June 09, 2007
A Flawed Narrative
by Michael J. Totten
This story requires no comment:In the Gaza Strip's Jab aliya refugee camp, Aref Suleiman was raised on Palestinian struggle against the Jewish state. Today he lies in an Israeli hospital bed, his body riddled with Palestinian bullets, his wounds tended daily by Israeli nurses.Posted by Michael J. Totten at June 9, 2007 07:48 PMFor the 22-year-old Mr Suleiman, who was shot five times point blank by Hamas militants last month during a renewed bout of Palestinian infighting, this is not the Arab-Israeli conflict he learnt about as a child growing up in Gaza's desperate, rubbish-strewn alleys.
"Palestinians shoot me and Jews treat me," he laughs bitterly. "It was supposed to be different."
well, in a civilized world it would require no comment. but that's not the world we live in.
it won't matter how many cases like this will be documented -- this will not change the minds of the anti-semites, anti-zionists, hamas, hezbollah, iran, etc. that's because they are blinded by ideology and they are not interested in facts, which cause cognitive dissonance.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 9, 2007 09:02 PM"Palestinians shoot me and Jews treat me,"
He said it best.
Posted by: Carlos at June 9, 2007 09:39 PMwell, i can't say i am so sure even HE will change his behavior when he goes back.
anyway, check out how the journalist ended the article: even in this case he could not resist taking a shot at israelis.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 9, 2007 09:42 PMwhat a way to describe a Palestinian plight...on an Israeli bed. may be that's why "he" said it best??
Posted by: Golaniya at June 9, 2007 10:26 PMO the shame, the utter SHAME.
This confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt that Israel must be destroyed...
Posted by: Barry Meislin at June 10, 2007 12:14 AMO the shame, the utter SHAME.
This confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt that Israel must be destroyed...
Isn't that why Jews even treat Arab patients - just to humiliate them?
Isn't that why Jews do anything at all?
/sarc
Posted by: Lil Mamzer at June 10, 2007 06:40 AMIt says in the Passover haggadah that we Jews shouldn't rejoice in our enemies' suffering.
Well, I'm not a religious Jews, so I take exception. I am thoroughly enjoying the Palestinian infighting and I wish they'd pick up the pace.
Sorry, I know it sounds brutal, but the Palestinians are no closer to psychologically making peace with Israel than they were in 1947. As long as they are killing each other they have less time to focus on killing Israelis.
Posted by: Zak at June 10, 2007 06:41 AMZak,
You don't need to enjoy it in order to see the benefits...
Posted by: MattW at June 10, 2007 07:58 AMThat's the problem though ... I'm so angry with the Palestinians that I DO enjoy the civil war as much as I appreciate the results. Can't help it. Every time I read about them fighting, I smile.
Posted by: Zak at June 10, 2007 08:17 AMNot closer psychologically? They're further away from it. After all:
- the us is in decline and its support for israel is weakening -- wait for the dhimmicrats;
- israel lacks leadership and olmert is begging syria to return the golan just so it does not have to fight and lose again;
- They are being funded to do nothing but try to destroy israel:
- the world is coming around nicely to the idea that the holocaust is questionable and that israel is a nazi state that was a big mistake;
- the west is gonna go native (islamized) soon anyway.
It is all the more appalling, in light of the above story, that in March, 130 British doctors proposed boycotting the Israel Medical Association and demanded its expulsion from the World Medical Association.
Posted by: Zak at June 10, 2007 08:26 AMtheir "moderates" are into slow jihad; smarter than the fast jihad of hamas:
http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2007/06/10/797/#comments
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 08:27 AMfp,
American support for Israel is still pretty rock solid, and I don't think much will change if the Dems. are in power.
A lot of people in Europe are coming around to the danger of Islamic fundamentalism. Look at the election results in France, for example.
The only place where the Holocaust is denied by serious people is in the Middle East. It is against the law in some European countries to deny the Holocaust.
Israel may lack solid leadership now, but next year this time might be a completely different story. Governments can change fast in Israel.
