Yasir Arafat dies, world peace has a chance....

[CoworkerLurker]

Based on what I've seen, I anticipate letters to the editor objecting to this article because it fails to condemn the terrorist actions of Palestinian "homicide bombers".

[Rian Jackson]

CWL: yes, expect it. it's the reason that the media is often pro-Zionist. lots and lots of letters.

*************


Terrorism by the strong is still terrorism
A law student in America discusses her perceptions of media bias

By Linda Warner

Thursday, December 16, 2004
Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm day a brother and sister are outside hanging laundry to dry. A sense of normalcy filters through the domestic landscape. In a land where gunfire is the norm, a single shot rings out followed closely by the frightened voice of the boy, claiming his sister has been shot. While the unimaginable merges with reality the boy rushes to rescue his sister. A second shot is heard followed by a haunting silence. In the space of a few minutes two children lie dead. This was not a random shooting but one carried out by military snipers located across the street.
The dictionary defines terrorism as "the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear." By definition this loss of life was a direct consequence of an act of terrorism. As was the death of a 7-year-old girl killed by a single bullet to the brain, which also originated from military personnel. These are not isolated occurrences but are tragically repetitive in nature, and it does not take a genius to label them as terrorist attacks. The question that begs an answer is: when the label terrorism is used indiscriminately throughout global media, why is there no mention of this. More specifically this silence promotes a bias that shapes the views of the readership.
Stripping away politics and focusing solely on the humanistic aspects of these stories, the search for a just answer is difficult at best. Humans are often found struggling to find answers when confronted with random acts of violence. Were video games responsible for two young men opening fire at Columbine High School? Are certain teen suicides directly related to heavy metal? Are the deaths of three children by military action to be considered "justifiable?" It is when these questions are posed the media steps in to inform, create discourse and offer solutions in an attempt to fill the current societal vacuum that demands to know "why?" Media sources connected to the military are silent about the killings. That word "terror" can be found in their publication, just not linked to the above events. It seems these acts are being side-lined by a story about this very military, suffering criticism for keeping as trophies, pictures of themselves with their dead victims.
Without a published picture to date, this is merely conjecture, yet it doesn't seem unfathomable after the Abu Ghraib debacle in Iraq. Searching for an answer that could bring a sense of balance to this equation, the answer subtly appears in what is purposefully left out of the discourse. Without a bilateral linkage of terms such as terrorism to both parties, a grave injustice overshadows the truth. Truth is found not in placing blame but illuminating the injustice found in an environment that fosters stereotypical thinking above basic human rights. Ironically one must look outside the realm of traditional media, to Amnesty International, to find an unbiased representation of human rights violations.
Admittedly, I could be wrong in this judgment of the global media's representation of the facts. Like most people I hate being in error but if a mainstream media staff writer has claimed that the actions perpetrated by the Israeli Army are indeed terrorist acts against the civilians of Palestine, I will gladly acquiesce.
Linda Warner is an independent writer pursuing legal studies in Seattle, Washington

[Simply Joel]

CWL: yes, expect it. it's the reason that the media is often pro-Zionist.

which is not to say, either side of the discussion has the high moral ground.

[Rian Jackson]

well, no, actually that comment wasn't discussing morality, you're right.
cause, effect, effective lobbying of the media and citizen alert organisation.

[Rian Jackson]

smooth. another candidate arrested recently.
and the israeli courts are trying to take the vote away from the Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are helf w/o charges or attorneys.

behold, democracy in action.

[Rian Jackson]

Like Zombies


NRG Ma'ariv Online, 11 January 2005, by Chen Kost-Bar
Published in Hebrew http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART/852/255.html Translated from Hebrew by Diana Rubanenko

"We acted without thinking, like zombies"

Breaking the Silence - combat soldiers describe their service in the Occupied Territories. This time - soldiers who beat up Palestinians and fire rounds from their machine-guns at civilian's homes "just because they can."

