Yemeni president meets Hamas leader
AP/Ha'aretz, 4-5-2002

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday received a Hamas leader, without asking him to cease suicide attacks against Israelis, the Palestinians said.
According to the official Yemeni news agency, the two men discussed "the aggression and terrorism the Palestinian people are subjected to at the hands of the Israeli occupation troops."
On Thursday, the visiting German deputy foreign minister, Ludger Volmer, told reporters that Yemen would use its good relations with Hamas to persuade the group to "give up suicide operations completely."
Yemen has seen some of the largest pro-Palestinian rallies in the Arab world after IDF troops launched their incursion into the West Bank at the end of March.
Saleh has called on Arab nations to open their borders for Arab volunteers to fight Israel, and to sever relations with the Jewish state.

"Pilates (de Romeinse landvoogd) ging wederom uit tot de Joden, en zeide tot hen: Ik vind geen schuld in Hem. Doch gij hebt een gewoonte, dat ik u op het pascha een loslate. Wilt gij dan, dat ik u den Koning der Joden loslate? Zij dan riepen allen wederom, zeggende: Niet Dezen, maar Bar-abbas! En Bar-abbas was een moordenaar." (Johannes, 18)

Die vraagstelling ligt momenteel weer op tafel: JEZUS of BARABBAS? Waar kiezen we voor..?
Kiezen we voor extreem rechts nationalisme of kiezen we voor de intellectuele bevrijding van een man die 'het Goddelijke koninkrijk' waarover in het evangelie wordt gesproken in individuele, naar bewustwording verlangende mensen plaatst?
George Bush, de man die binnen zijn geestelijke belevingswereld alleen Jezus als autoriteit erkent zal een keuze moeten maken.
Is Jezus de joodse nationalist Barabbas, waar de joden in het verleden voor gekozen hebben, of is hij de man die het joodse nationalisme afwees.
Kiezen voor Jezus is moeilijk. Maar als je voor Jezus gekozen hebt, dan zul je zijn zaak moeten dienen en niet de zaak van het extreemrechtse nationalisme, die daarom barbaars is, omdat zij de vergeestelijkte (niet-dierlijke) mens (de verstandsmens die universele rechtsprincipes verdedigt) aan het kruis nagelt.

Interpretatie 1: "Waarom beweert het boek Job, dat het heil uit de Joden is (Job 4:22)? Omdat de letter Jod de hand symboliseert, die vanuit de hemel schenkt. De Joden, bewoners van Is-Ra-El bevinden zich op het pad van inwijding, dat leidt van Is (de maan), via Ra (de zon) naar God (El)." (Uit: Het bloed van de Koning der Joden)

Interpretatie 2: Is: Verwijst naar Isis, de Egyptische godin van de magie en vruchtbaarheid. Ra: Verwijst naar Ra, de Egyptische zonnegod. En El verwijst naar de Kanaänitische godheid El.

Zie ook: Wikipedia & EL, de vader van de goden

The emergence of Israel in Canaan,
according to archaeology
The Bible and History

The Bible story covering the conquest of Canaan in the Book of Joshua does not correspond to information discovered by archaeologists. This conquest is supposed to have taken place in the second half of the 13th century BCE.
A stele celebrating a victory by Pharaoh Merenptah in 1207 BCE mentions the existence of a human group named Israel in Canaan at that time, but it also confirms the permanent presence of Canaanite cities such as Gezer even though, according to the Book of Joshua, it would have been conquered by the Israelites.
In addition, the text on the stele states that Israel was wiped out. This is of course a rhetorical exaggeration, but it does reinforce the idea that Israel was a small group of people among others living in Canaan, and not the dominant people described in the Book of Joshua.

If the story of the conquest of Canaan is not reliable, historically speaking, what was the origin of Israel? How did this human community arrive in Canaan?
According to the archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, Israel was, at least in part, an indigenous people. Excavations carried out since 1967 have identified several periods of settlement in the Central Hill Country and these have shed light on the issue of the emergence of Ancient Israel.
Finkelstein has identified three phases: a first settlement of populations in the Early Bronze Age, between 3500 and 2200 BCE. These villages and hamlets were then abandoned and resettled in the Middle Bronze Age, between 2000 and 1500 BCE. In this second phase, the network of villages became much denser. Following another abandonment, a third wave of settlement took place in the early Iron Age in the 12th and 11th centuries BCE...
All in all, Israel might have originally been an indigenous people from Canaan or nearby which settled permanently in the Central Hill Country in the early Iron Age without recourse to violence and later coalesced into a kingdom.

