Dec 19, 2023·edited Dec 19, 2023Liked by Joshua Hoffman
There is one component of the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict that does not get the attention it deserves. It is the totalitarian control of the Palestinian society by those who are in charge. There is no political discourse among the Palestinians, and as a result we can only speculate what is the true nature of their viewpoint, and how it relates to Israel ,wishful thinking notwithstanding . It is painfully obvious when Palestinians are interviewed on the streets of the West Bank cities, that they are afraid to speak their mind. They mostly end up regurgitating the usual "party" line. They all know what happens to those who are labeled collaborators. In Gaza the bodies of those accused of collaborating with Israel , are often tied to vehicles, and dragged through out the streets. Recently, an old woman in Gaza who called Hamas the "dogs responsible for all the destruction", was immediately shuffled away by her relatives. Even Yasser Arafat, the father of the Palestinian resistance, famously stated that any territorial agreement with Israel, signed by him, on behalf of the Palestinian people, would mean signing his own death sentence, same as any Arab selling his land to the the Jews . To label someone a collaborator, can not only lead to torture and executions, but it can also destroy their families. It is a powerful tool available to the radical Palestinian elements, allowing them to control the populace. These draconian measures installed by the former and current Palestinian terror groups, who are currently controlling the Palestinian community, are the biggest obstacles to any meaningful discussion concerning the possibility of coexistence with the Jewish state. Even the Palestinian intellectuals residing in other parts of the world, are terrified of being accused of somehow "helping" Israel. I know personally of a Palestinian writer who questioned the way PLO was handling its funds, he was immediately attack as a collaborator with Israel. For Israel it only means it has no partner for any serious discussion which could improve the relations between the two communities. There is simply no-one with enough stature among the Palestinians, who could by pass the Palestinian anti peace groups, and conduct meaningful negotiations with Israel. The corrupt remnants of the former PLO are not powerful enough to gain respect and to dislodge the crazed Jihadists who are currently serving the Iran's Revolutionary Government. Unless there is a change in the oppressive status quo within the Palestinian Community any talk about the "Two state solution" or any other scheme leading to a peaceful harmony, among the Israelis and the Palestinians, will remain unachievable fantasy. Until then as Bismarck said in his famous speech ''The greatest questions of the day are not be decided by speeches but by a blood and Iron. ". Israel Government. Unless there is a change in the oppressive status quo within the Palestinian Community any talk about the "Two state solution" or any other scheme leading to a peaceful harmony, among the Israelis and the Palestinians, will remain unachievable fantasy. Until then as Bismarck said in his famous speech ''The greatest questions of the day are not be decided by speeches but by a blood and Iron. ". Israel aside, as long as the Palestinian people are controlled by dictatorial despotic groups which use violence to maintain control, one can only wonder what type of society those screaming "from the river to the sea" could possibly produce.,a mix of ISIS style caliphate and Somalia perhaps?, as long as the Palestinian people are controlled by dictatorial despotic groups which use violence to maintain control, one can only wonder what type of society those screaming "from the river to the sea" could possibly produce.,a mix of ISIS style caliphate and Somalia perhaps?
Such an interesting article. I believe that they are caught up in hysteria . Their victimhood possesses them with what they have been taught about their past.
Hamas representatives being interviewed; When being asked a direct question they refuse, when the interviewer persists with the question, they lose it and storm off.
Their hysteria is a foil for not facing the truth.
The Palestinians are Muslim. Islam is the religion of "submission", not only to Allah but to authority. The few Muslims who question their leaders' authority live in fear for their lives. (How many bodyguards does the "Son of Hamas" have? Probably quite a few.) So what you get ultimately is a population of submissive people who believe - or pretend to believe - every lie their leaders tell. As long as this system exists, forget about enlightening these people with truth.
