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| Israel-Palestine |
| Palestinian Prime Minister Qurie Says Bombings Are Morally Wrong and Block the Peace Process |
| 2004-03-31 |
| Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie on Wednesday branded suicide attacks an obstacle to peace, in the strongest official Palestinian condemnation of a militant campaign of bombings against Israeli civilians. Addressing parliament on the eve of a new U.S. diplomatic mission to the region, Qurie urged Palestinian restraint following Israel’s March 22 assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, for which militants have vowed bloody revenge. "The resistance of the Palestinian people to Israeli occupation crimes has suffered from attacks that have targeted Israeli civilians," Qurie told lawmakers gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He said such attacks lead to an "accumulation of hatred and loss of confidence between the two peoples and place obstacles in the path of reviving the peace process. We have condemned these attacks which are morally wrong and today from this podium we reiterate our rejection of such attacks, because they harm our national struggle." Palestinian leaders have often condemned suicide bombings during a 3-1/2-year-old uprising, saying such attacks have hurt the Palestinian cause in the eyes of the international community. But Palestinian officials have avoided blaming bombings for derailing the peace process, putting the onus instead on Israel for its military crackdown in Palestinian areas. Opinion polls show strong Palestinian grass-roots support for suicide attacks. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #8 Please point me to a copy of the Al Quds advertisement. I have not had a chance to see the actual text and would like to read it for myself. If it is not a truly sincere attempt to peacefully resolve this crisis, I'll cheerfully retract anything positive I've said about Qorie. The Belmont Club articles regarding the recently canceled Arab Summit point towards the Palestinian cause getting short shrift from surrounding Arab countries despite the rub out of Yassin, which should have gotten them a lot of mileage. It looks like nobody wants to play with these death peddlers anymore. At least, not until America's next election is over. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-04-03 4:48:21 AM |
| #7 Prime Minister Qorie seems to be a lonely voice of reason Thats your opinion. My is that I was disgusted when I read the ad. No mention, and not even the implication, that murdering people, including children was in any way wrong. The authors want to stop suicide bombings because they are not achieving the desired results. It merely means the authors recognize that things have got much worse for the Paleos since the intifada started and pace of it getting worse is accelerating, as Israel disengages and the paleos supporters abandon them to their own devices. As I have pointed out before. A viable Palestine state required Israel made every effort to support it. Israel tried. Whether they tried hard enough is old history and doesnt matter any more, because Israel has decided to disengage. Once Israel disengages, Gaza and the WB will make Somalia look like a nice place to live. |
| Posted by: Phil B 2004-04-03 2:02:14 AM |
| #6 If he [Qorie] arrests Arafat as the ringleader of the bombings, he'll begin the long, slow process of gaining some credibility. Prime Minister Qorie seems to be a lonely voice of reason in the midst of so much irrationality. Fortunately, he is not alone. 2003 Sydney Peace Prize recipient, Doctor Hanan Ashrawi and fatah activist, Abbas Zaki are among 60 signatories to a full page newspaper ad which was taken out along with Sheik Yassin, advising the Palestinians to, "stop sending our young people to carry out such attacks." link = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0619-08.htm ------------------------- GAZA CITY , Gaza Strip –– More than 50 Palestinians took out a full-page newspaper ad Wednesday condemning suicide bombings, the first such public appeal by a group of prominent Palestinians. The move sparked debate at a time when the attacks are viewed by most people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an effective way to hit Israel. ------------------------- I can only admire the courage shown by the 60 signatories of that newspaper ad. In such a highly charged atmosphere of perpetual violence it is commendable in the extreme to maintain such a calm perspective. Should they manage to convince their fellow Palestinians that nonviolent resistance can succeed, there will be the first chance for a legitimate breakthrough in quite some time. If Israel continues to eliminate Palestinian leadership in the face of peaceful resistance, it would (for one of the first times) rightfully shift the responsibility for obstructing peaceful progress on the roadmap from those in the West Bank and Gaza. After so much mass murder within Israel's borders, it is incumbent upon the Palestinians to make a first gesture. Yassin was a vicious and hateful man whose religious obsession overrode any obligation to seek prosperity for his followers. They have the most to gain by extending this woefully tattered olive branch to the Israelis. Peaceful coexistence would bring a substantial increase in economic well being for the entire region and amply demonstrate the folly of insisting that Israel be annihilated. How nice that someone in a position of power like Prime Minister Qorie has finally purchased a clue. We shall see if any of the Palestinians actually listen to this man. For their own sake I hope they do. Time is running out as they ratchet up the rhetoric and make oblique references to attacks upon America. Israel's occupation will seem like a picnic compared to what will happen if they drag in the US military. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-04-03 1:43:05 AM |
| #5 "Opinion polls show strong Palestinian grass-roots support for suicide attacks." Yes quite a culture using children to do their fighting. They will go down in history. |
| Posted by: Bill Nelson 2004-03-31 2:28:37 PM |
| #4 Addressing parliament on the eve of a new U.S. diplomatic mission to the region,.. Some people never learn. There should be NO consideration of further "diplomatic missions" until the little matter of those murders of 3 Americans in Gaza last October is settled. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-03-31 12:43:58 PM |
| #3 If he arrests Arafat as the ringleader of the bombings, he'll begin the long, slow process of gaining some credibility. Not that I expect it... |
| Posted by: snellenr 2004-03-31 10:55:36 AM |
| #2 "pass the baba ganoush" |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-03-31 10:05:25 AM |
| #1 bet he said that in English...now what did he say in Arabic? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-03-31 9:46:20 AM |