On Wed, 10 Apr 2002, Gar Lipow wrote:
> > 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.
>
> Him and Edward Said.
And also Eqbal Ahmad and Noam Chomsky. In the excellent book of interviews that David Barsamian did with him before he died (_Eqbal Ahmad: Confronting Empire_. NB: when searching, author=Barsamian), Ahmad describes how all three told Arafat to his face several times, individually and as a group, insistently and repeatedly, starting in 1968 and continuing for the next 25 years, that it was his historic mission to become a Gandhi, and that any other strategy would be self-defeating.
That such people believe it doesn't by itself make it a true position, of course. But it does by itself make it a respectable one.
If you're in a bookstore, you can quickly browse the relevant passages at pp. 28-36. But I highly recommend buying it. It's an easy read (Barsamian edits everything into delightfully bite-size pieces) and it's got lots of surprises and food for thought. Ahmad's personality is very winning and admirable. And IMHO a look at the first 5 pages on Gandhi will hook almost anyone. It's some of the most sharply critical stuff you'll ever see and incisively so. But from a man who thinks his method was correct. Really good stuff.
Michael