The father of Arab rejectionism: Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Al-Husseini
From Dove to Hawk -Benny Morris
Studying the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict - in particular the pronouncements and positions of the Palestinian leadership from the 1920s on - left me chilled. Their rejection of any compromise was deep-seated, consensual and consistent. The Palestinian Arab "street" chanted "Idbah al-Yahud" (slaughter the Jews).
So when Arafat rejected Israeli Prime Minister Barak's two-state proposals at Camp David in July 2000, my surprise was not excessive.
Arafat's rejectionism and the election of Hamas persuaded me that no two-state solution was in the offing and that the Palestinians, as a people, were bent, as they had been throughout their history, on "recovering" all of Palestine.
It has become clear to me that from its start the struggle against the Zionist enterprise wasn't merely a national conflict between two peoples over a piece of territory, but a religious crusade against an infidel usurper.
(Newsweek)
2 comments:
Sadly, as the events have unfolded these last couple of years on your fine blog, it has swayed me to believe that peace is as far away as ever.
Of course, there is no pleasure in holding such a position. Concerning the political landscape of the Palestinians, the closer one looks the worse the picture.
We must do everything we can to convince them to abandon their destructive dreams. Palestinian Arabs are a productive and resourceful people. Outside of their own society, their success has been notable, including in the United States. May they funnel such positive energy back to the MidEast.
Thankx for the compliment.
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