16 Nov 2009 12:51 PM
By
Ray Hanania
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Although I often make jokes about President Mahmoud Abbas,
as I do all elected government officials, the truth be told is that Abbas is a
far better leader than what the Palestinians have anywhere.
Abbas says he may not run for re-election, more of a
reflection of his frustration with having to deal with a people gripped by
emotion and anguish that are exploited by the radical Hamas and the
uncompromising rejectionists and “one-staters.”
In truth, though, Abbas represents Palestine future while
Hamas and the one-staters and rejectionists represent Palestine’s turbulent and
failed past.
Why do they criticize Abbas? Because he is seeking to use
diplomacy rather than bombs and weapons to bring about a Palestinian State.
In contrast, although Hamas and the one-staters are great at
telling us what they hate and oppose, they can never seem to say what they
want, other than a few pipe dreams intended to imprison the Palestinian people
in the midst of their suffering and with no real hope.
Hamas spent the entire 1990s using violence to destroy he
peace process and to undermine the government of the late President Yasir
Arafat. Although Arafat is disparaged equally by the Israelis and the Hamas and
one-staters and rejectionists, it was Arafat who saved the Palestinian people
from the abyss organizing the revolution hat put Palestine back on the
international map.
What is Hamas’ answer to peace? Continued conflict and
rejection. Rejection is in fact what brings the religious fanatics and the
secular one-staters and rejectionists together. They know what they don’t want
but they can only talk in poetic missives about what they hope to achieve,
forget for the moment that what they hope to achieve is the impossible.
Hamas and the rejectionists have played right into Israel’s
hands. In fact, although Israeli governments are guilty of war crimes and a
history of atrocities over the years, in reality it is Hamas and the
rejectionists who have helped Israel to “justify” those atrocities.
If Abbas is a bad leader, what do you call 61 years of
failed leadership from the rejectionists and the 20 years of hate and murder
from Hamas?
Hamas celebrates its violent founding 20 years ago this year
with the launch of the first Intifada; Hamas was actually empowered by Ariel
Sharon during the brutal administration of former Israeli terrorist and Prime
Minister Yitzhak Shamir.
There is no future for the Palestinians with Hamas or the
pipe dream of one-state or continued rejectionism founded on no solutions.
It’s easy to be a rejectionist or to embrace violence
against civilians. It is far more difficult and requires far more courage to be
like Abbas, willing to negotiate through a bad situation made terrible by past
policies caused in a large part by Hamas and the rejectionists.
I applaud and urge Abbas to reconsider. And if he doesn’t
run, I will if only to elevate the virtues of the two state solution which is
our only real hope as Palestinians.
The critics argue that the two state solution will only
create a Palestinian State that is subservient and controlled by Israel. Is
that any worse than the Israeli occupation emboldened by the policies of Hamas
and the rejectionists?
In the one state scenario, Palestine would not really exist
at all. But it would allow the fanatics to continue their crusade to destroy
Israel and also destroy the secular Palestinian state that once sought big
goals of bringing Jews, Christians and Muslims together.
Yet as a Christian who happens to be married to a Jew, it’s
those very rejectionists who attack me because I am married to a Jew.
Ironically, it only exposes their lies, the lie that somehow they believe in
one state Christians, Muslims and Jews can live together in peace when in fact
that is impossible.
If you want to support my campaign to strengthen the two
state solution to this conflict, visit my new web page at www.YallaPeace.com.
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Posted
at
16 Nov 2009 12:51 PM
by
Ray Hanania
Posted By
Mythbuster
-
16 Nov 2009 4:22 PM
Sadly, Ray, this column is a step backward from your prior column calling on President Obama to fire HRC. Two points:
"Why do they criticize Abbas? Because he is seeking to use diplomacy rather than bombs and weapons to bring about a Palestinian State."
No, I, for one, criticize him for agreeing to delay the Goldstone Report--an absolute travesty--and his refusal to acknowledge that the Corrupt Fatah faction lost the Parliamentary elections in 2006. As much as I like Fayyad, he was Mr. 2% in those elections and, frankly has no business being PM with such a non-existent electoral mandate.
