Elder of Ziyon yesterday ran a story according to which Arabs can immigrate without impediment between Arab states... unless they're Palestinians. Palestinians are not allowed to be naturalized in other Arab states, according to a policy agreed upon by the Arab League “to avoid dissolution of their identity and protect their right to return to their homeland.” (says this fellow).
Elder speculates that large numbers of Palestinians would move if only they could; I'm more interested in the hypocrisy. Think of all the people in the West and in the Arab world who castigate Israel for impeding Palestinian immigration (mostly since 2003), while somehow overlooking the fact that they're not allowed into most of the Arab world, either.
If anyone has additional information about the matter, feel free to enlighten us in the comments.
on the other hand I have gathered from here and there that Gazans have a much better chance of leaving Gaza than East-Germans had, which doesn't quite synch for me with prison-camp ... i.e. it seems nobody is shooting to kill at them, if they leave ...
ReplyDeleteSilke
The Arabs don't want Palestinians to be equal with other Arabs.
ReplyDeleteYa'acov, remember that the next time someone tells you Israel isn't treating the Palestinians with dignity and understanding.
And those who live in a glass house should not throw stones at Israel.
I fully agree with the Arab League. Peace will not be achieved until the Palestinians return to Palestine and the Jews return to Brooklyn and Minsk
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Raed is speaking the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe truth that no one wants to hear.
That most everyone has wanted to ignore. That most are still ignoring.
The truth that many (but not all) Israeli voters have increasingly begun to realize.
Compare this truth with the usually astute (see note below) Khaled Abu Toameh:
http://www.hudson-ny.org/1616/palestinian-refugees
What Abu Toameh, rather strangely, in my view, doesn't seem to (want to) understand is that for the Palestinians there is no room for Israel in the equation of the Middle East. He doesn't quite get that the Palestinians, who have suffered because they failed in the past to eradicate Israel (and who have not yet succeeded in doing so), have embraced suffering and will continue to embrace suffering as a way, as the way(?), to ensure that Israel will disappear.
It has been and continues to be a conscious decision. And they will continue to suffer as long as they must in order to achieve this goal.
(But wait: are they really, truly suffering? Answer: Yes, indeed, they are suffering, even if they are living in villas, wealthy and overweight; and this is because Israel insists on continuing to exist.)
Ending Palestinian "suffering" therefore has---can have---only one meaning.
Thank you, Raed.
Note:
http://www.hudson-ny.org/1343/the-palestinians-the-real-traitors
http://www.hudson-ny.org/1514/palestinian-authority-silencing-opposition
Raed forgot about Jews from Iraq, Syria, Egypt and other Muslim dictatorships. I wonder where he thnks they should return to.
ReplyDeleteNot that anyone really needs Raed's help, mind you.... But it is appreciated.
ReplyDeletehttp://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2010/10/one-palestinian-cartoon-shows-why-there.html
Ariadne
ReplyDeleteone must allow some Jews to remain so some of the currently keeping the ardour alive dreams of future massacres can become reality.
Silke
This is a pretty common refrain: Well just look at how perfidious the Arabs are! But one, I don't think people ignore the way Palestinians are treated in Arab countries--there's lots of work done by NGOs and lots of press regarding, say, Palestinian rights in Lebanon. Two, there are pretty obvious reasons why the plight of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories is focused on more heavily (and yes, Barry, reasons in addition to anti-Semitism, double standards for Israel, Israelophobia, etc.). Finally, I always find it curious that defenders of Israel try to point the finger at Arab nations. Is their hypocrisy risible? Yes. But two wrongs don't make a right. And I thought the whole point of Israel being a democratic, pluralistic, open society was that it aspired to higher standards than those practiced by its neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to encounter in any of my chats with cashiers, sales personnel, hair-dressers, plumbers etc. one person only one who isn't utterly amazed to learn that Palestinian refugees are not treated well by their co-Arabs - so much about awareness aside from "settlements".
ReplyDelete(I pride myself to have become very skilled in letting the subject creep up in a chat about whatever so when I let "it" slip, it doesn't come across as pontificating)
but of course that's only me ... and in the whole wide world, other people have access to it might be a completely different story.
Silke