"It takes time to understand that for three years we weren't normal people", says K., a first-sergeant who served in the Engineering Corps' Yael reconnaissance unit. "We were like zombies. We didn't make decisions independently. We did things without prior thought. If I'd been told - and I was told - to hit some old woman in the stomach with my rifle-butt, to get her to shut up, I would have done it without thinking at all. No problems".

What does "and I was told" mean?

"For example, when we entered houses I was told 'Give him a slap to shuthis mouth'. When my officer questioned someone, he used to shake him, that someone, make him lie on the ground. Push him and slap him around. To get him to talk. Even though none of us spoke Arabic. At any rate, none of us was able to ask him questions and understand his answers and
understand what he's saying and why he's crying. But we put on a show, pretended we understood, so we could feel we were doing something. Because we were an elite unit. We are an elite unit, so obviously we can do everything.

"Once, one of my team went way too far. He brought someone in, shoved him, knocked him down, kicked him, really beat him up. I couldn't watch any more, so I stopped him and went with another guy, so he could show me all the papers. It was a totally weird situation, because he was a man of sixty, and I didn't understand a word he's saying, and we didn't
even know what we were looking for, and you just pass the time away because we had to be there, we had to demonstrate our power".

First-sergeant K. is another witness who has decided to break the silence. After K.'s demobilization from the IDF, his testimony was taken by a member of the Breaking the Silence organization. Most testimonies in Breaking the Silence have been given by soldiers who were demobilized from the IDF over the past year, and are no longer in compulsory service. The fact that most of the witnesses are now civilians stems from two facts - first, that serving soldiers are forbidden to speak out without official authorization, but also because - during their army service - combat soldiers find it hard to assimilate the magnitude and complexity of events. "It took a really long time", says K. "to realize the enormity of the things we did, the houses we blew up, the way we treated people".

"We fired a hell of a lot"
First-sergeant, Armored Corps

"I was in the S. operational company. A company where there's no law and no order. Everyone did what he felt like, and me specifically, I used to do what I felt like. And doing what you felt like, in Ramallah for example, means you've got a road with vehicles parked at the sides, and you intentionally drive over the vehicles with your tank. And I'm not talking about one or two tanks that do it. I'm talking about lots, really lots. Or in Rafiah, when I was there, I used to wake up in the morning and fire a round of 2000."

What's that?

"A round of 2000 means 2000 machine-gun bullets. In Rafiah, we were constantly under attack, every single day, with hand-grenades, missiles, whatever was going.

So there was an instruction in force that now and then every weapon had to fire over the defensive wall, avoiding damage to houses or anything else. But because of the lack of restrictions there ... we fired a hell of a lot. And a 2000 round means 2000 bullets in a row, that you fire towards an entire town, straight at houses, straight at doors. I'm not the only one who did it. Dozens of others did it".

What did you think about at the time?

"I don't know. I was with the machine-gun, I didn't think. In the army, I never thought. Never. And I'd come home, and tell my friends what I was doing in the army. I mean, it's not something I was ashamed of or something. No way. I did what they told me, and - as well as what they told me - did what everyone else did. Because everyone knew. I never thought, what'll happen if I shoot? First - I fired. If I thought at all, it would be later. But I never thought while I was firing, while I was actually doing it".

About Breaking the Silence

They aren't refuseniks, not politicians. They love their country. They are simply soldiers who were there, and decided that enough is enough, someone must stand up and shout "Wake up. Look what's happening to us!" Breaking the Silence - every Thursday.

Chen Kost-Bar presents evidence from the war in the territories and its impact on us all.

Translated from Hebrew by Diana Rubanenko

[cowboyangel]

thanks Rian..I just made friends with an Israeli woman and she seems to accept my radical views,,,we are collaborating on some media projects,,,interesting to hear her point of view

[Rian Jackson]

A spokesman for the military wing of the main resistance group Hamas made the statement on Monday hours after one Palestinian girl was killed with a bullet to the head and another was wounded while lining up for classes in a schoolyard in Gaza.

"Eight resistance groups will resume their attacks against Israel if the Israeli agression does not immediately stop," an Izz al-Din al-Qassam spokesman said in a phone call to AFP.



The caller, who said he was speaking on behalf of eight factions, said a statement would be issued shortly.



