My sister just sent me a commentary about whether Palestinian Arabs deserve a state. It was written by Naomi Ragen, an author, playwright and political activist living in Jerusalem.
Here is Ms. Ragen\’s commentary in its entirety, except for several “revisions” – which I will explain afterwards.\
It has become axiomatic since Oslo that there is a Palestinian people, andthat they are oppressed and disenfranchised and deserve to express theirnational identity through a state of their own. This state is to be housedon the lands held by hamas, and run jointly by hamas and thePalestinian Authority.Let\'s think about this. In the light of recent events, what kind of statecan we expect the Palestinian people to establish?A state which has no respect for human life, where small children areinculcated with hate for other peoples and religions and cultures. Wherethey attend summer camps in which they are taught that to be a suicidebomber is the highest form of religious expression. Where they are taken tothe front to get themselves shot for the sake of photo ops, and where theirparents get paid blood money for child sacrifice.A state in which people regularly murder women for infractions of male honorcodes. A place where a brother will stab a sister he suspects of sexualmisconduct, while his mother and father look on in approval. A state wheredomestic abuse isn\'t a problem, it\'s a way of life, and where battered womenare the norm. This, if they are lucky, because the Taliban, anotherextremist Muslim state in which the participants are exercising theirnational identity, have made women virtual slaves, denying them education,medical care, employment, and freedom of movement and expression.. A state in which summary executions are carried out without due process.. A state which defends shattering the skulls of infants in their mothersarms.. A state in which hands dipped in the blood of lynch mob victims are raisedto cheering crowds.. A state in which education consists of hate-mongering textbooks.. A state run by corrupt officials who literally get away with murder, whilepocketing all monies collected to alleviate the suffering of the hungry,unemployed and unskilled.And to those who say that the Palestinian people are not to blame, but theirleadership, I would like to point out that the Palestinian people haschosen, and continues to choose, its leadership every day by passivelyaccepting the dictates of the Palestinian Authority and hamas at itshead. There are enough guns and ammunition in the hands of enough people tocause hamas quite a bit of trouble should the Palestinian people choose tochange its leadership.I would like to say to all those progressive, liberal people whose heartsyearn to see a Palestinian State set up in the West Bank and Gaza, what isthe matter with you? Does the world really need yet one more corrupt stateof Muslim extremists to misconstrue their own religion, and dishonor thereligion and cultural artifacts of others? Do we really need to empower yetanother murderous, corrupt, inhumane regime and give it legitimacy? To whatend? And to whose benefit?The Palestinian people may have earned themselves the curse of living insuch a state, but can the world, in good conscience, really agree to letthem have it?The truth is, that anyone who really cares about the Palestinians, anyonewith an ounce of real humanism, liberalism, or humanity at all, shouldoppose the establishment of a Palestinian State under current conditionswith every fiber of their being.Because nobody deserves the kind of state that hamas and its henchmanhave created. Not even the Palestinian people.
What do you think? Is Ms Ragen correct? Are her opinions logical? Fact-based?
If so, you probably are wondering why I would have made any “revisions” at all. And I don\’t blame you. So now I will explain.
The reason I did so is to show you that the current situation is not new and not even recent. It, unendingly, is what Israel faces across its borders with Palestinian Arabs in Judea/Samaria (also known as the west bank) and Gaza.
You see, my “revisions” consist of substituting “hamas” for “yasir arafat”. That was necessary, because Ms Ragen\’s commentary was not published today. Or this week, month or year. It was published April 6th, 2001.
And, other than the fact that, except for a brief exhumation on November 27, 2012, to test what was left of his body in an (unsuccessful) effort to “prove” he was poisoned by Israelis, arafat has been in the ground since 2004.
I don\’t miss him. Do you?