I slightly disagree with the article. I don't believe you can compare this to the Germany - Israel relationship. What we are seeing in the Middle East is a clash of civilizations. The Western world vs Arabia - both look at life in very, very different ways. Israel represents the Western world in the middle of a boatload of Arab countries. We in the Western world try to understand the Middle East via Western lenses and that is not going to work. I don't think the two worlds will ever see eye to eye. I pray that I am wrong.
Thank you for writing this. I appreciate this history.
It seems futile to expect them to own their failures. Those men? I think there needs to be a denazification program and end UNRWA as they rebuild a culture that they can take pride in. It’s a huge stretch, and the thinking, typically, is in the opposite direction: double down on the claims, expand the network, bring more violence.
I’m a professor and am very worried how this is spreading w young wokesters. Emotivism has replaced critical thinking. Everything must be “decolonized” which requires simplistic umbrellas so it can be “actionable”.
Great article. But you know accepting the truth and responsibility is a task that the palestinians are entirely incapable of doing. This is because accepting the truth means acknowledging that no one in the Arab world wants them or cares about them, so being professional, grudging, infantilized victims is all they're capable of doing- ever.
I think a key point is that Islam has its tenet that, once land is conquered by Islam, Islam is the only legitimate ruler of that land in perpetuity. The prospect of such land being ruled by *Jews* is unthinkable, impossible, and therefore unacceptable to Islamic doctrine.
Hence, continuous jihad since even before 1948, but especially after, in ever-evolving forms.
I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Netanyahu (or Ariel Sharon) governments are included in this:
“By and large, Israelis don’t deny Palestinian existence, justice, or self-determination. We have no problem acknowledging that “the Nakba” — the greatest Palestinian trauma — occurred in the Jewish pursuit for self-sovereignty, whether or not it was our intention.”
There is one component of the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict that does not get the attention it deserves. It is the totalitarian control of the Palestinian society by those who are in charge. There is no political discourse among the Palestinians, and as a result we can only speculate what is the true nature of their viewpoint, and how it relates to Israel ,wishful thinking notwithstanding . It is painfully obvious when Palestinians are interviewed on the streets of the West Bank cities, that they are afraid to speak their mind. They mostly end up regurgitating the usual "party" line. They all know what happens to those who are labeled collaborators. In Gaza the bodies of those accused of collaborating with Israel , are often tied to vehicles, and dragged through out the streets. Recently, an old woman in Gaza who called Hamas the "dogs responsible for all the destruction", was immediately shuffled away by her relatives. Even Yasser Arafat, the father of the Palestinian resistance, famously stated that any territorial agreement with Israel, signed by him, on behalf of the Palestinian people, would mean signing his own death sentence, same as any Arab selling his land to the the Jews . To label someone a collaborator, can not only lead to torture and executions, but it can also destroy their families. It is a powerful tool available to the radical Palestinian elements, allowing them to control the populace. These draconian measures installed by the former and current Palestinian terror groups, who are currently controlling the Palestinian community, are the biggest obstacles to any meaningful discussion concerning the possibility of coexistence with the Jewish state. Even the Palestinian intellectuals residing in other parts of the world, are terrified of being accused of somehow "helping" Israel. I know personally of a Palestinian writer who questioned the way PLO was handling its funds, he was immediately attack as a collaborator with Israel. For Israel it only means it has no partner for any serious discussion which could improve the relations between the two communities. There is simply no-one with enough stature among the Palestinians, who could by pass the Palestinian anti peace groups, and conduct meaningful negotiations with Israel. The corrupt remnants of the former PLO are not powerful enough to gain respect and to dislodge the crazed Jihadists who are currently serving the Iran's Revolutionary Government. Unless there is a change in the oppressive status quo within the Palestinian Community any talk about the "Two state solution" or any other scheme leading to a peaceful harmony, among the Israelis and the Palestinians, will remain unachievable fantasy. Until then as Bismarck said in his famous speech ''The greatest questions of the day are not be decided by speeches but by a blood and Iron. ". Israel Government. Unless there is a change in the oppressive status quo within the Palestinian Community any talk about the "Two state solution" or any other scheme leading to a peaceful harmony, among the Israelis and the Palestinians, will remain unachievable fantasy. Until then as Bismarck said in his famous speech ''The greatest questions of the day are not be decided by speeches but by a blood and Iron. ". Israel aside, as long as the Palestinian people are controlled by dictatorial despotic groups which use violence to maintain control, one can only wonder what type of society those screaming "from the river to the sea" could possibly produce.,a mix of ISIS style caliphate and Somalia perhaps?, as long as the Palestinian people are controlled by dictatorial despotic groups which use violence to maintain control, one can only wonder what type of society those screaming "from the river to the sea" could possibly produce.,a mix of ISIS style caliphate and Somalia perhaps?