Egyptian Relations with Canaan
written by James Wiener, july 7, 2016

In this exclusive interview, James Blake Wiener of Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) discusses the exhibition and the countless ties that bound ancient Egypt to Canaan with Dr. Eran Arie, Curator of Iron Age and Persian Period Archaeology

Hathor mask. Timna, 13th-12th century BCE, Faience. Photo by Leonid Padrul-Kwitkowski.

The mutual influences between Egypt and Canaan are not a surprise.
There is no doubt that Egypt was the big empire of that time, and that its culture, with its mature hieroglyphic writing system, was more evolved than the Canaanite culture.

There are many important artifacts in the exhibition that reflect the mutual influences between Egypt and Canaan. Thus, out of the more than 600 objects on display, it is very hard to choose highlights. Most of the artifacts on display were found in excavations in Israel, and they are dated to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (c. 1500-1130 BCE). All of them reveal the political and cultural relations between these two powers. Here are some highlights from the exhibition in my opinion:

The Great Stele of Seti I
Today, we commemorate military victories by erecting memorials — it was no different in ancient times. This monumental stone, erected in Beth Shean by Pharaoh Seti I (r. 1290-1279 BCE), was designed to immortalize an Egyptian victory over Canaanite forces some 3,300 years ago.
The monument was carved out of local basalt stone by Egyptian artists working in Canaan. Cut into the main part of the stele are twenty-two lines of hieroglyphic script, read from right to left. The inscription begins with a date: “Year One” of the king’s reign, the third month of the summer, the tenth day. The following thirteen lines are devoted to the pharaoh’s titles, and words of praise for his courage and glorious achievements. The last part of the inscription describes the Egyptian victory in the area of Beth Shean.

The Statue of Ramses III
The statue of Ramses III (r. 1186-1155 BCE) was discovered at Beth Shean, which was an Egyptian stronghold at the time of the Bronze Age collapse. His names are inscribed at the shoulders of the statue.
The Egyptian empire had weakened during the reign of Ramses III, but Egypt was still able to maintain its rule over Canaan. This is the only life-size statue of an Egyptian pharaoh ever found in Israel. The statue was carved out of local basalt stone, clear evidence that it was made in Canaan. However, the artistic style tells us that the sculptor was Egyptian.

Column Capitals
Two impressive column bases were found in the central hall of the Egyptian governor’s palace at Beth Shean. The columns placed on these bases were carved of cedar tree trunks and have not survived, but the two capitals belonged to these columns. Capitals of this type, in the form of a splaying papyrus flower, were very popular in Egypt.

A Sphinx Fragment from Hazor
The sphinx is a mythical creature, a hybrid of a lion’s body and a human head. Only the front paws of our sphinx have survived. But with a stroke of good fortune, the name of the Pharaoh Menkaure (fl. 2530 BCE) is carved between the paws. The size of the fragment allows us to calculate the dimensions of the full original sculpture. It would have been about 170 cm (66 in) long, and weighed an estimated half a ton. It was a monumental sculpture, made in a royal workshop in Egypt.
The sphinx was already more than a millennium old when it was given as a valuable official gift to the ruler of Hazor or presented to a local temple. We do not know why this particular sculpture was chosen; but given its enormous weight, we can assume it was sent by sea from Egypt to one of the Mediterranean ports – either Akko or Tyre – and then brought overland to Hazor.

