Yasser Arafat Quotes

This was an interview with Reuters News Agency in English. Arab leaders often make English Statements to the Western Press which are completely contradictory to what they say to their Arab constituents and followers. In this case he seems to acknowledge that Hamas and he do not deny the right of Israel to exist and accepts that nation per se. Yet at the same time Meshaal has never made this statement in Arabic and has made no gesture to change the Hamas Charter which calls for the destruction and elimination of Israel or to criticize the Hamas other leaders and followers who constantly call for “Death to Israel” and the destruction of the Jewish state. See {585395} for an eloquent statement of the practice of Arab leaders and politicians.

A terrorist organization. Yassin was killed in a high tech Israeli Military operation.

His views are a mix of modernism and fundamentalism. He favors democracy and elections but also favored the Taliban destroying the great ancient Buddha statues when he was called an idol worshipper for urging the preservation of art.

”Palestine” to the Arabs of the area meant the territory of the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel itself. They wanted to expel the Jews and or take over the whole area as a single state—Palestine—with an Arab majority. With the Israeli Defense Forces successes under Dayan, this notion of Palestine was “finished”. The notion of a Palestinian State which included the West Bank and Gaza but not Israel was then negotiated and these negotiations were ongoing for years. Minorities of Arabs and Israelis did not want to see a any Palestinian state that did not include Israel proper, and they blocked it whenever they could.

This is an example of a diplomatic leader losing control of herself and addressing a foreign dignitary in most undiplomatic language. The basic accusation was however quite justified. The Palestinians were preoccupied with many symbols of dignity and respect while ignoring economic development, technology, health and standard of living that could have been obtained by a compromise with Israel to create a Palestinian state.

Jerusalem has been disputed by the Israelis and the Arab nations surrounding the city. Both want it as their capital, and both have historic and religious claims on it. When Jerusalem was under Arab control. However no Jew was allowed in the City, even to pray at the holiest of Jewish places, the Western Wall. When Israil gained control, there has been not only free access for Muslims, but they gave the Muslims control over the Temple Mount--holy to both religions. So for Rabin, if Israell does not control the city, Jews will not have access as has been shown by recent history, and the United Nations has deminstrated so often, they will not use force to maintain their committments to protect people or assure access to areas.

Syria was launching and supoorting Palestenian terror attacks Israel, and then was complaining when Israel retaliated. The American Ambassador, a known pro-Arab, even suggested that the Syrians curtail their support for the terror attacks.

The PLO and most of the Arab nations, took the position that the United Nations original partition of Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian nations -- UN General Assembly Resolution 181 – was “illegal”. That view has served as the basis for the Arab Israeli problems since. The basis of the illegality they claimed was the right of the Palestinians to self determination. However, it is a right which they deny to the Jews living in Palestine who also had a right to self determination. The UN solution was to partition the land into two nations so that the each had the right of self determination. However, the Arab leadership wanted only Arabs to have the right of self determination.

This resolution has never been rescinded. Some Arab states have abandoned this resolution and negotiated peace and recognition such as Egypt. The majority of the Arab States did and do not want peace with Israel. They did and do not want to recognize Israel and they did and do not want to negotiate. But they often blame Israel for being intransigent in the peace process. Many Arabs want a peace treaty and want to negotiate but the extreme rejectionists generally dominate Arab politics.