However, I do agree with you that psychologically speaking, perhaps the Palestinians are more radicalized than ever before. Although not by much. I mean, the internal debate among them is: Do we do busines with the Jews and get a state from which to "liberate the rest of Palestine" or do we go the Hamas-IJ-al-Aksa brigades-PFLP route of fight fight fight.
Posted by: Zak at June 10, 2007 08:32 AMzak,
i did not say there is no longer support, i said it's weakening; i am talking about the direction of the trend, which is rather obvious;
europe will appease before it does anything else about islamism, that's its history and culture. besides, it may already be too late, some of the countries e.g. sweden have self-destructed already;
there's considerable rise in anti-semitism and holocaust denial in the west and the us. things that would be inconceivable just a few years ago are coming out of the woodwork. the swiss president just offered iran to host a conference on the subject (maybe she wants revenge on the stolen funds her banks lost). the academia has been taken over and is producing ignorant morons who can't think for themselves;
i see no solution to the israeli leadership crisis; the potential replacements are old failures in themselves.
the answer to that question was given barak with the first intifada; and if you check out the link i just posted, you will see it clearly published in the nyt.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 08:52 AMhere's an american who ought to know better, having been a hostage:
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=9638
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 08:55 AMHEZBOLLAH, the powerful Iranian-backed militia that fought the Israeli army last summer, has built a network of underground military bunkers under the feet of United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon close to Israel’s border.
It has rebuilt its fighting capability and Israeli intelligence now estimates that it has stockpiled 20,000 rockets.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1910154.ece
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 08:59 AMand here are tony blair and tom friedman trying to save hamas from its own self-destruction:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL08361055
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/06/tom_friedman_rescue_hamas.html
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 09:02 AMand here's a contrast to the israeli medical treatment of pals. note that this treatment is by citizens OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY, the UK!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=461031&in_page_id=1770
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 09:21 AMThat's the problem though ... I'm so angry with the Palestinians that I DO enjoy the civil war as much as I appreciate the results. Can't help it. Every time I read about them fighting, I smile.
Why are you angry with them? Their conduct isn't much worse than most groups in their situation. It is still safer and more profitable and comfortable to be an Israeli than a Palestinian Arab (or any other kind).
They're the enemy. They're supposed to make you dislike them. It is mutual. The ones who deserve anger are the ones on Israel's side who ought to know better. Olmert, Peres, Rabin, Sharon, etc.
Posted by: MattW at June 10, 2007 09:26 AMmatt,
there is nothing more dangerous than a failed politician without support. they are desperate to make a big splash to rehabilitate themselves, which blinds them to the disasters that they can produce.
so you've got bush "surging" in iraq and supporting a destructive immigration bill and olmert in israel begging syria to take the golan and arming the slow jihad.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 10:02 AMIt's hard not to enjoy the tribulation of your enemies. But you're commanded not to, and there's no honor in it.
Posted by: Carlos at June 10, 2007 10:06 AMI wonder if or when the infighting is going to get so bad that some Palestinian factions ally with Israel against other factions.
Posted by: J-P at June 10, 2007 10:14 AMj-p,
why do you think hamas is so desperate to get israel involved -- because that's the best way to unify the factions. hence the several attacks including the attempt to go thru the fence and kidnap soldiers with a "TV" jeep.
and IDF did an incursion in response so it's not impossible for olmert to be lured into some response and play into their hands.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 10:28 AMFP, try not to hog the comments section. 11 out of 24 comments are yours. Thanks.
Posted by: Michael J. Totten at June 10, 2007 10:49 AMCarlos: It's hard not to enjoy the tribulation of your enemies. But you're commanded not to, and there's no honor in it.
I agree, and I would agree without the commandment, so to speak.
Does anyone enjoy watching Palestinians in Lebanon used as human shields by Fatah Al Islam? I certainly hope not.
Posted by: Michael J. Totten at June 10, 2007 10:52 AMa lot of comments here are not supported by the evidence. i could disagree and it would be just another opinion. i prefer to back up my arguments with evidence when i come across it. and i would expect others to do the same. and we should be responding to the evidence.
otherwise this turns into a sheer vehicle for self-expression.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 11:04 AMIsrael may lack solid leadership now, but next year this time might be a completely different story. Governments can change fast in Israel.
