The salient point of the struggle by the Palestinians, is that it is a war of liberation
We're getting closer here. Nationalism, "liberation" is indeed a cause which true believers can die for.
While there are those whose motivation has religious underpinnings (Jihad), vast numbers (especially from the Al Aqsa brigades) have no religious motivation
Hamas and PIJ are still responsible for the lion's share of suicide bombings, actually, Al Aqsa is something of a Johnny-come-lately on the scene. And Al Aqsa is very much copying the program of Hamas, not the other way around. It is the jihadist ideology that thought up the idea of the suicide bomb as the great equalizer. The jihadists say, we will win because we love death, while the Westerners are soft and love life.
The vast majority have exactly such ideas - see the Saudi offer of Pan-Arabic/Israeli peace based on pre-67 borders. Same for the PA.
Nope, don't buy it. The PA said something about accepting Israel, true. They also said something about renouncing terror and settling differences by negotiation. The second was false, why should anyone believe the first? Especially as they have been saying just the opposite all along, in Arabic (as if no one could translate)? Hamas and Hizbullah have never pretended to accept Israel inside any borders.
As for the Saudi "peace plan", notice how it just came along this year, at a time when the Saudis were badly in need of a change of subject (like distracting the US' attention from the fact that 15 of the 9/11 highjackers were Saudis)? If such a plan had come along in 2000, it could have closed the deal. But in 2000, the Saudis were telling Arafat that they would cut him off if he took the Camp David or Taba deals.
No, I don't believe in Saudi acceptance of Israel inside the 1967 borders. To persuade me, they are going to have to start by changing their tone a little. They could use the word "Israel". The could stop inciting hatred against the Jews. Nazi-level anti-Semitism pours forth from their presses daily (all government controlled, naturally). Saudi newspapers have published the blood libel twice just this year that I know of. (The blood libel, in case you don't know, is the accusation that Jews kill gentile [or this case, Muslim] children and use their blood to make unleavened bread for Passover). I don't consider this the language of "peace partners". Here's the link to the latest blood libel
memri.org
You can also find the earlier ones at the memri.org site, which publishes translations from the Arab press. If you haven't seen it before, it's well worth looking at. |