Such an interesting article. I believe that they are caught up in hysteria . Their victimhood possesses them with what they have been taught about their past.
Hamas representatives being interviewed; When being asked a direct question they refuse, when the interviewer persists with the question, they lose it and storm off.
Their hysteria is a foil for not facing the truth.
The Palestinians are Muslim. Islam is the religion of "submission", not only to Allah but to authority. The few Muslims who question their leaders' authority live in fear for their lives. (How many bodyguards does the "Son of Hamas" have? Probably quite a few.) So what you get ultimately is a population of submissive people who believe - or pretend to believe - every lie their leaders tell. As long as this system exists, forget about enlightening these people with truth.
I slightly disagree with the article. I don't believe you can compare this to the Germany - Israel relationship. What we are seeing in the Middle East is a clash of civilizations. The Western world vs Arabia - both look at life in very, very different ways. Israel represents the Western world in the middle of a boatload of Arab countries. We in the Western world try to understand the Middle East via Western lenses and that is not going to work. I don't think the two worlds will ever see eye to eye. I pray that I am wrong.
Couldn’t agree with you more Kevin!
Thank you for writing this. I appreciate this history.
It seems futile to expect them to own their failures. Those men? I think there needs to be a denazification program and end UNRWA as they rebuild a culture that they can take pride in. It’s a huge stretch, and the thinking, typically, is in the opposite direction: double down on the claims, expand the network, bring more violence.
I’m a professor and am very worried how this is spreading w young wokesters. Emotivism has replaced critical thinking. Everything must be “decolonized” which requires simplistic umbrellas so it can be “actionable”.
Great article. But you know accepting the truth and responsibility is a task that the palestinians are entirely incapable of doing. This is because accepting the truth means acknowledging that no one in the Arab world wants them or cares about them, so being professional, grudging, infantilized victims is all they're capable of doing- ever.
I think a key point is that Islam has its tenet that, once land is conquered by Islam, Islam is the only legitimate ruler of that land in perpetuity. The prospect of such land being ruled by *Jews* is unthinkable, impossible, and therefore unacceptable to Islamic doctrine.
Hence, continuous jihad since even before 1948, but especially after, in ever-evolving forms.
Before writing, DEFINE YOUR TERMS (Locke)
If you had done that, you would discover that "Palestinians" do not exist in law...any law.
They are in fact "displaced persons" in UN jurisdiction, with ~26% of those in Gaza having Egyptian names, e.g. al-Mazri.
So it isn't just Israelis that can't get along with "displaced persons", no national government in the World can. Because it is ILLEGAL.
They can’t get along because western, atheist, aristocratic wannabes refuse to let the cult of progressivism die.
Unfortunately; in this antisemitic world, “ the truth” does not set you free.
Well said!
I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Netanyahu (or Ariel Sharon) governments are included in this:
“By and large, Israelis don’t deny Palestinian existence, justice, or self-determination. We have no problem acknowledging that “the Nakba” — the greatest Palestinian trauma — occurred in the Jewish pursuit for self-sovereignty, whether or not it was our intention.”
Very well said Ian!