Earlier on Monday, witnesses said 10-year-old Nuran Did was lining up with classmates to enter their school in the morning when she was shot from the Israeli occupation army's Termit post, 900m away.

"She suddenly screamed and fell to the ground, bleeding. The girls started to run everywhere," one witness said.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said it fired five mortar shells at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the girl's death.



An Israeli military spokeswoman had no immediate information on the incident near the border with Egypt, where Israeli soldiers and resistance fighters have frequently clashed during a four-year-old Palestinian uprising.

I wish it was a rare occurence.

I'm a little surprised that Abbas is taking the tactic he is. I will be shocked if it works. Y'see, it's been tried before. There was a period where the Israeli state made security the job of the PA. What it comes down to is telling a people under occupation to make the occupation happen for the occupiers. A mite bit twisted, eh? I can't see how it will work, especially considering that the Israelis have intensified campaigns into the cities and camps over recent weeks.

Abbas' actions toward the militants are, perhaps, meant well. After all, we need some cessation of violence to move forward. But this has been tried before, and failed. The only difference now is that people are even more tired, even more hopeless. From what I understand, he never had much support from the tanzim (militants) in the first place. Their respect went to Marwan Barghouti, who also put limits on their behaviour and criticized them. He, however, dropped out of the running for office under pressure from fateh (Abbas' party, and also his own, to some extent) and the pressure of being in jail, I'm sure.

As for Abbas' plan to follow the road map, I can only hope that he views it as a starting place rather than a destination. Because Bantustans do not equal a state.

Meanwhile 130,000 Israelis demonstrated against the removal of settlements in Gaza and the West Bank this weekend.

In other news, an ISMer was arrested post protest. The eerie part is that the Israeli government set up a road block for the purpose of arresting him (an older man, FWIW). They asked for him by name. The last I heard, he's undergone extensive interrogations from the military police, been moved from prison at the airport to the prison at Ramle (deportation jail, if i recall correctly), and is working on an appeal....

Things are getting hotter....

[Simply Joel]

hmmmm....

Mideast Leaders Declare Halt to Violence

By LARA SUKHTIAN, Associated Press Writer

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas declared Tuesday that their people would stop all military and violent attacks against each other, pledging to break a four-year cycle of bloodshed and get peace talks back on track.

With the flags of their countries whipping in the wind, Sharon and Abbas met face-to-face at a Mideast summit, smiling broadly as they leaned across a long white table to shake hands. In one sign the talks went well, Egypt and Jordan announced afterward that they would return their ambassadors to Israel after a four-year absence — possibly within days.

But the Palestinian militant group Hamas immediately called the deal into question, saying it would not be bound by the cease-fire declarations and was waiting to see what Israel would do next.

Yet the cease-fire deal — and the sight of Abbas and Sharon shaking hands — were the clearest signs yet of momentum in the peace process after Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s death in November and Abbas' election to succeed him in January. One Israeli official, Gideon Meir, said "there was a great atmosphere in the talks ... smiles and joking."


An invitation to both sides to meet separately with President Bush at the White House this spring added another round of momentum on the summit's eve.

"We have agreed on halting all violent actions against Palestinians and Israelis wherever they are," Abbas declared in a statement made after the meetings, as he, Sharon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II sat around a round table.

Sharon made a similar pledge.

"Today, in my meeting with chairman Abbas, we agreed that all Palestinians will stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere, and, at the same time, Israel will cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere," he said.

Abbas said he expected the cease-fire pledges to pave the way for resumption of talks on so-called "final status" issues such as borders, refugees and Jerusalem's status, all within the context of the Mideast "road map" to peace. Sharon said he also expected the deal Tuesday to set the stage for the implementation of the "road map."

In signs the two sides are working quickly, Palestinian negotiator Hassan Abu Libdeh said the leaders agreed that 500 Palestinian prisoners would be freed immediately by Israel, to be followed by 400 more at a later stage.

Sharon also invited Abbas to visit him at his ranch in southern Israel and Abbas accepted, Meir said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said the meeting would take place soon.

