Notice Of Intent
It's such great news that Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert are determined to bravely forge ahead with peace talks. For, as Mahmoud Abbas, has said, "peace is the only way", and if not peace, then another intifada, and if not another intifada, then a few more of those demonstrations by irritated, irrational and impulsive Palestinians to act out their dissatisfaction with the direction their lives have taken, thanks to the careful stimulation of the young by the Palestinian authorities toward the nobility of martyrdom.If not for the fact that young Palestinians, in their homes and in their schools, have been fed a steady, invigorating diet of resentment and hatred, would so many young people choose to embrace violence and a deep and abiding hatred of Jews; forgive me, not Jews: Zionists? Impressionable young children who in other societies learn the niceties of social interaction and co-operation with others, are exposed constantly to PA-approved television series where cartoon characters teach the irredeemable truth that Israelis are the fearful enemies of Arabs.
That Palestinians of all ages have a sacred duty to their revered past, to their people, to their culture, to their land. No mind that their land was never truly their land, that they were tolerated by other Arabs representing other legitimate Arab countries while being denied their own. The bitter resentment at the nationalistic denials which others wielded are laid at the feet of the Zionists, the Israeli government, the state that oppresses them. For half a loaf is no solution to these hate-mongers, only the entirety of what they claim was theirs will do.
Once again young Palestinians have been exhorted to demonstrate the lessons they have been taught from childhood. High school students have taken to the streets, eschewing their classes in favour of affirmative action, and hundreds of young Palestinians have taken rocks in hand to pelt all symbols of Israeli power and occupation, including Israeli soldiers. And, oh yes, the occasional Molotov cocktail makes its incendiary presence as well.
Proudly they claim "We were implementing what our leaders in the prisons tell us we should be doing. Even Marwan Barghouthi has warned that this is where we're going: the third intifada". The immensely popular, hugely respected Barghouthi, touted as a potential leader of Fatah, should he ever be released from incarceration in an Israeli prison, sent there for responsibility for the deaths of countless Israelis. Committing oneself to delivering death appears the solution to the vexing problem of enticing Israel to decamp.
Evil Israel which undertakes counter-terrorism measures in desperation to try to foil the ongoing Kassam rocket attacks against her people. Taking the lives, in turn of Palestinian terrorists and stand-by civilians in almost equal measure. Is there any solution to this, given that the terrorists deliberately place themselves in the centre of civilian life to attract retribution from those whom they target? How else to bring the world's attention and censure to Israel, than to point to the unfortunate deaths of Palestinian civilians?
The staggering intelligence gap, the lack of comprehension on the part of Palestinian civilians, between the IDF's retaliation and the precursor of terror attacks against Israeli civilians appears to be lost to the one-mindedness of Palestinian grievance. That they've continued resolutely to drag themselves further and further into societal collapse by a dysfunctional system of divisiveness and willing sacrifice of their young just doesn't seem to penetrate the consciousness of most Palestinians.
The "responsible" Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of deliberately sabotaging "peace efforts" by its counter terrorism operations in PA-controlled cities. Yet the Palestinian Authority demonstrates its pathetic and deliberate lack of control, finding it expedient to overlook their encouragement of violent action, blaming its adversary instead. A tired old pattern that seems to make sense to Palestinians, while confounding reason itself. But pathologies don't owe anything to reason and there's the greater pity.
Israel is sternly warned that the Palestinian Authority would refuse to return to the bargaining table unless it recalls the IDF from defensive and counter-offensive action. They insist that Israel reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. How that is to be done is a bit of a conundrum, since Israel's incursions into Gaza are the direct result of Hamas terrorists, along with Fatah-associated terror groups wreaking havoc within Israel. But these are details.
The evil occupation empire, meanwhile, has seen to it that hundreds of trucks full of food, medical supplies and other equipment have been expedited to Gaza through various crossings in the Strip, despite the counter terrorism operations. Moreover, Israeli hospitals have been treating some injured Gazans in yet another humanitarian gesture.
The reward for which has been seen in PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's official newspaper honouring the Jerusalem resident, Alaa Abu Dheim who murdered eight yeshiva students, as a holy Islamic martyr. The martyr's photograph has been given a prominent front-page spot with the caption underneath, "The Shahid Alaa Abu Dheim", with the accompanying article unequivocally describing his murderous rampage as an act of martyrdom.
Israeli police have thus far retained the body of Mr. Dheim, denying his family a quick burial, until they can be assured the family will commit to a modest funeral, rather than turning it into a proud jihadist procession with the potential for violence. Such a procession would attract thousands of Palestinians, and it could very well evolve into a demonstration of support for Hamas and Hezbollah, among other terror groups.
For although the elder Dheim, father of the murderer, has claimed not to have known anything of his son's intent, and not to have been personally involved in putting up Hamas flags and a Hezbollah banner on his son's mourning tent, it has been revealed by some of his Arab neighbours that the Abu Dheim family is known to have ties with Hamas. The fact is that the father took steps to remove the Hamas and Hezbollah insignia only after being ordered to do so by the Jerusalem municipal authority.
There may very well yet be another intifada which Israel will have to deal with. And which will put the Palestinian cause even further behind, causing more misery, greater deaths, shoving a solution further back than ever. If a bright light can be seen anywhere on the horizon, it is the possibility that some Arab states are becoming fed up with the situation. Egypt has been working overtime in an attempt to broker a time out, trying to encourage movement toward a peace settlement.
Jordan has been unequivocal in its determination not to permit any of its Palestinian citizens to recognize or celebrate the occurrence of "martyrdom" events, or murderous attacks of any kind against other countries. Both, after all, represent the only two Arab countries in the Middle East that have taken it upon themselves to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Both have aspirations for a more settled, more prosperous situation to eventuate in the region.
And here is the media in Kuwait launching an overdue criticism against Hamas, placing the blame where it belongs, in Gaza. Smalani Al-Isa, head of the Kuwait Studies for Strategies wrote his opinion that the terror attack on the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem "proves that Iran controls Hamas in Gaza", stating further that Hamas's intent is to deny "the peace process and incite the Arab streets", by which he states the obvious.
It is nothing less than heartening that the newspaper added such Islamist jihadist moves should be exposed before the Arab world, along with the entire international community. And the Arab world must take it upon itself to resolve to intervene, to stop the early induction of young people in their own countries and within the Palestinian territories, toward terror.
And they should be alarmed about the fact that Hamas spokespeople have admitted, proudly, that hundreds of their fighters are being taught the fine art of jihad in Iran and in Syria. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been training Hamas's Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades for years, whipping it into a disciplined army. These jihadists, as they're well aware, represent a threat to their own national security.
Iran's designs do not begin and end with the destruction of the State of Israel. Her proxy militias have been tasked to produce a result that will empower Iran to venture forward to greater aspirations. Which most certainly are inclusive of controlling a much larger swath of territory than Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
Labels: Middle East, Terrorism, World Crises
posted by Pieface @ Monday, March 10, 2008
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