Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Let the sun shine in...
So the Washington Post gave Palestinian PM Ismael Haniyah space on the op-ed page to weigh in on current events.
While I understand why others (LGF, for instance) are upset at what appears to be legitimizing a leading voice for terror, I'm glad to see it myself. After all, Hamas claims to be the grownups in this situation, the ones behaving responsibly - surely their own words would make that clear. Let's review, shall we?
(Note - I'm not quoting the whole thing - only parts that invite a witty/snippy/marginally relevant response. Read the whole thing here - cause who knows, I may be cherry picking and taking words out of context, mostly because doing so is just so much fun!)
As Americans commemorated their annual celebration of independence from colonial occupation, rejoicing in their democratic institutions, we Palestinians were yet again besieged by our occupiers, who destroy our roads and buildings, our power stations and water plants, and who attack our very means of civil administration.
Comparison to America's Founding Fathers? Check. Of course, I don't recall that any portion of our revolution was based on a desire to wipe Britain off the earth completely, but maybe those folks at Schoolhouse Rock aren't telling me the whole story.
"Take your powder, take your gun, report to General Washington..." Oh, right, where was I? Oh yeah, Hamas' revolution, were it as successful as they intend, would result in Israel's complete elimination as a state. That's a little different. Just saying, is all.
The current Gaza invasion is only the latest effort to destroy the results of fair and free elections held early this year. It is the explosive follow-up to a five-month campaign of economic and diplomatic warfare directed by the United States and Israel. The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship; its failure was predictable, and the new overt military aggression and collective punishment are its logical fulfillment. The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.
And your source on that is? Also, why is "kidnapped" in quotes? Did Shalit come voluntarily? You know, a human shield kinda thing?
...Yet Israeli collective punishment only strengthens our collective resolve to work together.
Personally, dude, I've never doubted that you speak for a majority of Palestinians. I find the clarity refreshing. That Palestinians are united is good. That they are united behind a medival terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction is less good, although it has the secondary benefit of making us less sympathetic.
They think, doubtless, of the hostage soldier, taken in battle -- yet thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, remain in Israeli jails for resisting the illegal, ongoing occupation that is condemned by international law.
"Taken in battle" - now I get it, Shalit isn't a kidnap victim, he's a prisoner of war. Here, Mr. Haniyeh, I have your back, to an extent. He could be a prisoner of war - if you're at war. If you are, in fact, at war, then Israel is entitled, I'd think, to try and win said war, and frankly, the Gaza incursion is a miniscule fraction of the destruction Israel has the capacity to bring down upon the Palestinians. I'm sure if you had the means Israel has, you'd show similar restraint. If Israel is not entitled to fight a war, then Shalit has been illegally kidnapped, and the only question that remains is whether you're an accomplice before the fact (authorizing the strike where Shalit was taken), or after (in helping the kidnappers make their ransom demands.)
...Who is the underdog, supposedly America's traditional favorite, in this case?
Again, I get it. The Palestinians are George Mason. Not the founding father this time - now they're the basketball team. Yeah, Americans love the underdog. But Americans also loved it when Sean Connery mocked that guy for bringing a knife to a gunfight in the Untouchables. Striving valiantly and honorably in the face of superior odds inspires admiration in Americans. Engaging in brutal cheap shots in pursuit of an unjust goal inspires schadenfreude when you get your ass beat.
I think they will question why a supposedly "legitimate" state such as Israel has had to conduct decades of war against a subject refugee population without ever achieving its goals.
No question at all, from my end. They've had to conduct decades of war because you buttmunches refuse to let go of the dream of Israel's annhilation, and national suicide is, oddy enough, somet of a deal-breaker. Thanks for putting "legitimate" in quotes. Makes drawing those sort of conclusions easier.
...Its "separation barrier," running across our land, is hardly a good-faith gesture toward future coexistence.
Isn't intended to be, buddy. It's intended to stop suicide bombers, and has so far proven more effective than relying on your goodwill and sense of decency. Also more effective at protecting Israelis than relying on your goodwill and sense of decency: the music of Tears for Fears. Some people might be shamed by that.
But there is a remedy, and while it is not easy it is consistent with our long-held beliefs. Palestinian priorities include recognition of the core dispute over the land of historical Palestine and the rights of all its people; resolution of the refugee issue from 1948; reclaiming all lands occupied in 1967; and stopping Israeli attacks, assassinations and military expansion.