Sharon said he would like the next meeting between the two leaders to be in the West Bank town of Ramallah, according to an adviser, Raanan Gissin.

In another sign of rapid movement, Israeli troops will complete their handover of five West Bank towns to Palestinian control within three weeks, a senior Palestinian official said Tuesday, for the first time releasing a timetable.

Israeli and Palestinian security commanders are to meet Wednesday to prepare the handover of Jericho, the first West Bank town in the list of five. The handover is to be completed in three weeks, Abu Libdeh said.

Asked whether Hamas would continue its attacks against Israel after the summit, the group's representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, replied: "Our decision depends on the achievement of a substantial change (in Israel's position) to meet Palestinian demands and conditions."

Hamdan said in order for a truce to be successful, Israel must release Palestinian prisoners and make a clear commitment to "halt all kinds of aggression against the Palestinian people."

He contended those conditions were not met at the summit.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a key parliamentary committee narrowly approved a bill that would allow Sharon to carry out his planned pullout from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank in the summer. The vote passed 10-9 on a subject that has split Sharon's party and angered his main constituency — settlers and their supporters.

Abbas said it was time for the Palestinian people to regain their freedom.

"A new opportunity for peace is born today in the city of peace. Let's pledge to protect it," Abbas said, referring to the nickname of Sharm el-Sheik earned through past peace summits.

And Sharon, in what he said was a direct address to the Palestinian people, said: "I assure you that we have a genuine intention to respect your rights to live independently and in dignity. I have already said that Israel has no desire to continue to govern over you and control your fate."

Mubarak, who summoned the two leaders and has been a key mediator, said there also was fresh hope for Syrian-Lebanese peace negotiations, which have been frozen since 2000.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Egypt and Jordan will return their ambassadors to Israel after a four-year absence, possibly within days. Egypt and Jordan lowered their diplomatic representation in Israel in late 2000 to protest what they saw as Israel's excessive use of force against Palestinians in the fighting that began in September that year.

Gissin said that as part of Israel's halting of military operations, it would stop its controversial targeted killing operations against wanted Palestinians, as long as the Palestinians kept militants under control.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking Tuesday during a visit to Rome, said there seems to be a will for peace in the Middle East, and warned the Palestinians to move resolutely to control violence against Israel by its own people.

Sharon's visit angered some Egyptians, and university students led by Islamic student groups demonstrated peacefully on their campuses Monday and Tuesday. At Cairo University, about 350 students burned Israeli and American flags and shouted against Sharon. One banner read: "Receiving Sharon is a shame on Egypt."

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the agreement also included the establishment of joint committees — one to determine criteria for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, and the other to oversee the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian cities on the West Bank.

___

Associated Press writers Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Salah Nasrawi and Sarah el-Deeb in Sharm el-Sheik contributed to this report.

[Rian Jackson]

Any word on whether the Israeli road map acceptance is still conditional? (They had some 14 conditions the first time.)

[Rian Jackson]

and has anyone heard if refugees, Jerusalem, borders, water, settlements, etc have been addressed? The Ariel block is still expanding rapidly. Any word on whether Israel intends to cease it's Geneva Convention violations?

Not trying to make it one sided. And it's not that it can't work... it's just that the road map is and was a flawed plan. There are holes.. I'm just wondering if any of these have been discussed as yet. I'm looking, but finding little so far.

[geekster]

I think the only thing agreed to at this moment is a ceasefire. Nothing more. At least the sides can begin talking again. I hope for the best. I would also hope that people don't get into an "all or nothing" frame of mind and realise it is going to take real compromise and working together on BOTH sides.

[Rian Jackson]

Well, of course, But part of the problem is that even from the 67 borders - which are, in themselves, a compromise, massive amounts of land have been confiscated. So, even just on this one issue of land, do you ask for a compromise from the current settlement boundaries?

As far as compromising human rights, it should just never be done, IMO. Which means full right of return for refugees - some of those things are not really negotiable because they aren't just Israeli-Palestinian issues.

