VIGIL FOR PALESTINE

The real 'catastrophe' has been the Arab/Palestinian "leadership" over the last half a century.

Just think - what the Palestinians are fighting for now is what exactly what was offered, and Israel accepted, 50 years ago.

PK

Don't you mean whatever leadership that hasn't been tortured and murdered by the Israeli government? In accord with the murderous wishes of the settlers? If you're speaking of Arafat: do you really think he leads the Palestinian people? You obviously know very little.

Israel illegally invades a populated land and then "offers" to give crumbs of the stolen land back to the people it displaced. How generous! There will be NO PEACE until the rights of Palestians to return is accepted and that Israel ends the settlements. Then only will there be a movement TOWARDS peace.

Until then, any support for the racist, imperialist "country" of Israel is a shameful act of hatred.

I would wager dollars to donuts that if Arafat is killed, it is much more likely to be by a fellow Arab than any Israeli government action.

Lots of capital letters in your post, but you ignore the FACT that the Arabs were offered EXACTLY what they are now fighting for 50 years ago. The Israelis accepted the partition. The Arabs didn't, and the armies of over half-a-dozen nations attacked Israel on the day that the British mandate ended/Israel declared its independence.

Personally, I think the Israelis should freeze the settlements too, but in the current atmosphere, I don't see it happening too soon.

I wonder if the Israelis had lost in '48, '67, or '73, what kind of hearing they would get in the Arab world for redress of their grievances?

PK

"I would wager dollars to donuts that if Arafat is killed, it is much more likely to be by a fellow Arab than any Israeli government action."

Are you blind? I've already said Arafat does not represent the whole of the Palestinian resistance. In fact, his Palestinian Authority has acted in concert with the Israeli military to round up political activists and torture and kill them. Arafat's PA are more aligned to war profiteers than the Palestinian Liberation movement. It has nothing to do with the ability of the Palestinians to choose leadership. It's as if saying Farrakhan represents the whole African American community here. That's absurd and it's obviously a way that supporters of Israel act to confuse the issues.

"Lots of capital letters in your post, but you ignore the FACT that the Arabs were offered EXACTLY what they are now fighting for 50 years ago. The Israelis accepted the partition. The Arabs didn't, and the armies of over half-a-dozen nations attacked Israel on the day that the British mandate ended/Israel declared its independence."

This is a myth that has been exposed time and time again. The Partition Plan of 1947 that you speak of was rejected by the Palestinians for many reasons. First, the United Nations had no right or sovereignty to assign any part of Palestine's territory to a religious minority, largely composed of newly arrived Europeans. The fact that they offered to give 55 percent of the land to the Jews who comprised only 30 percent of the population and owned only 6 percent, was obviously a joke. The Partition Plan was neither just nor fair and meant the subjugation of the non-jewish Palestinians in the land that was rightfully theirs. If your home is invaded by thieves, what do you do? Accept their "partition plan" that they get half of your home, or do you resist? And if you resist, it's as if the thieves are saying "well we offered them half, but they wouldn't take it, so we're taking all of it".

"Personally, I think the Israelis should freeze the settlements too, but in the current atmosphere, I don't see it happening too soon."

Well thank you for being so generous. Why not just accept it? Weak.

"I wonder if the Israelis had lost in '48, '67, or '73, what kind of hearing they would get in the Arab world for redress of their grievances?"

You deny that the Arabs and the Jews co-existed in harmony long before the time the Israelis waged THEIR war against the Arabs. That harmony was destroyed by the Israelis with the help of the Western powers, who instead of giving Jews their just civil rights in their home countries, gave them a place to go live so they wouldn't have to deal with them. It's as if instead of giving black people the right to vote and be treated equally, we annexed a part of the Congo to get rid of them. And never mind who was there before. All the while, the Western powers through their help of the invaders, maintain a political presense in the area.

Really, you should do your homework before speaking on behalf of an oppressive regime.

Pat,

You should go here: http://www.nimn.org/

and here: http://www.junity.org/

and here: http://www.electronicintifada.net/

Then we can talk.

I invite anyone supporting Israeli occupation to take a tour of the west bank and gaza strip, the refugee camps in surrounding countries. Meet the people, get to know exactly who you are talking about, and see the real situtation on the ground. See what "security" means to them. Then come back to me and tell me the same. Aparthied can never be justified.

Who should the Israelis negotiate with if not Arafat? The leaders of Hamas? People who deny your very right to exist -anywhere-?

You're no doubt right that Arafat does not speak for all Palestinians, perhaps even the majority. But that's not because he is too -hard- negotiating with Israel. It's because he's even accepting (half of the week anyways) Israel's right to exist that he is considered a 'sell-out'.