Doing harm to Israelis does not translate into helping Palestinians. Obviously.
For example, consider the Palestine refugees from the war of 1948-49. Unlike all the other refugees of the late 1940s, they who have been prevented from settling in their places of refuge. Maintaining Palestinians in a stagnant refugee status through six decades and several generations serves the anti-Israel cause by keeping them posed as a dagger at Israel's throat. Exploiting Palestinians as a weapon against Israel counts far more than their own welfare.
Therefore, I avoid the term pro-Palestinian; it's almost always anti-Israel. (April 8, 2010)
Jan. 8, 2023 update: Eric Rozenman makes this point at "'Pro-Palestinian' Means No Such Thing." An excerpt:
Ever attend a rally or lecture advocating improved standards of living or civil rights for Palestinian Arabs under jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank? On behalf of those repressed by the Hamas Islamic theocracy in Gaza? Or those subject to the authoritarian governments of neighboring Arab countries? Me neither.
Such pro-Palestinian events don't happen. Instead, events ballyhooed as pro-Palestinian can be described accurately as anti-Israel. ... A genuine pro-Palestinian rally or U.N. resolution would call for liberation of Palestinian Arabs from their Palestinian tyrants. Until then, it's the old anti-Israel vaudeville.
Mar. 27, 2023 update: Bassam Tawil echoes the argument at "The Real Meaning Of 'Pro-Palestinian'." An excerpt:
The "pro-Palestinian" activists on campuses have again proven that all they have to offer is hatred toward Israel. The real "pro-Palestinian" advocates are those who want to see a good life for the Palestinians, not those who encourage them to embrace terror groups.
See recent outstanding comments.
