Daniel J. Pipes

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What "Palestinians?"

Reader comment on item: Polls, Palestinians and the Path to Peace

Submitted by yonason (United States), Feb 18, 2003 at 15:49

This masterful article contains one discrepancy. I wish it were small, but it is not. It is one we have become so accustomed to, we don't even notice it any more, but it is at the very core of the problem.

The "Palestinians" are no more a Nation than, say the "North Americans" who might protest the brutal Canadian occupation of their land. They are a separate "People" as are the "Asians", or "Africans" i.e., not.

Yashiko Sagamori writes,
(www.middleeastfacts.com/Articles/Yashiko/Palestinians.shtml),
concerning the nation of "Palestine":

"When was it founded and by whom?
What were its borders?
What was its capital?
What were its major cities?
What constituted the basis of its economy?
What was its form of government?
Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat?
…etc., etc., ..."

The "Palestinians" are a fiction, and the pretense of their nationhood precludes any really sensible solution to the problem.

That fiction of the independent and ancient nationality of these Arabs is the foundation of their false claim to the heart of historic Israel. The "legitimacy" of their "struggle," and justification of all the barbaric methods they use, derives from this lie. If we stop telling that lie, many of the "problems" might solve themselves.

yonason

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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