An Egyptian Stele showing veneration of a divine triad
The wonderful state of preservation of the stele allows us to appreciate the bold colors with which it was painted. It is a private Egyptian stele showing veneration of a divine triad.
Surprisingly, two out of the three are Canaanite and not Egyptian gods. The stele is divided into two sections. In the lower section, the scribe Ramose and his wife are seen kneeling in a gesture of veneration toward the three deities depicted in the upper section.
The central deity is the Canaanite goddess Qedeshet, standing naked on the back of a lion. Her figure carries a connotation of eroticism and fertility. On the right is the Canaanite warrior-god, Reshef, who was associated also with healing and fertility. On the left is the Egyptian god, Min-Amun-Ra,

UN Workers Protest in Jerusalem for Palestinian Rights
PalestineChronicle, 5-5-2002

The staff of the United Nations Agencies UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO WFP, ILO, UNESCO, and OHCHR, in protest against the military incursions of the Israeli government into Palestinian areas in violation of UN resolutions, international humanitarian law and treaties, are holding a sit-in strike at the UNDP offices in Jerusalem.
In a statement released by United Nations staff in Jerusalem, it was stated, "the staff call upon the international community to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian areas, to demand the implementation of all UN resolutions by the State of Israel and to demand access of the United Nations for the purpose of providing essential humanitarian aid to those in need."

Condoleezza Rice said setting a specific timetable for tackling the most difficult of the issues between the two sides, including contentious Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas, would not be productive at this time.
"We are not going to get ahead of ourselves," Rice said. "We are going to look at where we are. We are going to talk to the prime minister about what he has in mind and then we'll see what the next steps are."
Specifically, Rice said the Palestinian leadership must be "democratic, transparent and non-corrupt... what we ask of every government in the world. And we are going to start demanding [that] of the Palestinian leadership." (Ha'aretz, 5-5-2002)

Commentaar WD 2002

Je kunt je afvragen wat de academisch geschoolde Condoleezza Rice verstaat onder democratie. Mag je de leiding van de joodse staat, een staat die miljoenen (statenloos gemaakte) mensen het recht ontzegt te beslissen over hun eigen lot democratisch noemen?
De door Israël bezette gebieden (de staat Palestina in wording) bestaat momenteel uit 3.5 miljoen Palestijnen en driehonderdduizend Israëlische kolonisten.
Wanneer je democratische wetten laat gelden mag je de vraag stellen: Wie heeft meer recht van spreken: de 3.5 miljoen gegijzelde Palestijnen, die gedwongen worden op twintig procent van het Palestijnse grondgebied te wonen? Of de driehonderdduizend kolonisten, die de resterende 80 procent opeisen?
Het is leuk om hete hangijzers in de ijskast te hangen, maar wanneer dat uitstel geweldexplosies in de regio veroorzaakt, dan zul je wel moeten erkennen dat jouw morele lafheid daar de oorzaak van is.

Waarom, zo moeten we ons eindelijk eens gaan afvragen zijn moralisten zo gruwelijk traag en lui wanneer het aankomt op het beantwoorden van werkelijk belangrijke morele vragen? Waarom noem je jezelf moralist wanneer je weigert in fundamentele kwesties, die een morele stellingname van je eisen, moreel te zijn?
Je kunt de moraal niet in een oneindig verre toekomst projecteren. Je kunt niet zeggen dat de moraal vandaag niet ter zake doet. Dat is het grote bedrog van de kleinburgerlijke moraal. Werkelijke morele vraagstukken onder de tafel schuiven. Niet gewoon stellen dat recht 'recht' is, maar zaniken en zeuren over onbeduidende bijzaken, die uiteindelijk alleen maar leiden tot het ontstaan van dood, ziekte en ellende..., en uiteindelijk (wat mogelijk ook de bedoeling is) van de vernietiging van het recht..

Sharon's Peace Plan
Pattrick Johnson, PalestineChronicle, 6-5-2002

The Israeli plan for peace is corralling and penning the entire West Bank. The Gaza Strip is already completed. In essence the Palestinians will be confined in a big escape proof, freedom robbing compound - zoo if you like - at the bemusement and satisfaction of Sharon and those Israelis that will undoubtedly endorse his plan, calling it 'security' and 'peace' from the rutalities of the Palestinians...

The Sharon Plan calls for the large outer perimeter fencing and security measures exacted from Palestinian territory. The remaining West Bank will become a bridged territory for the Palestinian people.
A non-contiguous territory fragmented by numerous (and expanding on an escalated and prioritized process) Israeli settlements - excuse me, 'subdivisions'. Sharon will not dismantle any of the settlements and will not withdraw from any of the territories.

