Israel has frozen the transfer of about $50 million a month in tax and customs receipts due to the Palestinian Authority in response to the swearing in Saturday of a Hamas-dominated legislature. This is understandable, given that Hamas advocates the elimination of Israel. But former President Jimmy Carter argued in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post that such action could backfire. “The likely results will be to alienate the already oppressed and innocent Palestinians, to incite violence, and to increase the domestic influence and international esteem of Hamas,” Carter wrote. “It will certainly not be an inducement to Hamas or other militants to moderate their policies.” Do you agree? Is there any hope for peace? Is this the fruit of democracy?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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37 Comments
This is the fault of the Texas Leaguer in Chief and his administration naively thinking that everyone in the world buys into the American ideal of democracy! Well, has it worked thus far? Is everyone in the Middle East drinking Budweiser and wearing blue jeans reading bibles and opening strip clubs?? NO!!! They’re not! They are a fiercely independent people who will fight to the death to preserve their centuries-old way of life! They see us as oppressors, they see our war on terror as a war on their religion, culture, and way of life! They have thus far welcomed our democracy not with open arms, but with a RPG in one hand and an AK-47 in the other! Thank you you son-of-a-bitch war profiteer for exacerbating an already volatile sitiation!!!
A little less than one million Palestinians votes were cast in their election. By comparison, one New York Senator, Charles Schumer, received over a million and three quarters votes in 2004. Not to say that Mr. Schumer’s votes were not important, but the impact of the Palestinian election is having is incredible by comparison.
Israel and the United States have taken steps to cut off funds tohttp://theflyoverzone.blogspot.com/2006/02/tiny-election-has-global-impact.html the Palestinian Authority after the election victory of Hamas. The EU is threatening to do the same if Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence and abide by previous peace accords.
Some have characterized cutting off funds as a “hard line” response. Who in their right mind would even consider funding a group dedicated to killing you. It is the only option to take. Unfortunately, as is usually the case in the Middle East, it is a matter of choosing between bad options.
The only prospect for a reasonable outcome is for Hamas to make a fundamental shift from a terrorist organization with an avowed goal of destroying Israel, to a political entity that works peacefully to promote the future of the Palestinian people. That is an enormous leap, as the Hamas position is founded on the Muslim “duty” to reclaim the land that in 1948 created the state of Israel. Their terrorist attacks on Israel were intended to derail the Oslo Peace Accord, and it succeeded.
No other issue is more likely to fan the flames of the Muslim world than the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This will be even more true under Hamas. The PLO under Arafat was primarily a secular movement. Hamas is a militant Jihadist movement. This will result in Islamic hatred burning brighter with every violent incident.
Since the escalation of a worldwide Jihad against the west, and our presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the stakes in the Israeli conflict have been raised ten fold. There are many Muslim extremists who would like nothing better than to see the powder keg ignited. Avoiding this will take walking a tight rope of applying economic pressure while developing a longer term solution that is at this point difficult to see. The saving element may be the moderating effect of internal Palestinian rivalry, which will likely ratchet up as their finances worsen.
In the past America could act as a moderator and broker for peace. The new role of Hamas makes that a very unlikely possibility. It shifts our position to an outright big stick defending Israel. That too is unfortunate in the sense of playing into Jihadist rhetoric. It seems as if this is a chess game which is drawing toward an end with fewer options and more dangerous consequences with each move.
If nothing else, the Palestinian election proved one thing. For good or ill, voting in elections does matter.
Palestine is a non-state with a non-government. The place is so corrupt that it can’t even support itself despite getting a billion dollars of handouts each year from the US, Israel, Europe, Syria, and Iran each year. Of course, the Syria and Iran money go for terrorism.
All that has changed in the recent election is that the duplicitous Fatah gang has been replaced by the less duplicitous Hamas gang.
Hamas is currently being schooled in duplicity by the French, so everybody might soon be able to get back to their normal graft and corruption — with a bomb or two when convenient.
The laughable thing is how much Palestine NEEDS Israel. Whether it’s for jobs, water, food, hospitals, or commerce — the Palestine region is entirely dependent on Israel today. Importantly, Arabs do very well in Israel, because of their freedoms and prosperity there, but Arabs suffer terribly in Palestine. Of course, the megalomedia never point out this obvious difference.
One skewed comment above claims that Palestinians “are a fiercely independent people who will fight to the death to preserve their centuries-old way of life!” That is both a cynical and terribly ignorant way to portray a people caught in the grip of fundamentallist, millionaire mullahs supported by death squads of vicious terrorists.
Hamas won the election for 2 reasons: First, Fatah proved itself unable to accomplish so much as the proper rigging of an election, which several tin-pot despots have already done under the nose of Jimmy Carter. Second, after decades of fear, terror, bloodshed, poverty, and hopelessness, why wouldn’t people vote for anything different?
Carter is the village idiot of internationsal politics. He sold his soul for the hate-America booby prize — a nobel “peace” prize, which lost all its luster when the terrorist, Arafat, got his hands on one; but Carter doesn’t care.
