Remember Dale Carnegie?
Reader comment on article: To End the [Palestinian] Violence

Submitted by Boris Frenkel (United States), Jan 7, 2003 at 12:22

Very well said, Daniel (as usual), thank you.

Many of us know from Dale Carnegie's books that the best way to make people do something is to make them want to do it. As long as Palestinians have hope that they can achieve their goals (no matter how respectable) using violence, this violence will continue.

US government should also make clear that Palestinians have to develop and declare a single and concrete policy towards Israel in order to make claims for an independent state. Among the most important aspects for me:

1. What their ultimate goal is: return to 1967 borders, 1948 borders or destruction of Israel.
2. Palestinian definition of civilians. Since many Palestinians started to recognize that targeting civilians and accidental harm to civilians are different things, militant groups now justify their attacks by denying that most Israelites are civilians.
3. Exclude the word "humiliation" from the vocabulary of reasons for intifada as vague and subjective. Besides Palestinians did enough to humiliate themselves by demonstrating their conduct.
4. Indicate precisely without emotions what is wrong with Jewish settlements. If specific rights are violated or crimes are committed, violators should be persecuted. Otherwise, what kind of economical and political harm do these settlement represent?
We have seen that peaceful integration of cultures and economies has always been a positive factor.

As long as we don't see a clear and non-ambiguous postion from both sides, peace process will remain in coma.

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