His plan calls for all settlements to be protected and integrated by this massive fencing scheme and the building of tunnels to allow the Palestinians to get between the non-contiguous zones.
There will be the need for additional expropriation of land to integrate all of the settlements and the increasing of the Jews only bypasses and roadways.
Central to this plan will be a massive military and police buildup ecessary to provide security for this massive prison.

Cost and payer? Any reasonable expectation would be in excess of 20 billion dollars, with guarantees of yearly aid increases from the American taxpayer to Israel to pay for the increased military and police security measures.

Anet Bleich werkt voor de Volkskrant. Zij behoort tot een generatie die nooit enige werkelijke principes heeft verdedigd: de jaren-zestig-generatie (ook wel de Babyboomer generatie genoemd).
Die generatie heeft ons geen principes geschonken, maar opportunisme. Men strijdt niet voor principes, maar voor het eigen gelijk, niet omdat gelijk hebben moreel juist is, maar omdat gelijk hebben morele onzekerheid uitsluit, in een tijd waarin de massa het voor het zeggen heeft.
Gelijk hebben en moreel bezig zijn worden in een primitieve, anti-intellectuele wereld altijd met elkaar verward. Gelijk hebben is het principe van de macht. Het is dat principe dat het werk van de schrijver Willem Frederik Hermans bij tijden onleesbaar maakt. Hermans (astrologisch gezien een man die sterk onder invloed stond van de bazige, tirannieke tekens Leeuw en Schorpioen) benadrukte in zijn polemieken voortdurend 'het eigen gelijk'. Hij schreef in feite ook om te winnen - een heilloze gedachte, die in strijd is met het eerlijk willen zoeken naar moraal...
Werkelijke moraal wil niet winnen. Werkelijke moraal sluit winnen niet uit, maar is ook bereid zichzelf tot verliezer uit te roepen, wanneer erkenning van de nederlaag in dienst staat van de moraal.
In de artikelen van Anet Bleich komt het woord 'verliezen' niet voor. Nooit wil zij afstand doen van onzinnige idealen en principes in dienst van de moraal.

Anet Bleich studeerde politieke wetenschappen aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA). In 1969 en 1970 was ze tijdens haar studie lid van de Werkende Jongeren Groep, die ontstaan was binnen de linkse studentenbeweging van de universiteit. Behalve Anet Bleich was ook haar partner Max van Weezel lid van deze groep. Ze was van 1972 tot 1977 lid van de Communistische Partij van Nederland (CPN).

In de jaren zestig en zeventig verdedigde zij het marxisme en de Duitse Democratische Republiek (een nep-democratische staat die geterroriseerd werd door zich 'democratisch' noemende communisten).
Toen het communisme viel ging ze op felle wijze tekeer tegen diegenen die het communisme veroordeelden. "De kleinburgers komen uit hun holen gekropen", schreef zij in de Volkskrant, die het natuurlijk van harte met haar eens was.

Anet Bleich koos echter niet voor het verdedigen van de democratie. Toen de DDR viel stapte zij over op de trein van een andere ideologische groepering: de zionistische nepdemocratie (een democratie die niet het bezit is van 'het volk', maar van 'het joodse volk').
Zij verdedigt in haar artikel haar geloof in de juistheid van 'de joodse staat', een keuze die je rustig kleinburgerlijk kunt noemen, omdat het geen rationele keuze is.
Nu zal het mij een zorg zijn waar Anet Bleich in gelooft - ik krijg ook regelmatig Jehova-getuigen aan de deur en elke keer neem ik geduldig het blad De Wachttoren in ontvangst, waarin wordt beschreven hoe de God Jehova alle ongelovigen zal vernietigen met behulp van pek, zuur en zwavel - maar wat ik haar wel kwalijk neem is het feit dat zij zichzelf in een zich 'links' noemende krant presenteert als rechtse kletstante.
Een joodse staat, die niet gebouwd is op rationele principes, is een extreemrechts idee, dat alleen door extreemrechtse mensen verdedigd mag worden. Maar wil Anet Bleich extreemrechts zijn..?