For you guys, that would be totally easy, since it's everything you wanted. Also, could you be a little more clear on the "resolution of the refugee issue from 1948" point? Some of us are worried that you mean that to have millions of Palestinans, most of whom have never lived in Israel, swamp the place and eradicate Israel's identity. Besides, Captain Unilateral is way ahead of you:
Give you everything you want first, then you'll consider Israel's concerns? Nice deal if you can get it. But answer me this - do you actually think Israelis are this dumb, or do you merely hope it?
However, we do not want to live on international welfare and American handouts.
Then quit asking for them.
We thought our pride in conducting the fairest elections in the Arab world might resonate with the United States and its citizens. Instead, our new government was met from the very beginning by acts of explicit, declared sabotage by the White House.
Again, we agree - you were fairly elected. Of course, so was George Bush, and other countries refuse to cooperate with us all the time because they don't freaking like him. So, we're victims, just like you.
Oh, no, wait, that's not it. We got the whole "international community likes the other guy better" argument in our election. Other guy wouldn't shut up about it, in fact. So we voted for Bush, as is our right, and other countries decided how to deal with our President, as is their right. The fact that Bush was democratically elected does not obligate other countries to cooperate with him where they feel their own values would be jeopardized by doing so...
...you're looking at me the way my dog does when I use words he doesn't understand, aren't you?
Was Israel defending itself when it killed eight family members on a Gaza beach last month or three members of the Hajjaj family on Saturday, among them 6-year-old Rawan?
Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Stop lying about that.
We present this clear message: If Israel will not allow Palestinians to live in peace, dignity and national integrity, Israelis themselves will not be able to enjoy those same rights. Meanwhile, our right to defend ourselves from occupying soldiers and aggression is a matter of law, as settled in the Fourth Geneva Convention. If Israel is prepared to negotiate seriously and fairly, and resolve the core 1948 issues, rather than the secondary ones from 1967, a fair and permanent peace is possible. Based on a hudna (comprehensive cessation of hostilities for an agreed time), the Holy Land still has an opportunity to be a peaceful and stable economic powerhouse for all the Semitic people of the region.
Translation - "if Israel gives us nearly everything we want now, we'll have a much better chance to finally build up enough strength to finally push the cursed Jews into the sea, which meets our definition of 'fair and permanent peace.'
Oh, you have a definition to? Yeah, wish we cared about that."
If Americans only knew the truth, possibility might become reality.
I was just thinking the same thing.
While I understand why others (LGF, for instance) are upset at what appears to be legitimizing a leading voice for terror, I'm glad to see it myself. After all, Hamas claims to be the grownups in this situation, the ones behaving responsibly - surely their own words would make that clear. Let's review, shall we?
(Note - I'm not quoting the whole thing - only parts that invite a witty/snippy/marginally relevant response. Read the whole thing here - cause who knows, I may be cherry picking and taking words out of context, mostly because doing so is just so much fun!)
As Americans commemorated their annual celebration of independence from colonial occupation, rejoicing in their democratic institutions, we Palestinians were yet again besieged by our occupiers, who destroy our roads and buildings, our power stations and water plants, and who attack our very means of civil administration.
Comparison to America's Founding Fathers? Check. Of course, I don't recall that any portion of our revolution was based on a desire to wipe Britain off the earth completely, but maybe those folks at Schoolhouse Rock aren't telling me the whole story.
"Take your powder, take your gun, report to General Washington..." Oh, right, where was I? Oh yeah, Hamas' revolution, were it as successful as they intend, would result in Israel's complete elimination as a state. That's a little different. Just saying, is all.
The current Gaza invasion is only the latest effort to destroy the results of fair and free elections held early this year. It is the explosive follow-up to a five-month campaign of economic and diplomatic warfare directed by the United States and Israel. The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship; its failure was predictable, and the new overt military aggression and collective punishment are its logical fulfillment. The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.
And your source on that is? Also, why is "kidnapped" in quotes? Did Shalit come voluntarily? You know, a human shield kinda thing?
...Yet Israeli collective punishment only strengthens our collective resolve to work together.
Personally, dude, I've never doubted that you speak for a majority of Palestinians. I find the clarity refreshing. That Palestinians are united is good. That they are united behind a medival terrorist organization dedicated to Israel's destruction is less good, although it has the secondary benefit of making us less sympathetic.
They think, doubtless, of the hostage soldier, taken in battle -- yet thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, remain in Israeli jails for resisting the illegal, ongoing occupation that is condemned by international law.
