Arafat recognizes Jewish tie to Zion

[tinnypriv]

Arafat recognizes Jewish tie to Zion
Ha'aretz, 11 December 2003

"Maybe the time has come for you to express your explicit views on these issues," Siegman suggested to Arafat. After a brief hesitation, Arafat agreed to allow the American visitor to ask all the questions that are bothering him, and promised to answer each one. The conversation was in English, translated into Arabic, and the answers were given to Arafat before he approved their publication. Arafat's office yesterday affirmed the veracity of the quotes.

...

Asked what he has to say in response to the accusations he does not recognize the Jewish people's link to the land, Arafat said, "They are entirely untrue. My religion, Islam, obliges me to respect Judaism and Jewish history, whose prophets are revered in the holy Koran as God's messengers. While we insist that East Jerusalem be the capital of a Palestinian state, and that the Haram al-Sharif, on which are situated the two mosques, Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock, come under Palestinian sovereignty, we accept Jewish sovereignty over the Wailing Wall and over the Jewish quarter of the Old City. We accept this only because we recognize and respect the Jewish religion and the Jewish historical attachment to Palestine."

...

"We want to encourage coexistence between our two peoples and the three religions for the future of our children and their children. Do you object to the Jewish character of the State of Israel?"

Arafat: "I have officially recognized the State of Israel, as have the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, on numerous occasions. It follows from that recognition that the government and the citizens of Israel have the right to determine the identity and character of the State of Israel, as long as it remains a democratic state that grants equal rights to others, including its large Arab population. I would claim the same rights and accept the same obligations for the State of Palestine."

...

..."Are you prepared to agree to a formula that would place mutually agreed limitations on the return of Palestinian refuges to Israel?"

...He says "this is an issue that was dealt with in the resolution adopted by the Arab League in its summit meeting in Beirut in March 2002. That resolution, approved by all Arab countries and by the PLO, specifies that the Palestinian refugee problem must be resolved in a manner that is just and acceptable to both parties, Israel and the Palestinian leadership. As I said, the PLO endorsed this resolution."

...

And that resolution, in effect, gives Israel the right to veto the number of refugees to be allowed into its territory, if any at all.

...

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/370766.html (I really advise reading the entire article)

...

Comment: Well, that's that then. :D

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. Nope. Neither the Arab League nor the PLO has the authority

to waive the rights of Palestinian or any other refugees to return to their homes.

Right of Return is the law.

Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve a state that respects the law.

[tinnypriv]

2. By 'that'

I'm referring to the rhetorical games we have around here.

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. LOL well it's possible but I doubt it

The irony of it is, it is not likely that a whole hell of a lot of Palestinians would want to return to their homes. Most of them will end up choosing to live in Palestine anyway, or somewhere else.

I imagine a lot of them who have been born and grown up in Jordan, for example, will elect to stay in Jordan.

This same discussion comes up in some circles about Cuba, from time to time, and there are some curmudgeonly old Cubans who insist that the minute Fidel dies, they will be zooming back there to reclaim the old homestead, which by now either no longer exists as an edifice or would be entirely unrecognizable and un-useful to them, not to mention the fact that they have now spent almost half a century somewhere else, and we haven't even gotten to Raul and the culture shock of their claiming their Right of Return!

[Gimel]

9. Arafat's word

is worthless. What he says is totally different from what he supports.

[pistoff democrat]

11. Not only that,

but his word is worthless BOTH in English as well as the Arab version he puts out to his people (from whom he stole)!

[Violet_Crumble]

18. In that case...

Everything he says should be considered worthless. And if he were actually to say the complete opposite of what he did say, that'd be equally as worthless. But it doesn't appear to work that way from what I can see. What I believe is that when someone says what they think about something, it's worth a lot more than other people saying that person thinks the complete opposite....

Violet...

[Gimel]

22. More complicated

Although what you say has some truth to it, that every word is suspect, the human personality isn't as simple as a computer program or a mathematical formula. So psychologically, your statement is flawed.

[Muddleoftheroad]

4. Every nation decides on who its citizens are

Israel is no different. There will be no right of return. Palestinians cling to it much like Linus did his blanket. But it holds them back, it does not help them.

[Aidoneus]

5. Obviously, Israel *is* different

Previously, the Palestinians had no say over the Jewish colonization and military actions that drove them off their land, now you give infinite rights to the latter (the source of what is called the naqba, and the occupation and scattering of the Palestinian nation) and fuck the former. So it is not *every* nation that has these rights, but just those that you like--you allow one set of rules for one, a different for the other, yet do not acknowledge this.

Anything less than even token consideration is just an endorsement of the catastrophe that brought the situation where it is.

[pistoff democrat]

12. Actually,

The Jews have had a presence on that land for centuries and then England, Hitler & the Mufti, finally the U.N. got busy and a 2-state solution was accepted by Israel, not the Arabs.

Anything less than consideration of those facts is just an endorsement of the catastrophe that brought the situation where it is, to paraphrase a great person.

[Aidoneus]

15. I can't decide which is the more amusing mockery

You twisting my words, or adapting them to the silly mythological distortion of what may or may not have meant to pass for "history".

[pistoff democrat]

10. That's great!

:yourock:

[Violet_Crumble]

20. True...

But that doesn't mean people can't complain about bigotry and discrimination in immigration policies of some states. And it's only by complaining and protesting that there's any chance policies can be changed. Isn't what you just said the same as someone being greeted with 'every nation decides on who its citizens are' when they speak out against, say, Australia's bigoted policy towards asylum seekers or any Middle Eastern states policy that may exclude people from citizenship based on their religion or ethnic group?

Right of return to me doesn't solely mean a physical return. I believe it's impossible for all those dispossessed in 1948 and their descendents to return to their former homes, but I support a right of return when it means compensation or most importantly an official apology from the government of Israel. Those two things should happen, and they should happen sooner rather than later. To do those things doesn't in any way compromise Israel's position as a Jewish state, and considering that many of those dispossessed would rather live in a Palestinian state created from the West Bank and Gaza Strip than return to what is now Israel, financial compensation as well as an apology from Israel would apart from showing the world that Israel does recognise the suffering of all people and is willing to do it's part to correct the wrongs done in the past, it also removes from the agenda any claims that a right of return has to involve a physical return to Israel...

Violet...

[Pax Hayden]

21. The Jews held onto hope for return for 1900 years.

I think the Palestinians have the right to hold on for a few more decades.

[Jim Sagle]

7. Enforce it yerself. Nobody else gives a fuck.

[Aidoneus]

6. he'll jump through every hoop

and it still wouldn't be good enough. I would think that even he could figure that one out.

[bemildred]

8. Don't bother me with facts.

My mind's made up.

[cantwealljustgetalong]

13. yeah, now that he has a cement wall...

ruining his plans for Greater Palestine, he coughs up the words to satiate the 'isn't Arafat just a dearheart after all' crowd...

[bluesoul]

14. Greater Palestine?

LOL, the only thing happening is Greater Israel and land theft from Israel's side not Palestinians. Israelis are not the ones losing their terrirory and being illegally settled

[Darranar]

16. This is a very interesting article.

[drdon326]

17. And now we're supposed to rejoice??

pul-eeze...arafat will say anything to anyone at anytime
for any reason that suits any purpose.

Arafat is a bad running joke that never ends.

Thanks for the laugh.

[bluesoul]

19. So is

Sharon. If they were BOTH history it would be a good thing for all involved...