Het begrip 'joodse staat' is een heilige koe geworden en degenen die dat idool aanvallen worden nog altijd beschouwd als negatieve ketterse zonderlingen die niet begrijpen hoe zielig 'de arme jodenmensen', die 'noodgedwongen' deze keuze hebben gemaakt, wel niet zijn.
Wat Anet Bleich niet snapt is dat mensen die een heilige koe omarmen en daar voor strijden bezig zijn met het voeren van een heilige oorlog, en dat is een zaak die ze in haar Volkskrantartikel veroordeelt.
En dan kan mevrouw Bleich wel zeggen dat zij echt heel erg principieel tegen het voeren van heilige oorlogen is, maar dan begrijpt zij niets van zichzelf en haar primitieve verlangen zichzelf uit te leveren aan dwaze utopisten met nepdemocratische opvattingen.
Wie altijd achter sterke mannen heeft aangesjokt: eerst Stalin, omdat hij toch maar 'het socialisme; verdedigde.., en nu Sharon, omdat hij, hoe wreed zijn gedrag ook is, toch maar 'het zionisme' verdedigt..., die moet niet op vals-moralistische wijze andere mensen tot de orde proberen te roepen.
Waarom zou je tegen andere mensen zeggen dat ze niet hun toevlucht moeten zoeken tot een heilige oorlog? De strijd van de joden voor een exclusief joodse staat die het bezit is van joodse mensen is een heilige oorlog.
Wanneer je dus tegen de heilige oorlog bent dan is het je taak het irrationele idee van een tribalistische staat belachelijk te maken.
Maar ja, dan moet je wel eerst van je geloof afvallen en als Anet Bleich iets niet wil zijn, dan is het een afvallige, een ketter, een enkeling, een mens zonder geloof.

Alleen de enkeling, die zich realiseert dat we allemaal enkelingen zijn, is in staat de strijd aan te binden met collectivisten die heilige oorlogen willen voeren. Dat is de reden waarom de filosoof Friedrich Nietzsche dergelijke enkelingen 'Heren' noemt.
Wanneer Anet Bleich dus serieus genomen wil worden, dan zal zij de vale, goedkope boezeroen van het collectivisme moeten inruilen voor een koninklijk gewaad dat van haar een 'Dame' maakt. (Zwolle, 6 mei 2002)

UN Calls for International Protection Force
for Palestinians, Israelis
PalestineChronicle, 6-5-2002

The team that was set to investigate the potential war crimes committed in Jenin is now calling for international protection to be deployed to the area.
The team was dismantled by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, as a result of Israeli non-compliance with the mission. Isreal claimed that the team would find Isarel solely responsible and their findings would not be objective and "balanced".
In response to the dismantling of the team, Cornelio Sommaruga, a former head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, sent a letter to Secretary General Annan, stating that there was a great need for permanent peace-keeping forces to protect both Palestinians and Isarelis.

Bush sending CIA chief back to Mideast to rebuild PA security force
By Nathan Guttman and Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz 7-5-2002

President George Bush announced Tuesday that he was sending CIA director George Tenet back to the Middle East to work on rebuilding a unified Palestinian security force.
Bush, who was speaking to reporters along with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after their meeting at the White House, also outlined a series of reforms which he said the Palestinian Authority had to undertake, and which he said he had discussed with the Israeli leader.
"I think it is very important that there be a unified security force, but at the same time we need to work for other institutions, a constitution for example, development of a state that can help bring security and hope to the Palestinian people and the Israelis," Bush said.
The security force, the president added, should be a unified one that is "held accountable."
Spefically, Bush said that the PA must have "transparency, rule of law, and a treasury capable of fighting corruption."
Asked whether he had changed his mind regarding the creation of a Palestinian state, Bush replied: "I haven't changed my opinion."