Israel doesn't have a year to get it's $#!t together. It needs solid leadership now.
Posted by: rosignol at June 10, 2007 11:08 AMDoes anyone enjoy watching Palestinians in Lebanon used as human shields by Fatah Al Islam?
It's pretty clear that no-one gives a shit what happens to the Palestinians caught up in the battle between Fatah Al Islam and Lebanese forces. The media doesn't, the Lebanese don't, the UN doesn't, and the "muslim world" doesn't.
It's abundantly clear that Palestinian "issues" are only important when they can be used to attack Israel - verbally or physically.
That is, the only logical conclusion: no-one gives a shit about Palestinians, they just hate Jews.
Posted by: mertel at June 10, 2007 11:18 AMrosignol,
damn right. syria, hezbollah, hamas and iran understand this quite well, which is why the situation is extremely dangerous, something which the idiot olmert does not seem to realize, blinded by his notion that if he "makes peace" he will rehabilitate itself.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 11:28 AMThere must be a way to empower moderate Palestinians politically. Right now the only voices seem to be those with guns.
I am sure that there are peaceful, progressive people among the Palestinians but they're increasingly in danger themselves. Women are now being threatened by morality police. This isn't limited to the PA though, Egyptian universities can no longer forbid the niqab. And from Cairo to Pakistan, music shops, internet cafes, dissident voices are being silenced.
I'm concerned, looking back at it, that UNRWA and Western financial support have actually contributed to fostering radicalism among the Palestinians. It seems hard to deny that the UN itself has provided not only safe haven in the "camps" but also its educational system has helped foster the idea of "return" and destruction of Israel. And, we were behind the disastrous resurrection of Arafat and although the "peace process" appeared to be well-intended, attacks on Israeli civilians skyrocketed after the Oslo Accords were signed.
For their part, Arab treatment of Palestinians has been shameful. The institutionalization of a refugee population, which could easily have been managed in 1950, has created millions of angry, hopeless people - who aren't truly aliens, who are Arab Muslims, who have relatives, for example, in Egypt and Syria, most of whom have never seen Israel, some of whom had no more than a two-year connection to the Mandate at the time of the 1948 war.
And, the fact is, there's hard-core resistance to the very idea of Israel among many Palestinians and thus the Oslo Accords and Clinton's statehood deal were a direct threat to them. For this reason the Arab Peace Initiative, though its language as currently couched is obviously unacceptable, IS a major step forward. I think Arab state actors ARE starting to realize that Israel is there but also, maybe, that it might be part of a solution to regional problems and that the continued attacks against her are not in the interests of the region and are destabilizing to say the least.
One of the few silver linings in the current contretemps in Lebanon is the spotlight cast on the camps, the situation of the Palestinians in Arab lands, and the need to treat them decently and perhaps even offer citizenship. Lebanon in particular though has been hard hit by radicals in the camps and if I'm reading history correctly, actually lost sovereignty via the Cairo Accords in 1969 - so there are TWO states within a state in Lebanon: Hezbollah and the Palestinians. The UN resolutions 1559 and 1701 have reaffirmed her rights but nobody has a clue as to how disarming the militias is supposed to occur in real life. And Syria of course, and Iran, have been acting at cross-purposes and also destabilizing the Palestinians. Iraq also played a role and still does, indirectly: the fall of Saddam has created refugees and among them are Palestinians victimized for their former support of Saddam. Many others had been expelled from Kuwait for the same reason. Without sympathizing for their political choices one must empathize with them personally: on a human level, these are victims.
As far as the Democrats being worse than the Republicans, I understand what fp is saying but in fact, much of what is out there on the blogs is the far, far left, it isn't mainstream Democrats - though it's true the "bile of the blogs," to quote Klein, is having an untoward impact on real life politics.
But can Democrats really be worse than the immoral "realists" who are apparently back in power via the Iraq Study Group? And, it wasn't Democrats who forced the elections that included Hamas, armed and unrepentant, in the PA - that was either a strategic blunder or - I don't want to think about it - in either case it has been a disaster. And, the huge corporate interests involved in the oil industry and related service industries represent powerful international players who are similarly detached from American moral and political values.
