Palestinian strategy

[joanna bujes]

At 08:12 PM 04/09/2002 -0400, Brad de Long wrote:
>Instead, Arafat's strategy has led a very large chunk of the Bush
>Administration and 75%+ of Americans to believe that Sharon is faced
>with a guy who--like Osama bin Laden--gets his jollies from blowing
>up twelve year olds, and regards massive civilian casualties not as
>an unfortunate byproduct of attacks on the enemy's military, but as
>the raison d'etre of the entire exercise. The U.S. leash on Sharon is
>now looser than ever before, and it is so loose because the suicide
>bomber waves since September 11--the pictures of ambulances and blood
>outside Israeli hotels--have erased any differentiation between Osama
>bin Laden's "brand" and Yasser Arafat's.

I seriously, seriously doubt that Arafat is the force behind the suicide 
bombings. Though there is no question of the leadership on the Israeli 
side. I am willing to bet you that if Arafat is assassinated, the suicide 
bombings will go on so long as Israeli occupation continues.

You also knowingly omit the series of provocations issuing from Israel. 
Provocations (Sharon with 1000 soldiers on Temple Mount) that started this 
conflict and that have ensured its continuance. Sharon wants the suicide 
bombers; Sharon wants an excuse to FINISH THE FUCKING JOB!!!! This is not 
just something I'm saying; this is something the Israeli opposition is 
writing daily in Ha'aretz. This isn't a conspiracy theory Brad, it's the 
(open, published, advertised) plan of a significant number of Israel's 
ruling class. The settlers are their advance guard and knowingly so.

For thirty years the Palestinians went, hat in hand, to court after court 
after court trying to get their rights peacefully. They got some paper 
rights, which to this day amount to nothing that anyone can or wants to 
enforce!  In the meantime, their country, their economy, their water, their 
development, their culture, their people are slowly being wiped out.

Then, they started hijacking airplanes and all of a sudden the world paid 
attention. What moral do you think they drew from this?

No, I don't think terrorism is an effective weapon in the long run----on 
the other hand, if I were a Palestinian and my children where mowed down in 
an Israeli drive-by, I could see myself strapping on a bomb too...and I 
wouldn't be waiting for an order from Arafat to do it. Get it?

Basically Brad I don't mind you being on this list if it gives you a charge 
to be slumming with the lefties. But I find your endless self-satisfaction 
and "naive" protestations nauseating.

Until you are willing to address the issue of state terrorism and the 
colonial enterprise in the Middle East, you have nothing of value to say 
about Palestinian terrorism. And if you really think that the Palestinians 
will get the Israelis to dismantle the settlements and go back to 67 
borders by being nice, nonviolent, and civilized, you are a fool.

Joanna