Arab Peace Now!
April 19, 2002 6:54 PM   Subscribe

Arab Peace Now! A Courageous Egyptian Intellectual Speaks Out for Peace
posted by Postroad (8 comments total)
 
"the very indifferent United States..."

Hey! I resemble that remark! ...actually I'm not indifferent. I'm just resolved to the fact that no matter how those in power slice this thing, for the rest of my life there will be individual arabs on this planet who would just as soon shoot me dead as spit in my face. And I DIDN'T VOTE FOR THE SHRUB DAMMIT!

Those who survived from the WTC & Pentagon on Nine Eleven, and the loved ones of those who died, some of them will be forgiving. Some of them will understand that the hatred which caused that travesty is not shared among all Palestinians. However, some of them will not, and they will forever wish for vengeance. Those who have lost loved ones in the Middle East in the days since Nine Eleven, be they at the hand of Americans or Israelites or Canadians. Doesn't matter. Some of them too will forever wish what they call justice, and what I call vengeance.

It's really all about vengeance. Why can't Palestine and Israel get along? Because of actions they have caused upon each other, not just recently but for centuries. They look at history and it tells them they cannot trust their neighbor. That their neighbors are related to ancestors who killed people from which they are descended. It's an ongoing line of vengeance and mistrust that can't be resolved by guys in suits who fly around in lear jets.

"An Arab-Israeli peace coalition is needed to pressure both the negotiating politicians, and the lurking Israeli settlers and Palestinian militias, and it is essential to back an upcoming peace agreement. Moreover, this coalition, and only they, could move the peace process from the political, security and economic spheres, dominated by politicians, soldiers and businessmen, to the social and cultural spheres, created by activists, intellectuals, writers and the like."

This reads like just more political rhetoric - and is therefore hypocrisy. It reminds me of Romeo & Juliet Act 3 scene 1:

"Thou! why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast. Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes. What eye, but such an eye, would spy out such a quarrel? Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat ...and yet thou wilt tutor me from quarrelling!"

Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo kills Tybalt. If the U.S. were truly wise, it would curse a plague on both houses, Israel & Palestine, for they will surely make worms meat of us all.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:01 PM on April 19, 2002


the arab peace group to arab/Israeli 'coalition was fast, what, three sentences? like an envelope under the door.
posted by clavdivs at 9:05 PM on April 19, 2002


Yes, peace. No one wants that, it is a Courageous stance indeed!
posted by delmoi at 2:39 AM on April 20, 2002


this man is not courageous
posted by clavdivs at 7:57 AM on April 20, 2002


- Zachsmind

I DIDN'T VOTE FOR THE SHRUB DAMMIT!

How is Bush responsible?

Why can't Palestine and Israel get along? Because of actions they have caused upon each other, not just recently but for centuries. They look at history and it tells them they cannot trust their neighbor.

Centuries? Maybe you should brush up on your history.
posted by xammerboy at 9:07 AM on April 20, 2002


At War with an Idea: Strife is not the Only Way
"The grass-roots co-existence projects that brought Israelis and Palestinians together during the Oslo period should stand as incontrovertible proof that this conflict is not intractable."

KSU professor wants colleague fired
Column in student newspaper praising Mideast suicide bomber touches nerve

A courageous Ohio intellectual speaks out for suicide bombers, leaving everyone concerned, distressed, and wondering if someone needs to call the FBI?

(Flying bombing runs over civillian Nazi neighborhoods in 1944 was pretty darn close to sucidal bombing sometimes ... so I thought that the "homicide bomber" term-- which describes these sad incidents as personal homicidal attacks in public spaces, and a criminal matter to be handled by civillian peacetime authorities-- showed promise. Should we even spend our time on this stuff? Maybe all that CNN celebrity fluff is making a positive contribution to domestic peace and tranquility. )
posted by sheauga at 11:17 AM on April 20, 2002


Xammerboy I'm not going to argue history with you.

*doubletake* Alright I am.

Israel's only been a state in modern times for the past fifty years, but there's been animosity between these two since the days of Moses. So centuries? Yes. Centuries. About twenty five centuries give or take a few. Oh sure. Argue semantics. Back in Moses' day the Israelites were probably called Zionists and the Egyptians weren't technically Palestinian. Call it what you want. To me it's still Montague & Capulet. Hatfield & McCoy. Dumb & Dumber. There's more progress accomplished in a Bugs & Daffy cartoon than between Abdul and Abe.

And Shrub is not directly responsible for anything but the pretzel attacking his temple, but his interest in oil and his attitude towards foreign policy is what has inflamed and enraged the Palestinian resistance to such a fever pitch. If I didn't know better I'd say he'd been picking a fight with them since his first day in office. In face, I don't know better and considering his connections with oil and international big business, I wouldn't be surprised if picking a fight with Afghanistan wasn't intended. Certainly, Nine Eleven wasn't expected, but if you hit the hornet's nest with a stick, you should expect to get stung.

Shrub's actions and inactions are part of why Palestinians hate us more now than ever before. And yes, they hated us before but at least Clinton's administration tried. Both prior to and since Nine Eleven, Shrub's attitude towards the Palestinians has been "play by MY rules or I'm not setting you a place at MY table."

Ask Malcolm X what he thought of that strategy.
posted by ZachsMind at 12:33 AM on April 21, 2002


"If Russia can be destroyed, the United States can also be beheaded". -bin Laden."Certainly, Nine Eleven wasn't expected, but if you hit the hornet's nest with a stick, you should expect to get stung." read something Zach, your comment puzzles, your smarter then that. Me. i wake sleeping dogs, and this spring, i pulled down the combs for hornets with a gloved hand...really. Malcom had shit flyin from all sides , the FEDS, The eliazah muh...whoever, 'Fara-con'. And his own soul, which was pulling him into the proper frame of mind...peace, something in between the extreme views."And Shrub is not directly responsible for anything but the pretzel attacking his temple, but his interest in oil and his attitude towards foreign policy is what has inflamed and enraged the Palestinian resistance to such a fever pitch." Dubya and his folk have been running things since JFK, and they wont stop ach, they have been around, doing 'Policy' and stuff that would spin even my head. I'm gonna give ya all a hint...oil is not the key here.
posted by clavdivs at 9:27 AM on April 21, 2002


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