Haaretz interviews Hamas vampire Abdel Aziz Rantisi
GAZA CITY - There will be no Palestinian civil war, even if Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas fails to persuade Hamas to agree to a cease-fire, senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz Rantisi said in an interview with Haaretz Tuesday...Senior officials in Abbas's Fatah party confirmed Rantisi's assessment, telling Haaretz that the Palestinian Authority's security services had no intention of making – as well as no ability to make - mass arrests of Hamas members as they did in 1996.We learn that Hamas really is debating whether to accept a ceasefire. But the internal debate is about whether accepting the ceasefire, or not, gives Hamas the greater tactical advantage in its long-term plan to eliminate the Jewish state.
he did not repudiate the statement he made last week, immediately after being wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt, that "the struggle will continue until the last Jew has left the country."and
From a religious perspective, he explained, the Jews view this land as theirs, while Muslims view it as Muslim land that must be liberated.The difference is that the overwhelming majority of Jews are satisfied with a portion of the land, while Hamas insists on having the whole thing to itself. The interview closes
This led him to a view that has hitherto been associated with those defined as the movement's "moderates": If Israel would withdraw from all the land it captured in 1967, dismantle all the settlements and enable an independent Palestinian state, "there will be an end to the struggle, in the form of a long-term truce."Observation: when somebody tells you that their fundamental goal is to obliterate your existence, it's not necessarily a good idea to enter into a "truce" with them that will enable them to destroy you in stages. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 18, 2003 08:15 AM
Leave it to Amira Hass to call Rantisi a "moderate". The term "long term truce" is not very comforting either: it probably means a few years of (relative) calm before the Arabs level the final blow on Israel, or until they breed it out of existence.
Posted by: kid charlemagne on June 18, 2003 10:28 AMIt's depressing. Bush lost his chance with our military defeat of Iraq and our troops fresh in the neighborhood to create a new paradigm - one in which Syria/Jordan/etc, the sponsors of terrorists, are feeling threatened into submission. Putting the onus on Israel to negotiate with Hamas is so pre-9/11. It never worked, can't work and focuses the Arabs to their advantage on an area, that truth be told, they don't give a damn about until it's convenient. It allows them as always to buy time.
Bush needs to clear out the hacks in the State Department whose imprintI suspect in this. And Israel should see this for the trap that it is.
you know, in 1994 or 1995, there was a horrific spate of bombings and israel threatened to go in and clean house. hamas sued for a truce and allowed for arrests, etc. rather than face the IDF. Now, the threat of IDF retaliation in gaza, which would lead to tremendous loss of civilian arab life because it is essentially an armed camp, is not even made or taken seriously, instead, we have these targeted assasinations - i truly think that, unfortunately, especially for the young boys who will die, israel will need to send 2-3 brigades into gaza in an operation defensive wall operation.
Posted by: njannol on June 18, 2003 03:24 PMIf Haaretz can find Rantisi why IDF can't? Just wandering what's going on.
Posted by: marek on June 18, 2003 04:30 PMGood question, Marek. There are two things going on here:
(1) Amira Hass is the Walter Duranty of Israeli journalism. The terrorists love her (Diana Buttu calls her a 'fabulous, fabulous woman' ) and I'm sure she can get all the access she wants. If Rantisi ever got his wish to expel all the Jews from Israel, Amira Hass would probably be the last Jew forced to leave.
(2) I'm sure the IDF knows where Rantisi is. But the Bush administration has bitch-slapped Sharon into refraining from self-defense.
"If Rantisi ever got his wish to expel all the Jews from Israel, Amira Hass would probably be the last Jew forced to leave."
I disagree, Stefan. "The good Jews" get thrown in the oven at approximately the same time and with approximately the same fervor as those that aren't quislings.
Posted by: James on June 18, 2003 05:31 PMWell, my faith in Bush Jr. is vanishing very fast. While I believe that Bush thinks that he is acting in the best interest of the USA, the Saudi connection is casting longer and longer shadow.
I hope that Sharon believes too that this is the best deal Israel can get, but sure this does not inspire a great deal of a confidence.
Let's not forget that Bush gave Saddam a chance to leave peacefully before he unleashed the power of the US military. He also gave the Taliban a chance to hand over Osama. Come to think of it, he gave the UN Security Council 'one last chance,' also. This is Bush's style . . . "Hey, you had your chance, now I get mine."
Patience. I see that there might be some destruction zones ahead on the 'Road Map' - perhaps after the (re-)election.
Posted by: ipsofacto on June 18, 2003 08:41 PMYes, and the "extremists on both sides" are "equally" at fault...
Could anyone show me a parallel 'extremist' on the Israeli side?
Which organization inside Israel promotes and ACTS to kill all Arab Muslims WORLDWIDE???
(Sorry, "tranfer" is not EXTERMINATING!)
Arab "freedom fighters", they fight freedom alright.
From babies on buses.
James is right, remember the kids at Liberal left Kibbutz Metzer butchered by in 'palestinian' "freedom fighters" intruders, or the Anti Zionist Ultra Religious Jewish kids in Jerusalem... targeted by Arab Muslim 'palestinian' Homicide Bombers.
Sure they're 'merely' against 'zionists'.
And pigs fly too.
Yes but remember the deprivation that the Palestinians excist in. They cant strike a final blow on Isreal not now not ever what they can do is resist, and resist they will. As lands which they have lived in for generations are continually eaten up by Jewish settlements and Zionists intent on a greater Isreal push them into smaller and smaller spaces these people can only admire those amongst them who refuse to ceed land. I won't sit here and kid on that blowing up buses of civilians is excuseable, but you can expect more of this the less you give them to lose the worse it will get.
I for one see the only the solution is a peace treaty ceeding land back to rightful owners. Your despised rewarding terrorists. Palestinian lies pah.
Posted by: George W Bush on June 27, 2003 07:57 AM