Sharansky wrote an article recently in which he reaffirmed the fact that democracy is more than just the ability to hold elections. There is so much more that needs to be done to prepare a society which has no experience with Western democracy, than giving out ballots and declaring people "free". Iraq is a pretty obvious illustration of that fact, so is the PA, so is Lebanon, although there is hope to be found in all of them. I'm just worried that the US will lose its willpower and its courage long before the dream can become reality, and tens of millions of people will become victims.
Posted by: Sophia at June 10, 2007 11:54 AMI am gratified to see the Palestinian infighting, not because of the shadenfreude, but because a showdown between fatah and hamas (and defeat of the latter) is a necessary precondition to any progress on the peace front. Not that I'm optimistic about it, but as long as the two camps papered over their differences and played good Palestinian/bad Palestinian to the rest of the world, then the peace talks were just a cynical strategy for killing more Israelis.
And if I'm wrong, I can still enjoy the schadenfreude ...
Posted by: MarkC at June 10, 2007 11:55 AMsophia,
me reckons that you yourself provide the very evidence on which not to have the kind of hopes you harbor.
mark,
the inter-pal fight has little to do with the conflict and mostly to do with power. chances are they won't defeat each other and will strive to pull israel into it to resolve their problems. and bear in mind that iran will do everything it can to help.
if either of them wins, the choice is between slow and fast jihad.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 12:32 PM> Does anyone enjoy watching Palestinians in
> Lebanon used as human shields by Fatah Al
> Islam? I certainly hope not.
It's difficult not to be impressed that Israel's rules of engagement, after years of conflict, are more humane than even the urbane Lebanese can manage for just weeks.
At the same time, though not in the same sense, it's satisfying to see the Lebanese army breaking a sweat for a change.
So there are some good things to point to here, even though the event itself is horrible.
These events are also clarifying for me what has to happen now in the ME. The Arab states seem to have come to grips, more or less, with the existence of Israel. Now they have to come to grips with their own culpability for the fate of the Palestinians and agree to be part of the solution. That's the last step to a workable regional deal.
Posted by: adam D. at June 10, 2007 12:38 PMadam,
but just about when you see signs of the arabs "coming to grips" (canceled by their position on the right of return), there is a rise of rabid anti zionism/semitism in the world coupled with war against it by the islamists and the decline of the US.
so the very factors which may have caused the arabs some pondering are reversing. does that incentivize the arabs to persist in their realization, you think?
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 12:46 PMfp,
a better question is, what can be done to make such a realization on their part inevitable?
Posted by: adam D. at June 10, 2007 01:17 PMwhatever was done that made them reach the one you seem to notice. but because it was not done thoroughly, consistently and aggressively, it took 60 years, and in fact i am not even sure it really is a genuine realization, given that the core issue are the so-called refugees, and not land.
a more serious problem is that you've got in the territories a population hooked on foreign aid, indoctrinated rather than educated, with most jobs in the govt, mainly "security". even is a state were declared today, I don't see how it could achieve viability. it would always be a source of crime and violence.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 01:37 PMso you've got bush "surging" in iraq and supporting a destructive immigration bill and olmert in israel begging syria to take the golan and arming the slow jihad.
At least the 'surge' passes the smell test. More soldiers killing more terrorists makes sense. Giving up territory to a terrorist-sponsoring aggressive state like Syria does not.
It's difficult not to be impressed that Israel's rules of engagement, after years of conflict, are more humane than even the urbane Lebanese can manage for just weeks.
People are generally as humane as they can afford to be. If Hamas and Fatah were killing dozens of Israeli soldiers every week, as Fatah al-Islam are doing to the LAF, their rules of engagement would be far less lenient.
There is also the risk those groups pose to the respective states they are fighting. Given the number of car bombs found in Lebanon in the last few weeks, it would be foolish not to use whatever force necessary to kill the bombers.
Posted by: MattW at June 10, 2007 02:20 PMsmell test or not, it's not gonna ACHIEVE much in the scheme of things. after the monstruous incompetence from day one after the victory, it's too little too late. there's enough supply of virgin-seeking killers.
seems to me the reason israel has seen so much trouble is precisely because it has strived to be too humane which is, as usual, interpreted as weakness.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 03:00 PM@mertel:
> That is, the only logical conclusion: no-one gives a shit about Palestinians, they just hate Jews.
