"An able Arab exponent of the Arab case told us that the Arabs throughout their history have not only been free from anti-Jewish sentiment but have also shown that the spirit of compromise is deeply rooted in their life. There is no decent-minded person, he said, who would not want to do everything humanly possible to relieve the distress of those persons, provided that it was not at the cost of inflicting a corresponding distress on another people."
What a nice quote. Let's contrast it with another, from the man who took over Palestinian Arab politics by dint of a campaign of assassination:
As a young man, al-Husseini worked with a native Jew, Abbady, who documented this comment:
Remember, Abbady, this was and will remain an Arab land. We do not mind you natives of the country, but those alien invaders, the Zionists, will be massacred to the last man. We want no progress, no prosperity. Nothing but the sword will decide the fate of this country.
Leaders matter. Especially when they are dictators who rule by the sword. It scarcely matters if 99% of the Palestinian Arabs would have been happy to negotiate a solution that left everybody with a piece of the pie. The guy in charge was not into negotiation, and he killed those who disagreed with him. |
