Realities
Some unacknowledged aspects of reality. President Abdullah Gul of Turkey in an op-ed piece published in the NY Times wrote "Whether the Arab uprisings lead to democracy and peace or to tyranny and conflict will depend on an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal." What nonsense! How can any sensible person who views the situation in the Arab world objectively have such an opinion, especially when the Arabs themselves have hardly mentioned Israel in this context. This is another in a series of orchestrated attempts by Turkey's pro-Islamic leaders to expand their influence in the Arab world. In competing with Iran, they seek to label themselves the saviors of the Arabs vis-a-vis Israel. But, at the same time, Turkey has good relations with the Assad regime in Syria, while unarmed Syrian demonstrators are being gunned down by the Syrian secret police.
The Palestine Authority banned Palestinian Arabs living on the West Bank from working for Jewish "settlements" there. But, according to statistics just published by the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics, 14.2% of Arabs employed in the West Bank worked in Jewish settlements in 2010. This is an increase of 1% over the previous year. Also, those that work for Jews earn on average twice the income that other West Bank Arabs earn. Unemployment in the West Bank stood at 17%, while in Gaza it is 38%. After receiving millions of dollars in hand-outs, these are the people who are supposed to be ready for independence?
Pro-Palestinain leftists from the West are taking great risks when working for the Palestinians out of misplaced sentiments. Two have been murdered recently, Juliano Mer-Khamis, half-Jewish, half Christian Arab, who founded a Peace Theater in Jenin, was assassinated there a few weeks ago. Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian member of the International Solidarity Movement who identified completely with the Palestinian cause was murdered in Gaza last week. These naieve leftists ignore the fact that all westerners are regarded by Islamists as "infidels" who can be murdered under a fatwa from any Muslim cleric. Further, the rape of women sympathizers who go to work in Palestinian areas is rampant, they are regarded as little better than prostitutes. I read about this at the time of Arafat being in Lebanon, where Scandinavian girls who went to support the Palestinians ended up as pregnant sex slaves, unable not only to return home, but to leave their rooms. Now it is reported in Ha'aretz, the left-wing Israeli newspaper, that sexual attacks on female members of the ISM are rampant, and many of them also are unable to return to their former lives in the West.
Since 1967, Jerusalem Arabs - within Israel's municipal lines - have been permanent Israeli residents and are Israeli ID card holders. They freely work and travel throughout Israel and benefit from Israeli's healthcare system, retirement plans, social security, unemployment, disability and child allowances. They can vote in Jerusalem's municipal elections. According to an opinion poll conducted by The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion headed by Nabil Kukali of Beit Sakhur, a sizeable number of Jerusalem Arabs prefer to remain under Israel's sovereignty. According to the January 2011 poll, which was conducted by Palestinians in Arab neighborhoods far from any Jewish presence, 40% of Jerusalem Arabs would relocate to a area inside Israel if their current neighborhood were to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Only 27% would prefer to remain in the neighborhood under Palestinian Authority. So much for Israel being an apartheid state!
Finally. the Red Cross has officially acknowledged that there is no "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. Mathilde Redmant, the deputy head of the Red Cross in Gaza, said in a published statement, "There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If you go to the supermarket there are products....the problem is mainly maintenance of infrastructure..." So why do they need flotillas of ships to "deliver" food and medical supplies that are freely available. Clearly it is all a publicity stunt designed to embarrass Israel, when in fact the Israeli blockade of terrorist-controlled Gaza is perfectly legal under international law. Reality is often not what it is perceived to be.
The Palestine Authority banned Palestinian Arabs living on the West Bank from working for Jewish "settlements" there. But, according to statistics just published by the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics, 14.2% of Arabs employed in the West Bank worked in Jewish settlements in 2010. This is an increase of 1% over the previous year. Also, those that work for Jews earn on average twice the income that other West Bank Arabs earn. Unemployment in the West Bank stood at 17%, while in Gaza it is 38%. After receiving millions of dollars in hand-outs, these are the people who are supposed to be ready for independence?
Pro-Palestinain leftists from the West are taking great risks when working for the Palestinians out of misplaced sentiments. Two have been murdered recently, Juliano Mer-Khamis, half-Jewish, half Christian Arab, who founded a Peace Theater in Jenin, was assassinated there a few weeks ago. Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian member of the International Solidarity Movement who identified completely with the Palestinian cause was murdered in Gaza last week. These naieve leftists ignore the fact that all westerners are regarded by Islamists as "infidels" who can be murdered under a fatwa from any Muslim cleric. Further, the rape of women sympathizers who go to work in Palestinian areas is rampant, they are regarded as little better than prostitutes. I read about this at the time of Arafat being in Lebanon, where Scandinavian girls who went to support the Palestinians ended up as pregnant sex slaves, unable not only to return home, but to leave their rooms. Now it is reported in Ha'aretz, the left-wing Israeli newspaper, that sexual attacks on female members of the ISM are rampant, and many of them also are unable to return to their former lives in the West.
Since 1967, Jerusalem Arabs - within Israel's municipal lines - have been permanent Israeli residents and are Israeli ID card holders. They freely work and travel throughout Israel and benefit from Israeli's healthcare system, retirement plans, social security, unemployment, disability and child allowances. They can vote in Jerusalem's municipal elections. According to an opinion poll conducted by The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion headed by Nabil Kukali of Beit Sakhur, a sizeable number of Jerusalem Arabs prefer to remain under Israel's sovereignty. According to the January 2011 poll, which was conducted by Palestinians in Arab neighborhoods far from any Jewish presence, 40% of Jerusalem Arabs would relocate to a area inside Israel if their current neighborhood were to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Only 27% would prefer to remain in the neighborhood under Palestinian Authority. So much for Israel being an apartheid state!
Finally. the Red Cross has officially acknowledged that there is no "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza. Mathilde Redmant, the deputy head of the Red Cross in Gaza, said in a published statement, "There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. If you go to the supermarket there are products....the problem is mainly maintenance of infrastructure..." So why do they need flotillas of ships to "deliver" food and medical supplies that are freely available. Clearly it is all a publicity stunt designed to embarrass Israel, when in fact the Israeli blockade of terrorist-controlled Gaza is perfectly legal under international law. Reality is often not what it is perceived to be.
posted by Jack Cohen at 3:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home