Adelle,Skewed, as well as taken out of context. The comment I made above was about the people of the Middle East in general not just Palestinians selectively.
Second, after decades of fear, terror, bloodshed, poverty, and hopelessness, why wouldn’t people vote for anything different?
This is nothing but a bald assertion! Can this negative ambiguous assertion of yours be a valid reason for why Palestinians voted in a regime that they know damn well won’t contribute to a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine as separate but equal states? No. They know damn well that Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel it says so in their charter, and Hamas leaders said publicly and unabashedly that they will not change their charter concerning Israel, meaning that they are still committed to it’s destruction. At least Fatah seemed willing to compromise, but the Hamas party is hell-bent on choosing violence rather than diplomacy.
If the Palestinians really cared about peaceful coexistence and their own well-being then they would never have voted in Hamas! It doesn’t make any sense! Hamas will just make aggressive attacks on Israel and Israel will respond in kind resulting in a vicious cycle of violence which will then surely result in MORE fear, MORE terror, MORE bloodshed, MORE poverty, MORE hopelessness! I sincerely hope Hamas will resort to diplomacy rather than violence, because in the end, the Palestinians people will continue to be the biggest losers in this whole affair. However, given Hamas’s history and their sheer defiance to change I see little hope for peace and progress for the Palestinians or the Israelis.
CXActually, I can agree with where you are coming from, except that the Palestinians probably saw Fatah as a rabid anti-Israel gang, too. Their choice was likely based on something else, if it really was a choice. Election corruption abounds.
Maybe the best thing would be to give the whole area over to Israel. They can at least manage a country and the hostilities might not be any worse.
Hell yes it’s the right move. You want power Hamas? Knock yourselves out.
No handouts will cause disorder and more riots there.
Israel has rejected the so-called “roadmap” long ago. Hamas has indicated that they are at least willing to consider it. BOTH sides are at fault.
The Palestinian people have known nothing but brutal occupation. It should come as no surprise that they would vote against that occupation.
Quastion for Adelle – if you give it over to Israel what do you propose be done with the Palestinian population? Ethnic cleansing?
Power struggles never work, both sides just hold harder to their positions. Trying to control terrorism towards Israel by oppressing the Palestinians even more is an excercise in stupidity. If Israel and the US ever want anything to change, then the approach to Palestine has to change. With the use of dipomacy, opening doors, and Arafat gone, there could be a chance, but I’m sure this administration will blow it as usual.
Carter is the poster child for why the Democrats have been nose-diving.
There remains the illusion that American proper action can generate results acceptable to America. The inevitable conculsion of such a premise is that all that is undesireable is ipso facto the result of poorly-choosen American action.
The truth of the matter is, not everything that happens is because of what we did or did not do. Foreigners make decisions many times based on other considerations entirely. I think that America voters by-and-large have discovered this fact, and have decided that guilt-trips such as those that Carter continues to levy in fact are disingenuous. Why? Because people we put people such as Carter in charge in the throes of the post-Viet Nam guilt. We tried it out. And their compassion, while admired among those so predisposed, turned out to be laughably ineffective with our adversaries (Iran and the hostages, the USSR and Afghanistan).
Our lesson is that holding people responsible for their behavior, whether domestically or internationally, results in better behavior or, failing that, leaves those people visibly responsible for the consequences of their actions.
If the Palestinians choose to elect a terrorist organizaiton well known to be distasteful to the west and to Israel, how rediculous and hypocritical is it of them to express outrage that we don’t like their choice, and don’t want to fund it? And even now, if Hamas decided to work toward a two-party solution, why would any Palestinian doubt that Israel and the west would respond favorably and with renewed finacnail support, once such representations proved convincing?
The tired notion that if we were nice enough, they would be nice, no longer is credible. And that’s why Jimmy Carter (and the Democrats who echo such thoughts) at best sound quaint.Wasn’t it Miss Lillian who, during Jimmy’s term, famously said, “when I look at my children, sometimes I wish I’d remained a virgin”…?
And the results of the Iraqi and Palestinian elections are the poster children for the failure of Neoconservative / neocolonial foreign policy.
The GOP is great at winning elections. Too bad it can’t govern or implement successful policy.
Perhaps we should cut off funding to ALL parties who have rejected the “Roadmap”. Then we might seek ways to support those who DO support it.
We say we want to promote democracy, and then punish those who don’t vote the way we want them to? Obviously, we don’t want democracy, we want subservience, and it’s right out there for the world to see! Nice going, Bushllit!
“Obviously, we don’t want democracy, we want subservience”
Kinda like the religious right?
Another option: push for democratization in Greater Israel – allow ALL Israeli subjects to vote!
ksfarmgrrl,
Can you even give me a definition of “religious right?”
Nathan–
The thing I’ve been wondering about you is why so many other reservists are in Iraq, and you’re not.
Some kind of a disability thing?
