How can anyone be so stupid?
And how can so many commentators, how can this or that eminence of whatever parliamentary commission, this or that minister or former minister, how can the French Socialist party--in short, how can so many reasonable minds welcome the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas as good news, a good sign, like the far too long delayed reunion of a too long divided people, when it is, in reality, a catastrophe?
It is a catastrophe for Israel, aware that an organisation whose favoured mode of diplomatic expression has consisted, since the 2007 putsch, of firing missiles at the civilians of Sderot, is back in the saddle. Barely a month ago, on Hamas's initiative, a schoolbus came under fire from a Kornet anti-tank weapon.
It is a catastrophe for Mahmud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, who, in a few short moments, the time it took to sign at the bottom of the page of an accord he himself may not believe in, has ruined all the hard-won political and moral credit gained in the course of the years when, confronted by a Hamas dubbed a "terrorist organisation" by all whose voices are considered authoritative, beginning with the European Union and the United States, he hung on. Mahmud Abbas has returned to the bygone days of doublespeak, when Yasser Arafat declared the PLO charter "null and void", all the while underhandedly encouraging various and diverse terrorist attacks.
It is a catastrophe for the Palestinian people themselves (but perhaps the great conciliators, these friends of the Palestinian people who know better than they themselves what is good for them, are not worried about that?) It is a catastrophe, yes, for the million and a half citizens of Gaza who live under the law of a party that is not only terrorist, but totalitarian, an enemy of Palestinian women (these "man factories ", to quote Article 17 of a charter that people really should get round to reading), assassin of the rights and liberties of Palestinians (Articles 24 and 27, among others), and which has chosen to fight to the very last drop of blood of the last living Palestinian rather than to attend "international conferences"--"futile activities" they consider a "waste of time" (Article 13 of the same charter).
It is a catastrophe for a peace of which it is false to say that it was at a standstill. All the polls attest to the fact that a majority of Israelis were and are ready for it. An increasing number of Palestinians were and are fed up with fueling the ages-old hate machine and are inclined to counter the hardline attitude of their leaders in exchange for a viable State. And now, all that has gone by the wayside with the rehabilitation of the only party concerned that is still proclaiming (Article 7, again, of its charter) that "the fulfilment of the promise" shall not come until "the Muslims" have not only "combated" but "killed" all "the Jews".
And, finally, it is a catastrophe for an Arab spring that, as no one can ignore, is also an ideological battlefield where two kinds of power are at loggerheads: on the one side, the democratic and liberal movement that enthusiastically supports human rights, tenant of moderate Islam; and on the other, the old crabs of radical Islam, the tyrannies of yesterday and the day before, the indestructible Muslim Brotherhood, created in Egypt in 1928, close on the heels of burgeoning Hitlerism, and of which Hamas is, today, the Palestinian branch. How, in these conditions, can one fail to see that this "historic" accord signals a prehistoric regression? How can one fail to understand that this fraternisation, with all its razzle-dazzle, is an insult to everything new the recent insurrections have been able to bring to an Arab world crushed under the yoke--an insult to the youth of Tahrir Square in Cairo, who demonstrated for weeks on end without uttering the shadow of an anti-western, anti-American, or anti-Israeli slogan? It is an insult to the insurgents of Benghazi who are fighting for a Libya that will cease to be the second homeland for the negationists, killers of Jews, and terrorists of this world, as it was under Qadhafi; it amounts to spitting in the faces of the hundreds of Syrians who, since March, have been massacred by the best friend of Hamas; it is an offense to Mohammed Buazizi, the young Tunisian who set everything off and who, to my knowledge, did not immolate himself "in solidarity with the jihadis of 1936" (again, the same Article 7 of the Hamas charter. 1936, the high point of the 'Hitlerian' era of the young Hamas).
And so, I know that people are saying, "Wait, you'll see, give it some time, it's by letting the fascists back into the game, by flattering them, showing them consideration, that we'll succeed in toning them down, in improving them."
Well, we'll see. Except that the only thing we've seen so far, the first strong gesture the candidates for improvement made, the day after this shameful accord, was to condemn the elimination of Bin Laden--this "crime" (as Hamas's leader, Ismaël Haniyeh put it) which is right in line with the "policy of oppression" founded upon the "bloodbaths" of formerly colonized peoples. That says it all. And there is, not only in his words, but in the deafening silence that echoes them here, something devastatingly distressing.
*As France's Prime Minister, Edouard Daladier accompanied Neville Chamberlain to Munich and acquiesced to the agreement with Hitler, though, personally, he had no illusions as to Hitler's ultimate intentions. Returning to Paris, he glanced out the plane window at the cheering crowds and reportedly exclaimed, "Ah! Les cons!" [Oh! The fools!]
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Answer: because they have reasonable minds, and so can understand that the strategy of divide and control breaks down over time, and when it is coupled with a policy of endless negotiaions (with occassional agreements) that never offer the controlled people justice or even progress towards justice, discredits those who are willing to settle for less than total justice for them so that the mainstream of those who controlled them do not feel agrieved at having to give up too much of what was never really theirs.
Furthermore the poster commented about Israelis making several mistakes which they have vis a vis Hamas (which they absolutely did, hell even Israeli officials would admit this). The fact that your argument ends up with 'Jews are smarter than Arabs' shows us the deep racism that exists within your train of thought. Thank you for that, now we do not need to take you seriously.
The consequences of not complying with UNGA Resolution 194 (and dozens of subsequent Resolutions which reiterate it) are consequences of Israel's own making. Had it complied at once, the difficulties would have been easier to manage and it is Israel's fault that did not happen, and Israel's to find a satisfactory resolution now.
Can't pass up the slightest opportunity to express your racism, can you?
Perhaps the Palestinians would benefit from their own "Arab Spring". Perhaps they'd throw out the politicians who rob them blind; and rid themselves of parties who's charters doom them to failure.
And perhaps the Moon really is made of cheese.... Hopefully a sharp cheddar.
The fact that you elected someone doesn't have any bearing on how someone else must deal with them. Nobody's going to be nice with folks who's campaign is focused on killing them and wiping their country from the pages of history. I will agree that the arrogance of the Bush admin. which pushed the elections and were told not to by Fatah was a typical Bush league blunder.
True democracy is also predicated on much more than elections. There needs to be freedom of the press. There need be adequate time allowed for debates to take place in the public square. For platforms to be fleshed out, and for the public to make an educated, well thought out decision. That didn't really happen. Support of a Fatah coup was an not a good idea on the part of Israel. I can see why they did it, but it was folly.
Maybe Israel will learn something too.
Time to put that particular copy paste job to rest.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/gazamap2.html
Question two: what exactly does he expect, Israel to make peace with half the Palestinians, and leave the other half to rot for eternity?
so let's stop ignoring the most obvious problem in the picture: Palestinian obstinacy. when electing Hamas is unthinkable for the palestinians of gaza, then the latter will be a group israel can make peace with. until then, what "peace" are you even talking about? concessions for nothing?
... yes we do? If we don't make peace, they will *keep* express their desire to murder you.
" when electing Hamas is unthinkable for the palestinians of gaza"
So you support democracy as long as the "right" people are elected?
Oh? you only make peace with people who love you? No peace for you then.
The whole point of the reunification is for the Palestinians to have a single, unified body to negotiate peace with.