Although Israeli actions don't fall under the heading of genocide (to my knowledge), they do qualify, as far as international law is concerned, as ethnic cleansing. A lot of that has to do with the refugees. So you can't just say 'in the spirit of compromise, we're gonna take away the rights of all those refugees.' The right to take that away is not given to the PA (though watch Abbas try) nor to the Israelis, nor to the US brokers of this. That's the whole reason we have human rights law.

But yes - compromise is going to be important.

There are some intelligent articles on Electronic Intifada from Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals. There are some salient calls for moving through the peace process with a view of the past. It's all too easy to act as if this moment in time is all there is. Compromise from that standpoint means no viable state for the Palestinians - looks at any decent political map of the area. But from where, and when do we compromise?

It is, quite clearly, not as simple as you'd make it seem....

And yes, I too hope for the best. I can't say that i have any faith in the steps that are happening (they've happened before) nor the major political personages (US, Palestinian, or Israeli), but sometimes the world surprises us. At least we're going to see a lot of people freed from prison.

I also really, REALLY hope that Abu Mazen has the intelligence to consult with the militants rather than telling them what to do. I think it must have been on al-Jazeera that I read a comment from Hamas. It seems to me that asking them - rather than telling them - or, even better, talking strategy with them (FWIW, there's a lot of speculation that Hamas is moving toward the mainstream, which will be good for everyone, IMO) is a critical step if Abbas wants to have any kind of lasting attempt at ceasefire.

Call me a cynic, but i wonder how long it's gonna last.

We keep hoping, just not too much.

[geekster]

I know it isn't simple. Far from it. Honestly I think it will take a generation. Until a generation has grown up on both sides that has never known the hate, there will always be hard feelings and distrust. I just hope they can keep a lid on it until that day comes and true peace can be made. It is hard for someone on either side to "give in" when they have lost a child. The best gift they can give is to allow their children's children to never know that feeling.

It is sad that there are people on both sides that have made a career out of the fighting and know nothing else. These people are "spring loaded" to escalate things. It is going to take a lot of discipline to keep things under control.

[geekster]

And to address your other concern about the militants, it would be nice if Hamas could revert to simply a political party and the armed wing dissolved or absorbed into the government security force. Political parties having their own troops has probed to be a dangerous thing throughout history. I think Hamas could actually do a lot with regards to cleaning up corruption and making an honest government and would probably even get our help in doing so eventually if they simply got rid of the military element that is outside the direct control of the central authority and renounced violence.

Imagine in the US having the Democrats and Republicans with their own paramilitary squads outside the command structure of the federal government?

Those squads have been what has eaten deep into the credibility of the PA. If someone makes an agreement with the PA but this party or that party doesn't agree, the violence continues. Nobody is quite sure who really speaks for Palestine. It is hard but at some point if they really want peace they have speak with one voice and have one militia and one police force. People that have had powerful positions controlling their own little armies often find giving this kind of power up a difficult thing to do. May God give them the strength and wisdom to make the personal sacrifice for the greater good.

[DVD Burner]

And to address your other concern about the militants, it would be nice if Hamas could revert to simply a political party and the armed wing dissolved or absorbed into the government security force. Political parties having their own troops has probed to be a dangerous thing throughout history. I think Hamas could actually do a lot with regards to cleaning up corruption and making an honest government and would probably even get our help in doing so eventually if they simply got rid of the military element that is outside the direct control of the central authority and renounced violence.

Isn't that what's happening already, or supposed to be happening?

[Rian Jackson]

May God give them the strength and wisdom to make the personal sacrifice for the greater good.

In theory, yes. It's a little - I don't know, pretentious - to talk to those people about sacrifice.

Regardless, yes. Part of the problem is that the miltiant groups formed, of course, as a response to military aggression from the Israelis. As such I would suspect that they'll only become completely inactive when the military threat ceases.

It's easy to say that Hamas should decide - but even though there is a leadership, you also have people in isolated cities making decisions on their own. I've heard very, very interesting stories about militants who went punk, attacked a target they shouldn't have, and had other militiants in their group school them. The nature of popular resistance is that it doesn't operate in a rigid heirarchy. It does have some recognised leaders, but there's no total control. And yes, that makes a negotiation challenge for outside parties AND for Palestinians.

