Interesting article in Memri. Abstract:
In a recent article, Basem 'Eid, founder and director of the east-Jerusalem based Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group and former deputy director of the Israeli human rights group B'tselem, addressed the issue of the armed Palestinian gangs that terrorize the Palestinian populace in the PA territories on a daily basis. 'Eid set out proposals for restoring order, and suggested that the Palestinians ask for help from the governments of Egypt, Jordan, and possibly Turkey in ensuring security and protection for Palestinian citizens.
memri.org
A few comments. First, if you've been following the conflict, you will know that these human rights groups are not by any stretch of the imagination pro-Israeli or even neutral, since they don't bother about Israeli human rights at all, but only Palestinian, and they give real PR help to the Palestinians by repeating their claims without checking them, and by counting all Hamas and other paramilitary casualties as "civilian". So they are certainly not carrying any water for Israel here.
Second, isn't this an extraordinary reaction? The Palestinian cities are being run by thugs, the PA (whatever part of it was not simply a mafia to start with) has broken down, and what is the reaction? To call for foreign help. The Pals have been trying to internationalize the conflict for years, so I guess it's a reflex action. But note the missing reaction, the unmentionable elephant-in-the-living-room: they don't call for fixing their own government, for chucking the buggers out and replacing them. Because it's hopeless.
Are these people really nationalists? Do they even want a state? They don't sound like nationalists to me. They sound like helpless people pleading for rescue - from their own lawlessness, because even the most ardent pro-Pal supporter cannot accuse Israel of having handed the Palestinian cities over to Al Aqsa mobs. |