Yes, this message comes across LOUD AND CLEAR. If the IDF shelled a camp, it would be a "massacre." Screaming mobs would riot all over the world. The UN would denounce Israel. But if an Arab army shells a Palestinian camp, nobody cares. Those who "support the Palestinians" don't really support the Palestinians at all. They just hate Jews.
(By the way - I support the Lebanese army; when terrorists set up shop, the government MUST destroy them. The hypocrisy of world "leaders" and Arab/Muslim "leaders" is overwhelming, however)
@Adam D.
> It's difficult not to be impressed that Israel's rules of engagement, after years of conflict
Yes, it's difficult - if you actually KNOW about Israel's rules of engagement. What much of the west, and ESPECIALLY the Muslim world, hears about Israel is a lot of evil propaganda, rather than accurate facts.
Posted by: Zvi at June 10, 2007 03:17 PMthere was no need to wait for the current events in lebanon to realize that the world and particularly the arab states did not care beasn about palestinians.
how did jordan, lebanon, syria and egypt treat the palestinians in the refugee camps before the 1967? why didn't they produce a palestinian state for 19 years prior to 1967?
because (a) they never considered them palestinians, but rather arabs who would have been their own citizens had they won in 1948 (b) the term palestinian came into being only in conjunction with elimination of israel.
as to the world, who can genuinely believe that it cares about ANY suffering, when they ignore all of it except that supposedly caused by israel?
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 04:39 PMas to how palestinians treat palestinians, here's the latest:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1181228581339&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
just like islam: no exit.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 04:49 PMSo, I'm a terminal optimist - but today I saw TWO articles in the Arab press condemning the Arab world for its treatment of the Palestinians and one said that Israel treats them better than the Arabs, citing the citizenship granted to those who remained in 1948, the right to vote, etc. The article doesn't go far enough but it's a big step in the right direction.
The fact that Al Rashed linked the deliberately cruel treatment of the Palestinians to the attempt to keep the cause (and the conflict) alive is actually pretty striking. I wonder if this piece was published in Arabic?
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=25&article_id=82897
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=9216
The Lebanese article is interesting in that it links the Palestinian situation with the necessity to address the economic development of Lebanon in general. The author points out that some Lebanese people live in even worse conditions than the Palestinians!
I think this is step one toward treating the "refugees" as human beings and this in and of itself will start pulling the radicals' fangs. It actually might offer a way out of the confessional maze for Lebanon.
It will also of course be a much more humane course - and acknowledge the ability of the Palestinians to contribute to their societies.
Finally I understand why people are angry. All these decades of suffering and for what? But that isn't terribly long considering the changes people are going through, culturally, economically, politically. There's been so much brainwashing, so much bad philosophy - the worst - imported from Europe - resentment of Western imperialism - power vacuums resulting from the destruction of the Ottomans - religious changes - think how we in the West have struggled since the dawn of the Industrial age.
And, during the 20th century alone there have been several wars in the Middle East, internal conflicts, and acts of terrorism affecting many states, plus the Cold War and its depredations. If people can stay on the planet long enough, and if people of good will can find each other, there is hope.
I am very very worried about resurgent antisemitism though. People are now, in a striking example of circular reasoning, blaming Israel for creating judenhass.
Posted by: Sophia at June 10, 2007 05:26 PMsophia,
you want to be optimist but reality keeps asserting itself.
i would not be as impressed with those articles. there have been such in the past, without much effect. they are exceptions which do not reflect the rule in the general public. they are sometimes allowed to create the impression of self-criticism and of care.
the governing fact here is the educational system in the arab states and pal territories: even if they wanted tomorrow to end the conflict -- which they don't -- they couldn't, because they have instilled new generations from childhood with the notion that it is treason punishable by death to believe anything other than "death to israel", so now they are all prisoners of that.
that's why i always said that there is ONLY ONE WAY to convince me of change: when the arabs overhaul their education system to eliminate all religious crap and hatred of jews, then accept 20-30 years of restructuring their own societies to inspire confidence until the current generations grow old, such that the change to take effect. the chance of that are nil and anything else is grinding water and wishful thinking.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 05:54 PMI am not too concerned about Jew haters. Anyone of those c#$%-suckers comes around me or even farts in my family's general direction, will get an AR-15 spewing several slugs in their general direction.
