At the eve of fresh Middle-East negotiations it would only be right to call into remembrance Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli leader who most probably came closest to resolving that crisis. Also read the Economist of Nov 2007, p18.
During 1993 his contribution was vital in finalizing the Oslo Accords. Most of us will remember the images of him shaking hands with Yasser Arafat in the presence of Bill Clinton. This placed the Middle-East on a new course which could well have ended in a solution of this conflict. Unfortunately negative forces would not allow this and he was assassinated on 4 November 1995 by a right-wing Orthodox Jew named Yigal Amir.
Although the divisions amongst Israelis in the lifetime of Rabin were already running high, this has escalated to such an extent that the assassin, Yigal Amir, is today hailed as a hero by a large percentage of Israelis. He represents a growing Israeli faction who believes that Jews have been granted a divine right to biblical Israel, which includes most of the West Bank. This naturally leaves no room for Palestinian aspirations of an independent, Palestinian homeland.
Against this background its seems highly unlikely that the combination of Condi Rice, Ehud Olmert and Abbas will succeed except for producing a nice group photo. None of them possess either the ethos or the character to bring about any miracles.
The one who could have done it, had been eliminated by evil. After his death his daughter declared “You were the pillar of fire before the camp and now we are left only as the camp, alone and in the dark”. The truth of this painful thought will again be experienced in Annapolis.
Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, we salute you.
J.C.Grobler.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Entries (RSS)
Powered by FireStats
November 21st, 2007 at 7:08 pm
When you say large percentage… What does that mean? Do you know how many people out of its population or percentage? Are you throwing out ‘large percentage’ from any actual knowledge, or just thumbsucking it because it then makes a point more clear?
JP: There are certain people with whom I have difficulty reasoning with. You are one of them. I can only suspect that you are a Yigal Amir fan who could never accept that Ytizak Rabin shook the hand of Yasser Arafat. That being the case I accept that we will never agree about anything. So, let’s be positive and leave it at that. This then will be your last comment that I will post. Have a happy life. JCG
November 21st, 2007 at 8:31 pm
You never did answer JP’s question probably because your assertion of “large percentage” is dubious at best. And please don’t somehow confuse this statement with some kind of support for Amir. I wished Israel would invoke the death penalty as they did for Adolf Eichmann for scum like him.
Lastly, I for one certainly have problems with Rabin shaking hands with the mass murderer and dictator Arafat. Oslo failed because Arafat was simply not interested in peace or settlement by any means. And the Israelis were giving virtually everything (and they’re offering even more than this at Annapolis, by the way).
The Palestinians and the Arabs cannot accept the existence of a free non-Muslim state in the Middle East. The creation of a Palestinian state would validate the U.N. partition resolution of 1947 which creates a legitimate Jewish state alongside a legitimate Arab-Islamic state. This cannot happen to these people. Their actions spanning the past half-century make this explicitly clear.
On the contrary, peace and Palestinian statehood would’ve been in direct conflict with Arafat’s and his party’s own ambitions and goals, one of which was soaking up portions of the billions of aid money supposedly gifted to ordinary Palestinians in a vein effort by the international world to “moderate” and appease them with cash. After he died billions from PA coffers vanished. Is this important? Does anybody care? Why of course not because the money keeps pouring in no matter how the Palestinians behave.
The sad truth is the more aid money Palestinians receive in a year, the more deaths they commit in exact proportion to the amount the following year. 2007 has been a record-breaker with regards to money donated. Let’s see how peaceful they shall be next year…
http://www.camera.org/images_user/One%20year%20lag%20homicides.JPG
Oh, and my opinion on Annapolis is that it will be yet another of the legendary “missed opportunities” that the Palestinians never seem to miss an opportunity to miss. The present Israeli government is weak and unpopular in their homeland (with good reason). The measures they are willing to take towards a peaceful initiative with the Palestinians endanger all of Israel and everybody knows it. The Palestinians will not see a more sympathetic, liberal and concession-willing Israeli government for a very long time. But this matters little to them in any case.
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:41 am
No, I do not think my assertion of a “large percentage” is dubious. In fact, I think it is understated. Some confusion may have arisen from the fact that I, for JP’s sake, as far as possible tried to use the word ‘Israeli’ rather than Jew. In this instance I referred to Jewish attitude worldwide. I do not have time to make a comprehensive list of sites but you may refer to the following:
The Kentucky Democrat:
http://kydem.blogspot.com/2006/12/growing-jewish-right-wing.html
Israel Right-Wing Ultranationalist Parties: http://www.photius.com/countries/israel/government/israel_government_right_wing_ultranati~34.html
Vagabonding:
http://www.vagablogging.net/04-10/the-problem-with-israels-rightwing-fundamentalists.html
Jewish News Weekly:
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0- module/displaystory/story_id/25087/edition_id/490/format/html/displaystory.html
“It is right-wing Orthodox Jews who are the true Israeli masses. Today, they are the ones making a noise that sounds like the cry of humanity. The only noise leftists are making is restaurant chatter”.
I was flabbergasted when I first read of the notion – which seem to be widely supported, that the Palestinian problem be resolved by relocating all of the Palestinians to other Arabian states, leaving Israel, Gaza and the West Bank for the Jews. What happened to the Israeli acceptance of the 1948 Partition Plan and the Two-state solution? Was the acceptance just deceit which manifests itself in the Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory? If this is the secret and non-negotiable premise from which Israel participates in negotiations, it is just fooling around with the rest of the world. Further: If relocation is the only solution, why not relocate Jews to wherever else they wish to stay? Were they not the minority when the UN re-established Israel?
I do understand your feelings about Arafat. But would the same not apply the other way around and would this not have applied to the handshaking between F W de Klerk and Nelson Mandela? Although you may protest this comparison I don’t think it is so much different. Have Israel not killed many more Palestinians than the reverse?
In regard to the money matter. Does this really concern Israel? Its not Israel’s money, so why bring it into the argument? What would the position be if US funding for Israel is cut off? Wouldn’t it reduce the violence towards Palestinians in similar fashion? The money can never be the reason for Israel’s intransigence.
Talking about the sad truth, I think hatred between these two nations have reached such levels that their vision has become so blurred preventing them from ever seeing the light again.
Just a final thought. I grew up in a Christian home and have been taught Old Testament history in great lengths. It always strike me how murderous Jews as well as the Arabian nations were but that this is always portrayed as good and right and in line with what God expected from His Chosen People. It seems that nothing has changed. The God of Thunder and Baal are still at it. There is indeed nothing holy about the Holy Land.
J.C.Grobler.