From Reuters:”Speaking after talks with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who echoed the U.S. ambassador’s call for a government of national unity, the normally calm and diplomatic Jaafari, a Shi’ite Islamist, said Iraq knew its own best interests.
“‘When someone asks us whether we want a sectarian government the answer is ‘no we do not want a sectarian government’ — not because the U.S. ambassador says so or issues a warning,” he told a news conference.
“‘We do not need anybody to remind us, thank you.’
“U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Monday the United States was investing billions of dollars in Iraq and did not want to see that money go to support divisive, sectarian politics.”
But the latter is okay, here in the U.S.?
Too fat, maybe?
Or some kind of colon problem like Rush Limbaugh during ‘Nam?
How can it possibly be a losing proposition? How can it backfire? The worst that could happen is that other Arab or Islamic entities will fund them to terrorize us. I would find that preferable to us funding them to terrorize us.
I’ve got it: “anger management” issues . . .
Obviously, we don’t want democracy, we want subservience”
Kinda like the religious right?
Care to extrapolate on this position of yours?
Proudlib,
Do you have a point you are trying to make? Besides showing that you can still act like a 2nd grader on the playground?
Most of us have learned better ways of communicating since then.
There are people who can help you, I can suggest a few if you would like?
The problem: Should Israel and the United States, as well as the European Union, stop sending money to the ruling government in Palestine?
Answer: As long as the ruling governments’ sole purpose is the eradication of Israel, yes.
Why is Hamas in charge? Because to previous government stole the money sent to them, let in infrastructure fall to pieces, and ignored the wants of its people.
What is Hamas? An organization of radical Muslims bent on the destruction of Israel. How do groups like this organize in such a way they can take over their own country, democratically or not? By keeping people uneducated; by brainwashing them into thinking they are supporting a great and noble cause.
And these people are brainwashed. How else do you account for the fact they will blow themselves up in the name of Allah? They are not allowed to have outside influence that could educate them to the fact that the rest of the world is filled with tolerant people.
Point: Why is racism still prevalent in this country? Because it is taught to children by their parents. Children who are brought up in open environments, where race and creed are for the most part ignored, those same children grow up with few, if any prejudices.
The same would happen if Muslim children were not being brainwashed by the radical element. And that is not about to change. The radical has its unending supply of fodder for the slaughter, and they like it.
Nathan–we covered this issue in another post.
But what if BushCo decides to go into Iran? Rumor has it that the neo-cons are all saying “first Baghdad, then Teheran.”
Surely you’d get called up then, don’t you think . . .
J M: “stop sending money to the ruling government in Palestine?”
The RULING GOVERNMENT is Israel. The palestinian Authority has no army, no power.
Oh, pardon me, Ben, I should have stated “elected representatives” of Palestine. But if they have no power, and are no a government, why do nations send them money? You’re nitpicking, Ben. You obviously got the message.
As a rule, we stop ALL foreign aid because it is patently unconstitutional. It is time to cut off the parasites and cut all aid, in particular to israel and the backward pestholes of africa.
Viva La Raza Blanco!!
Not nitpicking at all JM. The money is (at least in theory) to attempt to provide some sort of civil authority and social systems support (sanitation, health, etc). Under international law these should all be the responsibility of the Rulers but they refuse to abide by that.
Beyond that, we should stop sending money to the ruling government – ISRAEL.
The identity of the true ruling government is important as it underscores that fact that the people have been under occupation for over a generation. They learn every day about their occupiers directly from those occupiers. In cities like Hebron, which is ruled by a small band of militants, the subjects learn all about their rulers and their radicalism.
Hamas received support for two reasons:
1. the corruption of fatah, and
2. they stand up to the Ruling Government.
Perhaps we should push for REAL democracy – allow ALL Israeli subjects to vote in Israeli elections. THAT would make massive changes.
BH,
You must know that apratheid is just fine for israel but of course it was not for South Africa. Perhaps you should ask why there is a double standard!
Viva la raza Blanco!!
A rare case – I agree with you Ian.
Ben,I guess if by standing up to the ruling government, you mean suicide bombings, then I guess you are correct. But knowing the history of both Israel and Palestine, I would have to disagree with you. Hamas is the ruling body of Palestine, elected by its residents, ergo, the palestinian government.
Knowing that Hamas intention is the destruction of Israel, all monies going to them by foreign governments should, in my opinion, be stopped. To make the claim that there is a coorelation between apartheid in South Africa, and the palestinian problems in Israel is a mighty stretch indeed. I don’t buy it.
JM,
You are correct, the blacks were far better off under apartheid than the Palestinians are under zionist occupation.
V.L.R.B!!
JM – as long as israel controls all aspects of the daily lives of the Palesinians the apartheid example is accurate. The Israeli proposal is for a series of disconnected and isolated ‘homelands’ for Palestinians in the West Bank that will remain controlled and isolated by Israel. They will have no connection to the outside world except through Israel and under Israeli control. That is apartheid.
Hamas and Likud have a very inportant thing in common – they both reject the other’s right to exist. Deny aid to both.