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Are palestinians a people

Reader comment on item: Is There a Palestinian People? Can It be Defeated?

Submitted by Richard Martin (China), Jan 28, 2017 at 23:01

Mr Pipes writes that Palestinians believe they are a people and how they made that determination is irrelevent. I Think I am Therefore I am.

Would Mr Pipes then agree that if people of Mexican origin living in Southeast US decide that they are a unique people - the "TexMex" people and demand automony from the US that he would defend their new national "consciousness"? What about any hypenated people who reside in the border area between any two nations who see themselves not exactly a part of one or the other but a new "people" who have elected their own "leader' and formed "defensive militias" in their quest to have their own nation. would Mr. Pipes approve of them as a "people"? They think they are so they must be. Right?

National consciousness may be a part of being a "people" but where was that conciousness when Jordan ruled them from 1948 to 1967 and these west bank Arabs never rose up or demanded independence from Jordan.Somehow they "forgot" they were a unique people on a quest for a Nation and were happy to be Jordanians. For 19 years. But when Jews replaced Jordanians they "remembered' who they are. Not immediately as Egypt was still in the game to destroy Israel.

The "national" traits of palestinians living in Judea samaria are not unique qualities that set themselves off from other Arabs but quite the opposite. It is exactly the basic Arab trait that Israel must be destroyed.

The only reason you hear more about "palestinians" today is because Egypt and Jordan have given up the fight against Israel and the Caliphate objective- to destroy Israel- is falling more on a strategy of diplomacy- which is working very successfully together with sporadic terrorism. With the Syrian Assad regime - Israel's most hateful enemy, engaged in a civil/religious war for its very existence, no help will be coming from them either. Hezbollah, yes, but not now. It is up to the PLO / PA / Hamas to continue the fight until such time as new allies, like Iran will join in.

The prime objection of destroying an existing people is not a national aspiration at all. It is the same "throw Israel into the Sea" agenda but with a different strategy..

No "people" have ever defined themselves with a negative national will - as in "Our first objective is to destroy the Jewish State". Only palestinians because they are not an authentic national group. Having "Hatred For Israel" as their enduring "national" trait and the basis of their unity is an admission of the duplicitous nature of who they really are. They are simply counting time when adequate assistance from other Muslims will finally throw Israel to the sea. Until that time the Palestine entity will make life as difficult as possible for Israel.

Look at their own documents. Do they speak of who the palestinian people are or do they speak of only how to destroy Israel. That is not nationalism. That is only an angry ( and racist) crowd with weapons. The ideology of Hate never build any nation.

The PA seems to have finally realized that having a state doesn't negate your principle of destroying Israel. It actually enhances it. You can do more harm to Israel with a state then without one. And having a state requires you to show you are a "people" entitled to one. And that in a nutshell is the current PA strategy.

That you Mr. Pipes, fell for it, is unfortunate. Most of the Western World has as well. The Muslim world doesn't have to balance such niceties. They always knew exactly what they wanted and that is no Israel anymore.

Submitting....

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".

Daniel Pipes replies:

I acknowledge there are problems with letting any group decide it is a people. But the alternatives are worse. Who is the authority who will make this call?

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Reader comments (24) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Now [49 words]AlbertE.Jan 31, 2017 22:51236154
2Israel keeps losing the Public Relations war in America [208 words]Concerned from USAJan 30, 2017 08:25236066
You are totally correct. Israels P.R. lacks much. [487 words]SilverwolfApr 17, 2017 12:33236066
Are palestinians a people [619 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Richard MartinJan 28, 2017 23:01235952
Palestinans a people and can they be defeated/ [494 words]Richard MartinJan 28, 2017 02:31235914
Are palestinians a "people" an addtional comment [334 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Richard MartinJan 28, 2017 01:47235913
response to Daniel Pipes [419 words]Richard MartinJan 29, 2017 06:57235913
Are the palestinians a "people" [449 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Richard MartinJan 28, 2017 01:23235912
3The two nations states of 'British Palestine' are the State of Israel and Kingdom of Jordan. [37 words]AVJan 15, 2017 18:16235396
More details please [82 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
PezDispenserJan 15, 2017 13:32235392
Is there a Palestinian People? [14 words]dianne gallenJan 14, 2017 17:34235369
1Gypsies, Jews, Nationalism, and The American People [219 words]RobertJan 12, 2017 20:46235306
What About King Abdullah of Jordan's Contention [126 words]M. ToveyJan 12, 2017 15:30235297
3Worldwide alert: the real Arab Muslim mission! [907 words]YJ DraimanJan 12, 2017 05:05235293
Jerusalem [38 words]AnonJan 11, 2017 23:29235292
Are Palestinians a People [208 words]Liatris SpicataJan 11, 2017 21:28235288
Palestinian Arabs are Not "THE Palestinians" [189 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Jerome R VerlinJan 11, 2017 17:08235286
1The "Palestinian" identity is a veil, therefore an illusion [285 words]AnonJan 11, 2017 16:01235284
A few comments [178 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Ephraim LiorJan 11, 2017 14:16235281
The Russian dezinformatsia created the Palestinian People in 1964 [164 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Wallace BrandJan 11, 2017 12:11235279
Is There a Palestinian People [68 words]emil shehadehJan 11, 2017 11:55235278
Obstacles To Victory [180 words]DaveJan 11, 2017 11:46235277
Capital, political unit, state ect ect: these are all Western concepts with no relevance for indigenous people [15 words]SPJan 11, 2017 10:48235276
WWIII is on the way, and will not be late. [363 words]Michael SJan 11, 2017 04:50235268

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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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