"Yet as a Christian who happens to be married to a Jew, it’s those very rejectionists who attack me because I am married to a Jew. Ironically, it only exposes their lies, the lie that somehow they believe in one state Christians, Muslims and Jews can live together in peace when in fact that is impossible."
This sophistry. I attacked you not because you married ot a Jew but because you supported the use of tremendous violence against Hamas--i.e., Palestinians--but not against Israel, the violent occupier. If you want to pretend you'e Ghandi and oppose violence, that's fine. But to only support violence aginst Arab terrorists but not against Jewish terrorists hardly makes your position moral.
I am pro-peace. I am against violence in all forms. In contrast, you only oppose violence against Israelis. Strong statement. My evidence? See www.ynetnews.com/.../0,7340,L-3208471,00.html
Money quote: "Tragically, the only real option left is the collapse of all Palestinian government and the tightening of Israeli occupation controls until Hamas is defeated."
No, Ray, it's not about your wife. It's that someone who claims to be pro-Palestinian would write garbage like that.
Posted By
Ray Hanania
-
17 Nov 2009 5:22 AM
That I only criticize Palestinian violence isnot true, but then, people only want to read what they want to read and they will always find the "evidence" to make their arguments look good.
Hamas and the settlers are the terrorists in my view, and those who enable them by refusing to support compromise based on peace and two states. The REALITY is more powerful than the Rule of Law in this situation and I don't believe because I don't have confidence in the leadership -- not Abbas but the Hamas extremists and the rejectionists -- that they have the ability to achieve anything. They haven't achieved anything int heir rejectionist history and never will, except give Palestinians a sense of temporary false hope by attacking Israelis and extracting vengeance for Israeli terrorism.
The response to terrorism is not more terrorism. The response to injustice isn ot more injustice. It is having the courage to say and do the right thing. And the right thing here is to compromise and work hard for it, rather than the phony measures of Hamas and the rejectionists and the Likud and settler terrorists.
And you say it's not about my wife being Jewish but the reality and truth is that many, not all, palestinians are hypocrites who say one thing about love and peace and coexistence and yet are vicious in attacking that very relationship which is more common than you might believe.
The extremists and rejectionists in our society are bringing us down and if you let them do that, then one becomes an extremist and a rejectionist. They don't represent Palestinian Society, they are just holding us hostage with hatred, violence and intimidation. But they don't intimidate me. The truth, as painful and ugly as it might be, is always more powerful.
thanks for commenting
Ray Hanania
www.YallaPeace.com
Posted By
Palestinian Patriot
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17 Nov 2009 8:05 AM
This is what i don't understand: Why is abbas who is now 74 and doesnt have much more years left from the way he looks is still clinging onto power, when for example people like salam fayyad are producing results and doing something good for their people, and why you dont you write about salam fayyad instead of worry about abu mazen?
Posted By
Ray Hanania
-
17 Nov 2009 12:46 PM
I think we have a tendency to focus on personalities when we discuss issues. It's not about whether Fayyad or Abbas are better or worse. Abbas is the president. I think Fayyad is a great spokesman and prime minister and if he were to run for president I would support him (aside from my own campaign to elevate the two state solution plan). But that's not the issue we should be discussing. We should step back and look at the big picture. In that big picture, tragedies are still important but they become the result of the bigger problem we have to address.
Abbas is recognized by the world as the president and he is our spokesman. We should support him and what we say and do is interpreted by the world. We're not speaking to our people all the time. We are speaking to the world and they need to know we have a commitment to peace.
As long as we act "worse" than Israel, we lose in the eyes of public opinion. And I will tell you if you don't already know, the future of Palestine is controlled more by the United States than by Israel. It's a tricky and difficult situation with Obama trying to change the dynamics of the situation. Do we play into the hands of the rightwing extremists who now control Israel's government, or do we recognize that our role in helping to change that government can also achieve our long term goals. We don't have to like our enemy to negotiate and live with them.
All we need establish is some form of trust and trust is lacking across the board, in my opinion.
thanks
Ray Hanania
