| Submit your comments on this article |
| Middle East |
| Yehiyeh sez knock off with the bombings... |
| 2002-08-31 |
| The Palestinian Authority security chief has called for an end to suicide bombings against Israel, describing them as "murders for no reason". Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiyeh said he has told the leaders of Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to stop the bombings. "Suicide attacks are contrary to the Palestinian tradition, against international law and harm the Palestinian people," the retired general told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot. I thought suicide attacks were the Paleostinian tradition? "Children were exploited for these attacks," Yehiyeh said. Several of the bombers have been teenagers. "So do it for The Children™..." Palestinian intellectuals have also called for a halt to the bombings. But polls show that a majority of Palestinians support attacks on Israelis, as a way of settling scores for Israeli military strikes against them. That's 'cuz revenge is a central tenet of Islam. We touched on this last night, and Charles Johnson had still more to say on the subject — he's not impressed. But I'll go against the flow here, and say that Yehiyeh seems to be the only Paleo with the brainpower to realize that the fundos are the biggest obstacle to ever attaining a state. Yasser appointed the guy as a figurehead, primarily, I think, because Yehiyeh's even older than Yasser. He was supposed to be malleable, but he's actually been trying to make some progress toward establishing order. His problem is that he has the title without the machinery of control, so there's no real way to enforce his authority. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #3 SSU2: What is the nature of this peace that you expound? If it is based on mutual respect of sovereign states, then pray tell which sovereign states are to be making peace in the Occupied Territories? If it is a peace within the same nation (which is the situation that holds today without a sovereign PA entity, internationally recognized), the who is the responsible party representing the Palestinian interests. Trying to address Fred's underlying point here would be wise on a rhetorical basis. Skipping the ad hominem catty remarks at the end would be also wise. |
| Posted by: Tom Roberts 2002-09-01 12:55:21 |
| #2 (Unedited ranting above posted with heartfelt frustration that even the smallest gesture in the direction of peace must always be always rejected.) |
| Posted by: salmon-swim-upstream-2 2002-08-31 16:19:39 |
| #1 Re: Revenge, and Its Alternatives: The only people fool enough to make good on the Christian ideal of reconciliation and forgiveness seem to be the Nicaraguans, whose lives become nothing but increasingly desperate as the years progress. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, whether he be Bill Gates or Colin Powell. Maybe the United States no longer has the resources to make things right for the poor-- but alas, not only don't we make the effort to work towards sustainable development, we don't even seem to know how to make a decent public show of respect for the suffering of others. Instead, we support putting a group of people under indefinite lockdown, and then criticize them for moral turpitude when they start blowing themselves and their enemies up. Sure, it makes sense that destroying the houses of suicide bombers might counteract the efforts of those handing cash to the families. However, chiming in with the constant public refrain of "Islam is no good" / "Revenge is an important part of Judaism" on top of the strong military measures taken in the Palestinian areas is simply playing into the hands of those who are calling for holy war on both sides. Neighborliness and charity are also an important part of Islam ... and some of these Islamic teachings would bear repeating. Except reminding people about Islam's teachings on neighborliness wouldn't be politically expedient, or enable the vultures of war to put cash in their pockets, now would it. Keep up the good fight, Fred. In some cultures, age gets respect, and there's still such a thing as moral authority in the cause of kindness. Maybe Mr. Yehiyeh's statements can help others take a step in the right direction. |
| Posted by: salmon-swim-upstream-2 2002-08-31 16:04:37 |