, even if the numbers themselves seem underreported:
STATISTICS ON INCIDENTS OF SECURITY UNREST IN THE GAZA STRIP
No. of the victims during the last four years.