What Hamas could learn from the early Zionists about state-building

[Violet_Crumble]

In this new landscape, everyone is in the dark. After Hamas won an enormous victory that shocked even them, all the players in the Middle East conflict are stumbling around, unsure how to negotiate the new terrain. No one knows quite what to do.
Proof of that came from Monday's statement of the Quartet of world powers who preside over what is still laughably referred to as the Middle East peace process. Translated, the diplomatese boiled down to a plea for time. Everyone wants a pause for breath, to see what happens in the Israeli elections on March 28, to see what Hamas does with its parliamentary majority. Hamas are not exactly in a hurry to start governing either: they anticipated (maybe even wanted) to form a large opposition bloc rather than be given the hospital pass of actually administering the Palestinian Authority. To have responsibility for daily Palestinian life yet, because under Israeli occupation, little power to do the job is a thankless, if not impossible, task. Hamas are talking of a "period of transition"; they moot a coalition with Fatah, the party they defeated. They too crave delay.

This stunned paralysis on all sides is down to more than just the shock of the new. It's also a function of the fact that there seem to be no good options, for anybody. Imagine a chess game in which every possible path is blocked: the players stare at their pieces, bite their nails and see only stalemate.
Take President Bush. If he recognises Hamas, he flatly contradicts his global war on terror - since both the US and EU have long branded Hamas a terrorist organisation. But if he doesn't recognise Hamas, he flatly contradicts his global campaign for democracy - since Hamas just won a clear majority in precisely the kind of free election Bush demands for the whole Arab world. He either, by his own logic, legitimates terror or he admits that he is offering only a Henry Ford kind of democracy: you can have whatever colour car you like - so long as it's black.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1699252,00.html

[leveymg]

1. Does the lesson include the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel by Irgun?

Yesterday's "terrorist" is today's "Statesman". Just ask Menachin Begin.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Does this mean...

...that the terrorist attacks will be against military targets not civilian ones and phones calls will come before the attack?

[Djinn]

11. and the Patria

was full of soldiers was it?

not to mention the numerous market and bus bombings carried out by pre-Israel Zionist terrorists that came with no warning and were directly targetted at civilians

whatever else one may think about Israel/Palestine it is simply willful ignorance to pretend that the actions of the Stern Gang, Palmach, Hagganah et al were any better or more moral than those of Hamas

[Behind the Aegis]

12. I was addressing the King David hotel issue.

Irgun was more likely to attack military targets, British or Arab. As for the other acts, those are examples of terrorism and are as indefensible, or should be, as the ones leveled against Israeli citizens, but are often 'excused.'

PS...the Patria really isn't a good example.

[Djinn]

13. excusable is always

dependent on which side of the fence you're on. were acts of violence by the resistance in WW2 excusable? how about acts of violence against Apartheid in South Africa?

why isn't the Patria a good example? you don't honestly beleive the "we didn't mean to kill people" line do you, surely no-one's THAT naive?

BTW - King David Hotel was not a military target in the strictest sense (certainly if Hamas attacked in a similar vein it would NOT be called a military target) it was a public hotel that was used by the Brit military, there were plenty of civilians there whose lives meant nothing to the Zionist terrorists who blew it up

however I'm happy with using any of the numerous examples of Zionist terror that was either deliberately targetted towards civilians or where the presence of civilians was not a deterent in any way, a practice that continues today

[bemildred]

2. It's a damn shame Jabba is not able to help us sort it out.

Since he is largely the father of the mess.

[RJnAbbysNana]

3. No communication with Sharon, either.

Not that his advice would be of any help at this time, of course. However, I'd like to see something positive coming from Israel, but it looks like "Same Stuff Different Day" from them.

Any recent updates on Sharon at this time?

Regards,

RJnAbbysNana

[Scurrilous]

5. Update on Sharon:

Feeding tube inserted into PM's stomach

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3209611,00.html

Hospital officials say medical procedure carried out successfully; Sharon 's condition continues to be critical but stable

<snip>

"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a medical procedure in which a feeding tube was inserted into his stomach. The Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital said that Sharon was mildly anaesthetized during the procedure, which was successfully completed.

Nearly a month after the prime minister was taken ill, his condition continues to be critical but stable. Since his hospitalization in
the neurological department, world-renowned experts in coma conditions and brain injuries have monitored Sharon by his bedside.

On Saturday evening, Sharon underwent two tests which showed that the edema in his brain has decreased and that bleeding has stopped. The tests also showed that there was no change in the size of Sharon's brain ventricles, and there was no evidence of intracranial pressure.

Professor Martin Rabay, a senior neurological doctor at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, referring to response activities seen by the prime minister, said that "the responsive activity can take place following sounds, but this might not be a conscience response, but from reflex."

[channa18]

6. I believe....

its called a "PEG" TUBE....Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy.


:):):):)

[Tom Joad]

7. Will extremist/racist parties be part of the next Israeli govt. too?

[RJnAbbysNana]

8. Don't hold your breath in anticipation of anything different.

It'll probably be S.S.D.D., if you know what I mean.

Regards,

RJnAbbysNana

[Jim Sagle]

9. They're not part of this one. Do try to keep up.

[Coastie for Truth]

10. In the South Bay we call that the "East Bay Meme"

You can disregard it.

[Tom Joad]

14. All the major parties, but especially Kadima and Likud, believe in

taking land by force, and imposing their own "solution". Seems extremist to me.
If anyone were to take your community, or take your livelihood from you, by force, because of your ethnicity, you may call it that too.

[pelsar]

15. whats the ethnicity?

perhaps you would like to explain the "ethnicity" of the "palestenian"...and who that is a different ethnnicity from the israeli arab/bedouin/jew/christian....etc

i'm slightly confused.....skin color? nose feature? bone structure?....which characteristics? religion?

[Tom Joad]

16. Much more than slightly, much more.