My understanding (please correct me if there's evidence to the contrary) is that the US and Israel don't officially recognise Hamas, for instance, as a legitimate party. I'm hoping that the more that militant groups are welcomed into the system as fellow decision-makers, the less they'll take up arms and the more willing they will be to work with the other factions in government.

For instance, Hamas officials called on Hamas members not to vote - after they felt that they weren't being heard. During that time they were turning toward 'legitimate' forms of political expression.

I wish that there was some distinction made between militants making attacks on civilians and on soldiers. Because the second, particularly within the territories, is legitimate. The first is not.

I wonder how much talk there is regarding the integration you suggest? I like the idea of it. And I would hope that Israel wouldn't use their visibility as an excuse to arrest them. That would only perpetuate militant activity.

Oh, and as a footnote - re: attacks it isn't the Islamic militants that should be worried about. Kitaab has done a LOT more in this intifada.

[Rian Jackson]

Oh, and also - I'm not sure what you meant to say re:corruption, but the major corruption has been a PLO/ PA issue. It's not about Hamas.

[geekster]

Well, that isn't exactly clear at the moment and nothing official has been said. The ONLY thing that has been said at this point is that there is a ceasefire and the PA is locating police and militia to create buffer zones in areas of past violence. It isn't clear if the lack of violence is on the part of individual restraint or has actually been enforced. I suppose the real test would come when the PA attemtps to interfere in an "operation" by a militant group. Nobody is quite sure yet what the real power structure is. Would the PA militia fire on militants? Would militants fire on the PA militia?

The PA *DID* arrest some militants the other day and held them for nearly three hours. That is a hopeful sign. I take that as informing those individuals that things have changed. Would the PA jail a leader of a militia for breaking the ceasefire? Who knows. That is the problem. Just how much authority and control does the PA really have? Nobody seems to know for sure. There is going to have to be either a showdown at some point or a peaceful renouncement of violence and public recognition of the PA by respected militia leaders as THE legitimate Palestinian armed force.

The best ambassadors of Palestine I have ever met are a family who live nearby. The older brother owns a business and employs the younger brothers and a cousin who is going to college locally. They have a successful business. Recently the older brother has opened a second business of a different sort across the street. They are honest, work long hours, and are just great folks to talk to. I have never talked politics with them nor would I like to, I think. I send my political message every time I spend some of my hard earned there. They have only mentioned Palestine to me a couple of times. Once in a conversation with the one going to college, he mentioned that he was happy to have the opportunity to go to school and didn't think he would have been able to get as good of an education "back home" and another of the brothers mentioned that he would like to go back when things "have settled down" and maybe he would travel to Beruit now that things are quiet there and possibly see some relatives from Palestine if they could join him.

It must be hard to be so far away from home but those guys are making a good life for themselves here. I wish them the best of luck.

[geekster]

Oh, and also - I'm not sure what you meant to say re:corruption, but the major corruption has been a PLO/ PA issue. It's not about Hamas.

I ment to say that Hamas is respected for being one group that is NOT corrupt. They could help the PA gain respect in the eyes of their own people if they took part. They do have their problems such as engaging in illegal activities abroad to fund their domestic agenda. But the PLO was pretty notorious for corruption and stacking the PA deck with PLO stooges didn't help people's feeling of hoplessness and lack of control of their own destiny. Part of what has fed the various militia has been a feeling of the PA lacking legitimacy even among Palestinians. Or at least that is what I have taken away from watching the situation over the years. Simply judging by the tone of what I hear coming out of the region now, it certainly SOUNDS like the PA is gaining respect since the elections have given the people a voice.

[Rian Jackson]

Thanks for clarifying.