Posted by: Gliker at June 10, 2007 06:25 PMsophia,
here's another palestinian article:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=82882
note that in the whole article there is NOT ONE iota of self-criticism. history is rewritten and israel is held 100% responsible for everything that ever happened. the palestinian tried everything, and each and every israeli leader just wanted settlements, and when they did not, the public rejected them. upside down and backwards. and this guy is an academic, teaching at their university (all of which were initiated during the israeli occupation and none before or after).
that's what the palestinians have been indoctrinated with and that's what most of them believe. and as long as that is so there won't be a solution to the conflict.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 06:39 PMI keep arguing that the US and Israel are conducting suicidal policies. Here's somebody who explains it real well and is a must read:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/06/james_bakers_disciples.html
To repeat: the war is not the jihadis' to win, but the west's to lose. And if they insist on this path, they will get what they deserve.
Posted by: fp\http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/ at June 10, 2007 08:45 PMHow can anyone take the Arab Piece Intiative seriously?
A few current Arab leaders -- among the most precariously perched ones -- offer to recommend public admission that Israel exists -- if it returns to militarily indefensible borders, relocates Ben Gurion airport, allows 'symbolic' refugee return or pays them off handsomely or both, then puts a loaded revolver in its own mouth and pulls the trigger so no more precious Arab ammo has to be wasted.
They are going to control the Islamist groups whose very existence is predicated on Israel's non-existence --- ummm... exactly how? Their own corrupt, fascist, compromised security forces, you say?
Oh, you mean cut off funding of dawa and protection money? But Dawa is a religious obligation! and I doubt they'll be escaping the protection racket any time soon. If some Arab governments do make peace with the freshly-gutted Israel, their own indoctrinated populations will be disgusted, and the terror groups -- and Iran pounding its chest as the last true bastion of anti Zionism -- will bring down those governments, then they'll finish off what's left of Israel.
Posted by: Pam at June 10, 2007 11:33 PMfp,
You're still hogging the comments after I asked you to please stop. I've gotten several complaints.
Posted by: Michael J. Totten at June 11, 2007 02:06 AMtell you what: i'll do better than that. I'll just stop altogether.
this is more like a club of self-expression than a serious exchange based on knowledge and ability to reason. not very interesting.
Posted by: fp at June 11, 2007 08:33 AMThanks fp. I see you provide a url with your name, presumably your blog...I will go there an read it when I want some real exchange. For now I chose to read MICHAEL'S blog.
Posted by: Furious George at June 11, 2007 11:24 AMFP wrote:
"...tell you what: i'll do better than that. I'll just stop altogether."
I'll believe it when I see it, tho....
:)
Slightly off topic.... the French have suggested round table talks among all Lebanese political factions in an attempt to move the logjam between the Govt + Opposition.... As far as I can make out, all parties seem quite keen on the idea...
What does anyone think of this... Sarkozy putting down a marker for a more involved French Foreign Policy.... or just hot air leading nowhere?
Has the Fatah al-Islam situation perhaps concentrated the minds of Lebanese politicians of all hues?
Posted by: Microraptor at June 11, 2007 11:31 AMThere must be a way to empower moderate Palestinians politically. Right now the only voices seem to be those with guns.
Sophia, that seems to surprise you. There is always a correlation between those with the guns and those with the power.
Posted by: MattW at June 11, 2007 12:37 PMMicroraptor, I hope so. I hope the French make a statement, most of all I hope people focus beyond narrow political or sectarian concerns.
I hope too that people see there's a line that can't be crossed, otherwise society will collapse altogether. It doesn't matter whether you're Christian, Sunni, Shi'a, Druze, Jewish, secular, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, French, American - we can see in Iraq how easily a society can be fractured by a relatively few people with car bombs and IED's.
Of course that's the idea.
The fact is, civilization itself is a delicate net of good will, hope and trust. It isn't just steel bridges, green fields, elegant towers.
