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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lou Weed who wrote (135718)	6/5/2004 3:09:30 AM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Nothing is easier than for the soft-hearted and soft-headed to go to the West Bank, look at the poverty, the rubble, the checkpoints, and say "oh those poor suffering Palestinians. Those mean, mean Israelis" We have lots of examples of this. It works particularly well if you don't know any history, don't understand that internal choices and external forces that shaped either side. If you don't know the history of the Arab/Israeli conflict, or any history pre 1967, then you believe the Israelis just got up in the morning and decided to conquer "historical Palestine". The Palestinians will be glad to tell you so. If you have ingested a bunch of Marxist ideas, it is then self-evident that the if the Israelis are rich and the Palestinians are poor, the Israelis must have stolen their wealth from the Paletinians. Etc. ISM is one of those lefty organizations that claims to be for peace but is really just on the Palestinian side. ISM supports suicide bombings, in a coy sort of way; they praise non-violence, but somehow their concept of non-violence is compatible with suicide bombings, which makes me feel they are not quite clear on the concept. Some quotes from their website: "As enshrined in international law and UN resolutions, we recognize the Palestinian right to resist Israeli violence and occupation via legitimate armed struggle" palsolidarity.org "Legitimate armed struggle" is the exact same term that the Palestinians use for their campaign of suicide bombers. The term pretty well has to include attacks against civilians, since these have been the majority of Palestinian attacks, and certainly the media stars of the "armed struggle". Another quote: "[W]hat is needed is nonviolent direct action against the occupation...This is no less noble than carrying out a suicide operation," If they are really against suicide bombing, why call it "noble"? ISM only gets really upset about violence when it comes from the Israelis. And terrorists of Hamas and Fatah have found them useful cover in the past. And no, I have not spent time in the West Bank or Gaza. Have you?