A top official with Hamas, the group known for its support of the Palestinian Intifada through suicide bombings, told a Yemeni audience that such martyrdom killings are necessary and Arabs should not let international pressure convince them of otherwise.
Suicide bombings are carried out by all Palestinian groups and not only Hamas and Jihad movements. Yet, Arabs should not be hasty in judging them under US pressure, said Khalid Meshaal, head of the political division of Hamas movement.
Meshaal, based in Qatar, made his comments while at a press conference at the Taj Sheba Hotel here. He stressed that the Palestinian people are ready to die honorably and that the suicide bombings are necessary for striking a balance with the Israelis amid the weakness of Arab countries.

Responding to a US-based report that president Ali Abdullah Saleh requested Hamas to quit suicide bombings, Meshaal said that Saleh hasn t asked for a stop to such bombings, but the president asked Hamas to unify its lines with the other Palestinian groups fighting Israel.
He affirmed the continuity of Intifada until Israel's occupation forces leave Palestine.
The Palestinian people have tried negotiations but to no avail, Mesha al also said, adding that the Palestinian people and Hamas movement adhere to national unity as a strategic choice.

Mesha al made it clear that Palestinians don t need more Arab conferences and summits because they have made its strategic choice to resist the Israeli occupation.
He said to end resistance as a gesture to get officials back to the negotiating table will not happen because Hamas believes that will dispirit Palestinian resistance and shake its national unity.

Hamas leader vows to continue attacks against Israel
AP/Ha'aretz, 9-5-2002

The spiritual leader of Hamas vowed in an interview Wednesday that attacks against Israel would continue.
Sheik Ahmed Yassin said Israel's military operation in the West Bank had not crippled the organization, which took responsibility for scores of deadly attacks in 19 months of fighting.
"The operation they carried out in the West Bank has failed and will not bring them security," Yassin said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"The Palestinian people will continue the armed struggle and resistance as long as occupation exists on our land," the blind and paraplegic Yassin said. "We fear God only and we don't fear the aggression."
Yassin said the Palestinians had no other means of defense in facing the Israeli military offensives than attacking Israelis.
"When they harm and hurt Palestinian civilians their civilians will be harmed," he said. "Sharon began this war and this is a normal reaction to the Israeli massacres against Palestinians."

UK agents to help Arafat stop suicide bombers
Independent.co.uk, 9-5-2002

Britain is to send intelligence and security experts to the Middle East to help the Palestinian Authority to root out hardliners plotting fresh suicide attacks in Israel.
The move was approved yesterday by Tony Blair after the bombing of a billiard hall near Tel Aviv, in which 16 people died.
The team of about 20 is expected to be drawn from the police and security services and will advise the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, on how to prevent future attacks by groups such as Hamas. Mr Blair will hold talks on the make-up of the delegation with the US and European Union.
He said: "We are prepared to work with the Palestinian Authority in any way which is possible to make sure they have the proper security apparatus that they require and that that is properly enforced throughout the Palestinian Authority.
"We cannot have a situation where every time it seems as if there is some hope of political progress then that progress is immediately derailed by a terrorist attack."
The Prime Minister's official spokesman stressed last night that Britain was not considering sending troops to the region. (independent.co.uk, 9-5-2002)

Israel called up reservisten
The Miami Herald, 10-5-2002

Israel called up reservists just hours after the Knesset approved a military strike on Hamas bases. But weakening Hamas will be difficult.
The group's popularity has soared as many Palestinians have given up hope of negotiating peace with the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Many Palestinians also are disillusioned with Arafat's Palestinian Authority, which is widely considered to be corrupt and inefficient.
Israel's recent military offensive in the West Bank -- ''Defensive Shield'' -- killed and captured scores of Hamas militants and shattered the Palestinian Authority's infrastructure and its security forces, weakening Arafat. Israeli airstrikes last year also destroyed dozens of Palestinian Authority buildings in Gaza, but Hamas' infrastructure survived.

Hamas official: Armed resistance "only chance" against Zionists
Berlin, May 10, IRNA

A Hamas spokesman vowed that armed resistance against the Zionist regime was the "only chance" ruling out any kind of compromise with the `murderous' Jewish state.
"Following 10 years of peace process, we see our only chance in the resistance against Israeli aggression," Abdul Aziz Rantissi was quoted as saying in a brief interview with the daily Frankfurter Rundschau.
"At that time we were promised that the Gaza Strip would turn into another Singapore, instead there was only massacre and destruction," Rantissi added.

