Do you have link to that Hama MP quote. Thanks. k hanly
Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html
----- Original Message ---- From: SA <s11131978 at gmail.com> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Tue, June 15, 2010 12:52:20 PM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] new blog post: A Coda on Solidarity: Iran, the Left and Noble Savages | The Activist
Joseph Catron wrote:
> apparently DSA either doesn't realize that "reversing
> the Nakba" - that is, exercising the right of return - has been a
> non-negotiable demand of the Palestine liberation movement since 1948
You really seem to cling to this point. I don't know if you do this for morale-boosting purposes or if you're in earnest but less than fully informed. First of all, the position of the PLO under Arafat (and since) has been that while the "principle" of the right of return is non-negotiable, how and under what conditions it is to be "implemented" must be negotiated with Israel. That's an official position, and you can probably find it on the website of the PLO's negotiations affairs department (NAD).
The point of this qualification is precisely to prevent a two-state settlement from being rendered impossible by an impossible demand for the repatriation of 4 million refugees and their descendants (virtually all descendants by now). Second, as far as I'm concerned Hamas is currently the legitimate Palestinian government, and while it has a 20-year-old charter, in the real world its positions, like the PLO's, have changed, whether officially or unofficially. So, to give an example of what is more or less the center-of-gravity view within Hamas' leadership, here's a quote from Riad Mustafa, who was a Hamas MP:
> I say unambiguously: Hamas does not and never will recognize Israel. Recognition is an act conferred by states, not movements or governments, and Palestine is not a state. Nevertheless, the government’s program calls for the end of the occupation, not the destruction of Israel, and Hamas has proposed ending the occupation and a long-term truce (hudna) to bring peace to this region. That is Hamas’ own position. The government has also recognized President Abbas’ right to conduct political negotiations with Israel. If he were to produce a peace agreement, and if this agreement was endorsed by our national institutions and a popular referendum, then—even if it includes Palestinian recognition of Israel— we would of course accept their verdict. Because respecting the will of the people and their democratic choice is also one of our principles.
Obviously, in the above formulation, the return of up to 4 million refugees is not being envisioned. And I could cite many other examples.
So there are many Palestinians who don't share your view that peace and development should have to wait until you obtain the "non-negotiable" satisfaction of seeing the demise of the usurper entity.
SA
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