It's a statement against chaos, against the ignorant dark.
Posted by: Sophia at June 11, 2007 12:40 PMMattW, there are other forms of power, and empowered voices that aren't extreme.
Isn't that the true strength and meaning of democracy, the purpose of democracy? Doesn't true, enlightened democracy balance extremes, through the deliberate empowerment of many voices?
This is what's missing among those who propose that democracy is MERELY a matter of granting the vote, and it's encapsulated in the terrible error of forcing elections which include armed and manifestly extremist groups like Hamas.
But yet - you're right too, for beyond even consensual societies there lies the power of armed might, and law within them is enforced by naked power.
Within those societies though, we live by the rule of law, we defend minorities and turn away from the animalistic urge to prey upon the weak. We empower the voices of the people and seek to limit the power of the mighty - though even the most poetic voice can't stop missile once it's been unleashed - for reasons good or ill.
What we can do, though, through those collective individual voices, through the rule of law and the accountability of democratic governments, is impose our own power upon the powerful. In states where freedom is lost, Hitlers and Stalins rule. Where democracy never lived, voices are silent: voices of women, of minorities, voices of reform, change, and dissent.
Worst of all are worlds where books are burned, where whole nations are slaughtered, but not far behind are worlds in which day is declared to be night.
Sometimes I think we're living in one of those worlds now - where words have lost their meaning. Because Pam's right too - what use is "peace" if peace is a euphemism for "death"?
Posted by: Sophia at June 11, 2007 01:00 PMI wonder if it means anything and if there is a hope.
http://jewishworldreview.com/0607/gordon061107.php3
Posted by: leo at June 11, 2007 01:52 PMOh dear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JE48XHKG64
Gore lied, people died...
Posted by: mikek at June 11, 2007 02:11 PMMattW, there are other forms of power, and empowered voices that aren't extreme. Isn't that the true strength and meaning of democracy, the purpose of democracy? Doesn't true, enlightened democracy balance extremes, through the deliberate empowerment of many voices?
Those extremes have to agree to abide by certain rules. And, way back when, there either existed a broad consensus in favour of those rules, or one was created by force.
What exactly is 'true, enlightened democracy'? It sounds a bit like 'pure communism', one of those concepts people talk about but can never point out.
As for those 'other kinds of power', ultimately if they're not able to defend themselves, they'll go under.
The fact is, civilization itself is a delicate net of good will, hope and trust. It isn't just steel bridges, green fields, elegant towers. It's a statement against chaos, against the ignorant dark.
Hmm. That's a bit much. The 'ignorant dark' (take your pick of ideologies) usually has good will and hope and trust to go with those bridges and towers.
You don't have to denounce your enemy as the antithesis of civilisation to justify destroying him.
Posted by: MattW at June 11, 2007 03:41 PMMattW, there are other forms of power, and empowered voices that aren't extreme.
Isn't that the true strength and meaning of democracy, the purpose of democracy? Doesn't true, enlightened democracy balance extremes, through the deliberate empowerment of many voices?
No.
Democracy is self-moderating because it is necessary to persuade a majority of the decision-making body that a policy is a good idea before it will be implemented. This does not empower extremists, it neuters them.
[...]
Posted by: rosignol at June 11, 2007 08:29 PM"130 British doctors proposed boycotting the Israel Medical Association"
Were these British Muslim doctors? There must be several thousand Muslim doctors in the UK.
Posted by: Don Cox at June 12, 2007 06:15 AMI suspect that all the "moderate Palestinians" live in Europe or the USA, and not in either Gaza or the West Bank.
Posted by: Don Cox at June 12, 2007 06:31 AMThe British doctors were not all Muslims from what I can make out....
http://ejpress.org/article/news/uk/16412
Seems to explain the situation, albeit it is a Jewish news source, so will be partisan...
But:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2100392,00.html
....is an article written by one of the principal movers behind the proposed doctors' boycott. This is obviously patrisan, but from the partisan horse's mouth, as t'were.
Basically Mr Green takes the view that such actions "worked" on apertheid South Africa, and Israel's current behaviour is not much different in his view, so let's try a boycott on that country too.
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