Your story about the family rings true for the folks I know here, too. There are a couple of businesses near my home that are owned by families from Jerusalem and Gaza. Some are actually refugees; some are de facto refugees. I don't think they would ever talk politics unless you start it with them. It's too hard to be living in the US when you're from a country a lot of people think of as a group of terrorists, i suppose. We talk politics a lot, of course, but they didn’t initiate it in the first place. Besides, they have some of the finest Middle Eastern food in the city. It's THE place you can go out and get Arabic coffee the way I like it, but even then you have to ask for the 'Feras button', named after a notorious patron. They talk a lot about missing people over there. And if you get them talking a lot, there are a few who will tear up, they miss it so badly. But mostly they just work hard and serve people great food and try to live their lives.

Anyway, that was a tangent. It will be highly interesting to see what happens internally, the things you don't hear unless you're there or have good contacts. I'm not surprised that Fateh won; Palestinian society as a whole has never mirrored the Islamic fundamentalism that many people (especially Christians, it seems) want to pin on them.

I'm not a big fan of Hamas - the whole civilian bombing issue aside, they and Jihad Islami are the only ones who have called for a Muslim state, which i don't believe would be beneficial for anyone, nor would it fit the character of the society well. But they do have a legitimate power base, too.

My sense - and there's no way to really know for sure - is that a lot of the support for militant groups is that often they're the only ones who call for real justice on issues like refugees. The old folks in power, like Arafat, were so quick to give up what wasn't theirs, as i alluded to in a post above. And even though some of their methods are unacceptable, there have been times when the militants are the only organisations fighting back. So i can understand where the popular support comes from. I don't think it's about tactics; I've heard people reject them too many times, you know?

It would have been good to see someone win who isn’t one of the so-called Tunisians. To many people, they’re all part of that corruption. But I guess people had good reasons for electing Abbas. It might be largely because of his party affiliation. Fateh has a lot of support.

create buffer zones in areas of past violence.

I know they're deploying around the Gaza strip. One of their major challenges is probably the settlements there, which are the sources of a lot of grief. I think Netzarim is the biggest one there, and most of the missile attacks are made toward that settlement. But 'past violence' - well, that's everywhere in the Palestinian territories.

I know there has been some pretty corrupt stuff in Bethlehem region with interrelations between the PA security forces and Kitaab. It probably isn’t still the case; that was a long time ago. But I think the longer these conflicts go on, the more of that there is to unwind again.

There are few or no jails for Palestinians to be jailed in – I mean, Palestinian jails. The muqatas – PA compounds – have generally been shelled into rubble years ago. There used to be prisoners in them, but then the Israelis shelled them and they had to be released so that they weren’t all killed. But the infrastructure is non-existent.

I’m hoping that the thirst for democratic, open government that we’ve seen driving recent elections will continue and snowball. I tend to think that when the society is under less pressure, and able to re-organise effectively, and see fruits from that in terms of real steps toward freedom and a better standard of living, there will be far less militant activity.

I was reading up on the headlines on lunch. The old pattern is continuing to hold, which is worrisome. I guess the militants have already been on hudna for two weeks; the Israelis are still saying ‘you renounce violence FIRST, THEN we will do the same.’ These things should be happening simultaneously, or Israel should do it first. I’m sure they’d never agree with that second option, so you’d think they could compromise on a simultaneous cessation. It just doesn’t bode well for any break from the past, and there are very good reasons why negotiations have broken down before.

Well, we shall see, yes?

[KellY]

So, any bets on whether the truce will be violated first by Israeli settler fanatics or Palestinian fanatics? My guess is the settlers - they have the best track record, after all. Then some trigger happy Palestinian will respond in kind, and the test will be if the governments can keep their "official" forces in check.

I wonder if expanding the settlements counts as a violation of the truce? If it was my house they bulldozed, I'd think so.

[cowboyangel]

Amen KellY. Good to see you aagin

[diane o'thirst]

[lighting a white candle and crossing fingers]

[Rian Jackson]

well, historically....

oh, never mind. here's a little photo from the Israeli left

[Rian Jackson]

well, historically....

oh, never mind. here's a little photo from the Israeli left

Gunfire from the Atzmona settlement in the Gaza Strip critically wounded a Palestinian man Wednesday, Palestinian security officials said. The incident comes just a day after Israelis and Palestinians declared a cease-fire during a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The 22-year-old man was shot in the abdomen while walking near the Atzmona settlement on the border with Egypt, the officials said. (Ha'aretz, 9 February 2005)


FUCK!