"Taken in battle" - now I get it, Shalit isn't a kidnap victim, he's a prisoner of war. Here, Mr. Haniyeh, I have your back, to an extent. He could be a prisoner of war - if you're at war. If you are, in fact, at war, then Israel is entitled, I'd think, to try and win said war, and frankly, the Gaza incursion is a miniscule fraction of the destruction Israel has the capacity to bring down upon the Palestinians. I'm sure if you had the means Israel has, you'd show similar restraint. If Israel is not entitled to fight a war, then Shalit has been illegally kidnapped, and the only question that remains is whether you're an accomplice before the fact (authorizing the strike where Shalit was taken), or after (in helping the kidnappers make their ransom demands.)
...Who is the underdog, supposedly America's traditional favorite, in this case?
Again, I get it. The Palestinians are George Mason. Not the founding father this time - now they're the basketball team. Yeah, Americans love the underdog. But Americans also loved it when Sean Connery mocked that guy for bringing a knife to a gunfight in the Untouchables. Striving valiantly and honorably in the face of superior odds inspires admiration in Americans. Engaging in brutal cheap shots in pursuit of an unjust goal inspires schadenfreude when you get your ass beat.
I think they will question why a supposedly "legitimate" state such as Israel has had to conduct decades of war against a subject refugee population without ever achieving its goals.
No question at all, from my end. They've had to conduct decades of war because you buttmunches refuse to let go of the dream of Israel's annhilation, and national suicide is, oddy enough, somet of a deal-breaker. Thanks for putting "legitimate" in quotes. Makes drawing those sort of conclusions easier.
...Its "separation barrier," running across our land, is hardly a good-faith gesture toward future coexistence.
Isn't intended to be, buddy. It's intended to stop suicide bombers, and has so far proven more effective than relying on your goodwill and sense of decency. Also more effective at protecting Israelis than relying on your goodwill and sense of decency: the music of Tears for Fears. Some people might be shamed by that.
But there is a remedy, and while it is not easy it is consistent with our long-held beliefs. Palestinian priorities include recognition of the core dispute over the land of historical Palestine and the rights of all its people; resolution of the refugee issue from 1948; reclaiming all lands occupied in 1967; and stopping Israeli attacks, assassinations and military expansion.
For you guys, that would be totally easy, since it's everything you wanted. Also, could you be a little more clear on the "resolution of the refugee issue from 1948" point? Some of us are worried that you mean that to have millions of Palestinans, most of whom have never lived in Israel, swamp the place and eradicate Israel's identity. Besides, Captain Unilateral is way ahead of you:
"A solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestinian state and the settling of Palestinian refugees there, rather than in Israel," he said.Meaningful negotiations with a non-expansionist, law-abiding Israel can proceed only after this tremendous labor has begun.
Give you everything you want first, then you'll consider Israel's concerns? Nice deal if you can get it. But answer me this - do you actually think Israelis are this dumb, or do you merely hope it?
However, we do not want to live on international welfare and American handouts.
Then quit asking for them.
We thought our pride in conducting the fairest elections in the Arab world might resonate with the United States and its citizens. Instead, our new government was met from the very beginning by acts of explicit, declared sabotage by the White House.
Again, we agree - you were fairly elected. Of course, so was George Bush, and other countries refuse to cooperate with us all the time because they don't freaking like him. So, we're victims, just like you.
Oh, no, wait, that's not it. We got the whole "international community likes the other guy better" argument in our election. Other guy wouldn't shut up about it, in fact. So we voted for Bush, as is our right, and other countries decided how to deal with our President, as is their right. The fact that Bush was democratically elected does not obligate other countries to cooperate with him where they feel their own values would be jeopardized by doing so...
...you're looking at me the way my dog does when I use words he doesn't understand, aren't you?
Was Israel defending itself when it killed eight family members on a Gaza beach last month or three members of the Hajjaj family on Saturday, among them 6-year-old Rawan?
Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Stop lying about that.
We present this clear message: If Israel will not allow Palestinians to live in peace, dignity and national integrity, Israelis themselves will not be able to enjoy those same rights. Meanwhile, our right to defend ourselves from occupying soldiers and aggression is a matter of law, as settled in the Fourth Geneva Convention. If Israel is prepared to negotiate seriously and fairly, and resolve the core 1948 issues, rather than the secondary ones from 1967, a fair and permanent peace is possible. Based on a hudna (comprehensive cessation of hostilities for an agreed time), the Holy Land still has an opportunity to be a peaceful and stable economic powerhouse for all the Semitic people of the region.
Translation - "if Israel gives us nearly everything we want now, we'll have a much better chance to finally build up enough strength to finally push the cursed Jews into the sea, which meets our definition of 'fair and permanent peace.'
Oh, you have a definition to? Yeah, wish we cared about that."
If Americans only knew the truth, possibility might become reality.
I was just thinking the same thing.
