Comments on: Israel and Hamas Reach Truce After Recent Violence http://www.theworld.org/2011/08/israel-and-hamas-reach-truce-after-recent-violence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-and-hamas-reach-truce-after-recent-violence Global Perspectives for an American Audience Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:49:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: dorn http://www.theworld.org/2011/08/israel-and-hamas-reach-truce-after-recent-violence/comment-page-1/#comment-20895 dorn Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:34:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=83506#comment-20895 At least there was some semblance of balance in Matthew Bell's report form Beersheva today (Monday 22 August). Marco Werman, however, talked of 15 Palestinians being killed - while omitting to say that most were militants. He made no attempt to differentiate between the deliberate targeting of civilians by Palestinian factions, with Israel responding to rocket launching cells. There was certainly very little in the interview that followed. Rami Khouri's distortions show just how little hope there is for peace. He claimed that the US had marginalized itself by being too pro-Israel, and should be more even-handed. Yet it is President Obama who has failed the even-handed test, by continually placed pressure on Israel, while ignoring the snubs from the Palestinian Authority: refusing to negotiate, seeking unilateral statehood, signing a pact with Hamas,... It was laughable for Khouri to call for a return to a negotiated settlement when it is the Palestinian Authority that refuses to negotiate. It was laughable for Khouri to talk of Arab anger over Israel's actions while ignoring that they have overwhelmingly been defensive in nature, responding to Arab attacks. If anything, that Arab anger has been hyped by decades of abuse of the conflict as a distraction by Arab regimes - and that incitement, which built on long standing anti-semitism, bedevils any hope for progress to peace. What more can Israel give, Mr. Werman, that will satisfy the Arab world, short of committing suicide? Every concession it has made has brought only more rocket attacks, more extremism, and more demands from the Arab side. It is clear form Palestinian actions that they intend to first seek statehood in the West Bank, and then accelerate the conflict politically, through abuse of the refugee issue. It is clear that there is zero Arab acceptance of a permanent Jewish state, no matter what its boundaries. How long will it take to report this?   At least there was some semblance of balance in Matthew Bell’s report
form Beersheva today (Monday 22 August). Marco Werman, however, talked of 15
Palestinians being killed – while omitting to say that most were
militants. He made no attempt to differentiate between the deliberate
targeting of civilians by Palestinian factions, with Israel responding
to rocket launching cells.

There was certainly very little in the interview that followed. Rami
Khouri’s distortions show just how little hope there is for peace. He
claimed that the US had marginalized itself by being too pro-Israel,
and should be more even-handed.

Yet it is President Obama who has failed the even-handed test, by
continually placed pressure on Israel, while ignoring the snubs from
the Palestinian Authority: refusing to negotiate, seeking unilateral
statehood, signing a pact with Hamas,…

It was laughable for Khouri to call for a return to a negotiated
settlement when it is the Palestinian Authority that refuses to
negotiate.

It was laughable for Khouri to talk of Arab anger over Israel’s actions
while ignoring that they have overwhelmingly been defensive in nature,
responding to Arab attacks. If anything, that Arab anger has been hyped
by decades of abuse of the conflict as a distraction by Arab regimes -
and that incitement, which built on long standing anti-semitism,
bedevils any hope for progress to peace.

What more can Israel give, Mr. Werman, that will satisfy the Arab
world, short of committing suicide? Every concession it has made has
brought only more rocket attacks, more extremism, and more demands from
the Arab side.

It is clear form Palestinian actions that they intend to first seek
statehood in the West Bank, and then accelerate the conflict
politically, through abuse of the refugee issue. It is clear that there
is zero Arab acceptance of a permanent Jewish state, no matter what its
boundaries.

How long will it take to report this?
 

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