[Rian Jackson]

A little history

[Rian Jackson]

The story from ha-aretz:

Palestinian man shot dead by gunfire coming from Gaza settlement
By News Agencies and Haaretz Service

Gunfire from the Atzmona settlement in the Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian man Wednesday, in the first conflict-related fatality since Israel and the Palestinians declared a truce a day ago, Palestinian security officials said.

The 22-year-old man was shot in the abdomen while walking near the Atzmona settlement on the border with Egypt, the officials said.

Several hours later the man died of his wounds, medics reported.

An Israel Defense Forces source said troops, suspecting an infiltration attempt, had fired warning shots when four Palestinians came within 50 meters of a security fence near the Jewish settlement. They said the Palestinians fled.

The body of a Hamas militant, Hassan Alami, was also found Wednesday near the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

Alami's body was discovered with his arms blown off and bad burns on his face and chest, Palestinian doctors said.

Hamas officials said Alami was killed in a "work accident," meaning he was either building a bomb or trying to plant one. They did not provide any further details.

Hamas has said it is waiting to be updated by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on the Sharm el-Sheikh summit before deciding whether to participate in the cease-fire.

Meanwhile Wednesday, an Israeli anti-separation fence protestor was lightly injured by stones during clashes with IDF troops near Modi'in.

[cowboyangel]

thank God for the Electronic Intifada
http://electronicintifada.net/new.shtml

[geekster]

well, historically....

oh, never mind. here's a little photo from the Israeli left

Gunfire from the Atzmona settlement in the Gaza Strip critically wounded a Palestinian man Wednesday, Palestinian security officials said. The incident comes just a day after Israelis and Palestinians declared a cease-fire during a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The 22-year-old man was shot in the abdomen while walking near the Atzmona settlement on the border with Egypt, the officials said. (Ha'aretz, 9 February 2005)


FUCK!

It doesn't surprise me that there are people on both sides that do not want peace for differing reasons.

Palestinian groups disown truce

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have said they are not bound by the ceasefire agreed between Palestinian and Israeli leaders at a summit in Egypt on Tuesday.
The two militant groups were at the forefront of attacks on Israel during the Palestinian uprising, but have been observing an unofficial truce.

The ceasefire is designed to end four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Israel is expected to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners shortly, and hand over control of some West Bank towns.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to remove major roadblocks as part of its withdrawal from the five towns in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting of the "quartet" tasked with advancing the Middle East peace process - the US, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations - will be held in London on 1 March.

The gathering will occur during a conference promoting steps to Palestinian statehood, set up by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

'No deal'

Hamas representative Osama Hamdan said in Lebanon that the ceasefire declarations were "not binding" on Hamas members.





"We agreed with [Mahmoud Abbas] that any truce that should take place must be according to the result of an inter-Palestinian dialogue," he told the Associated Press news agency.
"The resistance is not committed to what has been agreed at the summit... since the Palestinian conditions were not achieved.

"We consider that there is no truce and there is no deal to stop the resistance."

An Islamic Jihad spokesman, Mohammed al-Hindi, said the summit had brought "nothing new".

However, Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said he was "fully content" that compliance with the ceasefire would be "complete and comprehensive".

A senior Palestinian official has meanwhile been sent to Lebanon to urge the Hezbollah militia to back the peace moves, French news agency AFP reports, citing unnamed sources.

Abdelfatah Hamayel will reportedly try to get Hezbollah to cut support for Palestinian militant attacks, which Israel has accused it of funding.

The BBC's Alan Johnston, in the Gaza Strip, says Mr Abbas has effectively said to the militants that he can achieve more through dialogue and negotiation than they could through their bombings and missile attacks.

He adds that if Mr Abbas cannot deliver, the likes of Hamas will argue that Israel only listens to the language of the rocket and the Kalashnikov.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/m ... 248783.stm

Published: 2005/02/09 16:11:10 GMT