The Difference Between The Israelis And The Palestinians
A commenter, calling himself DoyleLonegan, writes on a Guardian/UK article:
The following are from the HAMAS charter, or covenent:"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement."
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."
The HAMAS covenent also features several quotes from the Kuran, like this one:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."
Now, contrast that with the Israeli Declaration of Independence which says:
"We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East."
Is it really so hard to determine the monkey wrench in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process? Peace could be had if the Palestinians were in any way inclined to compromise. Both have ancient claims to that land and it's pointless to debate who has a right to be there, it only matters that one side has been willing to live side-by-side in peace and the other rejects such overtures unconditionally.
Also, let's not forget that the land in question was captured by Isreal during a war that the Arabs brought on themselves.
A translation of the Hamas charter is here. The Israeli Declaration of Independence is here.
Posted by aalkon at March 10, 2008 9:43 AM
Comments
I've often linked to an alternate version at Yale's Avalon Project. Leftists and liberals are in denial of plain facts on the Israeli-Palestinian question. Aside from the plain language of the Hamas Covenant, you can read the Palestinian National Charter,
Article 9: Armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine. This it is the overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase. The Palestinian Arab people assert their absolute determination and firm resolution to continue their armed struggle and to work for an armed popular revolution for the liberation of their country and their return to it . They also assert their right to normal life in Palestine and to exercise their right to self-determination and sovereignty over it.
Article 21: The Arab Palestinian people, expressing themselves by the armed Palestinian revolution, reject all solutions which are substitutes for the total liberation of Palestine and reject all proposals aiming at the liquidation of the Palestinian problem, or its internationalization.
Worse, if you believe it can get worse, the Palestinians have systematically executed the peace activists in their midst. [WARNING: that link contains graphic images of an all too common Palestinian lynching.] In Palestinians society, even giving medical aid to an injured Jew can get you lynched.
Palestinians do not want peace. The Israel-Palestine issue will be be settled by war. I hope Israel wins.
Posted by: Jeff at March 10, 2008 6:19 AM
Only the Israelis really give a shit about Palestinian children. For the Palestinians, they're just useful, as per this article:
Hamas placed children on rooftops as human shields preventing Israeli attack on Qassam workshops and warehouses.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020217.php
Sick fucks, huh?
Yes, let's all sniffle for the poor, beleaguered Palestinians.
Posted by: Amy Alkon 
at March 10, 2008 6:28 AM
Here's this gist of this post, without a single word, but so precisely right on:
Posted by: Amy Alkon at March 10, 2008 9:16 AM
It may be worse than you think.
According to this article: http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3300491,00.html, in 2006 the annual income per capita was $700 in the Palestinian Authority.
According to this article: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,48822,00.html, the family of "martyrs" were paid $10,000 until 2002 when Saddam Hussein raised it to $25,000.
Thus, the family of a "martyr" can make more from a kid blowing himself/herself up than they can make in a lifetime. How much of the violence is religious/historical based and how much is simply the result of parents harvesting their livestock?
Posted by: Curly Smith at March 10, 2008 12:50 PM
Curly - "parents harvesting their livestock" - I don't believe Palestinian parents love their children any less than any other parents do.
It's much more likely that the cash enables idealistic youngsters - it usually is idealistic youngsters - to sacrifice themselves with the belief that their families will be rewarded on earth as they are in heaven. Children usually want to do the best for their parents, after all.
Posted by: Norman at March 10, 2008 3:54 PM
I just think it's cool that a blog commenter would call himself DoyleLonegan. Y'falla?
Posted by: Crid at March 10, 2008 4:07 PM
The mob boss in "The Sting," of course!
Posted by: Amy Alkon at March 10, 2008 4:32 PM
Good points on the Israeli vs. Palestinian positions. But what can you say about Israel's continuing to build new settlements in the terrritories occupied during the '67 Arab-initiated war? Continuing to do so will continue violence, would it not?
Posted by: Roger Hayden at March 10, 2008 11:18 PM
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