Peres Says Palestinian State Inevitable
PalestineChronicle, 12-5-2002

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres says a Palestinian state is "inevitable" and that the sooner it is established, the better. Peres said the Israelis need the Palestinians to be organized in their own state so Israel can remain a "Jewish and democratic country".
He said Israel may have been mistaken in not offering the Palestinians an independent state earlier. The Israeli foreign minister made those comments Saturday in Rome during an interview with CNN.
However, he blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for not "preventing terror", and said he expects Arafat to abide by the Oslo agreements that committed the Israelis and Palestinians to work out differences by dialogue.

Arab Leaders Wants Peace
Palestine Chronicle, 12-5-2002

While international law sanctions armed struggle, it has become increasingly clear that Palestinians need to emphasize the concept of Satyagraha as a potential cure to the disease of occupation.

Satyagraha is the policy of passive resistance as a method of gaining social and political reforms.
Inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1919, Satyagraha has been seized upon to describe many forms of opposition to government, and to explain almost any direct social or political action short of organized violence.
This may well be an effective way to Palestinian freedom. It will certainly reduce the number of deaths. And nobody has more of an interest in reducing deaths than Palestinians, who have lost more than 1,700 people during the last 20 months of the Palestinian uprising for freedom. Not to mention the nearly 25,000 who have been wounded.

Satyagraha is greatest patience and brightest faith. Palestinians have withstood 35 years of Occupation with the sort of dignity and patience symbolic of Satyagraha. Their faith in themselves and in a better future has been unwavering.
Let the momentum of Satyagraha continue to build in the name of strategy and most importantly, in the name of Palestinian humanity.

Ghandi & The Seven Deadly Sins

Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce (business) without morality (ethics)
Science without humanity
Religion without sacrifice
Politics without principle

Gandhi and non-violence

Gandhi did not claim to be a prophet or even a philosopher. "There is no such thing as Gandhism," he warned, "and I do not want to leave any sect after me." There was only one Gandhian, he said, an imperfect one at that: himself.
The real significance of the Indian freedom movement in Gandhi's eyes was that it was waged non-violently. He would have had no interest in it if the Indian National Congress had adopted Satyagraha and subscribed to non-violence.
He objected to violence not only because an unarmed people had little chance of success in an armed rebellion, but because he considered violence a clumsy weapon which created more problems than it solved, and left a trail of hatred and bitterness in which genuine reconciliation was almost impossible.

Gandhi about the Jews in Palestine, 1938
Kamat Website Info<

And now a word to the Jews in Palestine. I have no doubt that they are going about it the wrong way.
The Palestine of the Biblical conception is not geographical tract. It is in their hearts. But if they must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun.
A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb.
They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs. They should seek to convert the Arab heart.
The same God rules the Arab heart, who rules the Jewish heart. They can offer satyagraha in front of the Arabs and offer themselves to be shot or thrown in to the Dead Sea without raising a little finger against them. They will find the world opinion in the their favor in their religious aspiration.
There are hundreds of ways of reasoning with the Arabs, if they will only discard the help of the British bayonet.
As it is, they are co-sharers with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them. (Mahatma Gandhi, Mid-East 1938)

Saudi Says Arabs Are Pressuring Palestinians
By Howard Schneider, Washington Post Foreign Servic, May 11, 2002

In an effort to bolster new U.S. peace initiatives, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states have begun pressing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to stop suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud Faisal, said today.
Saud said that the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Abdullah, concluded after meeting with President Bush at his ranch in Texas last month that Bush was ready to make a credible push to rejuvenate the peace process after 19 months of violence.
In "constant" calls, Saudi officials have been telling Arafat and Palestinian officials that if the U.S. initiative is to take hold, the activities of groups such as the Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas, and Islamic Jihad must be curbed, Saud said.

"We all have been counseling that these efforts [suicide bombings] are not helpful to the peace process..
Everybody is in constant contact," Saud said. "The U.S. can pursue the vision and restrain Israel… The Arab countries have to make clear that their pursuit of peace is unfettered… Violence has to stop on both sides."