[Imc-dc-discuss]Unholy Alliance -- Sharon, Hamas Work in Concert Against Peace
By Rabbi Michael Lerner
Tina Staik
tstaik at cox.net
Thu, 09 May 2002 13:11:20 -0400
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Unholy Alliance -- Sharon, Hamas Work in Concert Against Peace
By Rabbi Michael Lerner, Pacific News Service, Dec 14, 2001
http://www.pacificnews.org/content/pns/2001/dec/1214unholy.html
Though enemies, Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian
militant group Hamas are working in a tacit alliance, writes PNS
contributor Michael Lerner. Their shared goal: the elimination of Yasser
Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. Lerner (RabbiLerner%20at%20tikkun.org) is
editor of TIKKUN Magazine, a bimonthly Jewish critique of politics, culture
and society, and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue in San Francisco.
The strategies of Ariel Sharon and Hamas are far less irrational than
portrayed by American media. Each has been cooperating in what amounts to a
tacit alliance to achieve a shared goal: the elimination of Yasser Arafat
and the Palestinian Authority and its replacement by Hamas. Israel's
announcement that it will not deal with the PLO any more is only one part
of this process.
Ariel Sharon has never hidden his contempt for the Oslo Accord, precisely
because it aimed to create a Palestinian state in the pre-1967 borders of
the West Bank and Gaza. When campaigning, he presented himself as the
strong military man who could play the role of peacemaker. But he always
reassured his own right-wing constituents that he had no intention of
ceding any land to Palestinians.
Sharon was the inventor of the strategy of filling the West Bank with
settlements in the 1980s to prevent any possibility of Palestinians
creating their own state. His fondest dream would be to find the political
excuses that could allow Israel to reoccupy the entire West Bank and
establish another hundred settlements.
Arafat represented a thorn in his side, because Arafat kept insisting on
returning to negotiations and on building the Palestinian state promised in
the treaty Israel had signed in the White House garden in 1993. Moreover,
the United States has made it clear that it wants Arafat in power and
negotiations in place so that Arab leaders can say to their own
populations: "See, our cooperation with the United States against Osama bin
Laden has produced a return to the peace process." But continued conflict
in the region allows Arab elites to displace resentment against the
injustices of their own undemocratic societies onto anger at Israel. So
they seek a balance: continued negotiations and an endless peace process,
but not the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
When the United States became preoccupied with the war against terror,
Sharon felt free to increase the violence and repression of the Occupation
and to accelerate the assassinations of those "suspected" of being directly
or indirectly connected to acts of terror. Those assassinations, primarily
directed against Hamas leaders, ensured that Hamas would strike back in
retaliatory blows against civilian targets within Israel.
Instead of striking back against Hamas, Israel instead has used Hamas
attacks as justification to destroy the infrastructure of the Palestinian
Authority and to debate what would be the best moment to kill Arafat. With
Arafat dead and the Palestinian Authority in shambles, Hamas would become
the prevailing force in the Palestinian world -- and the image of the
Palestinians would then be more like that of the Taliban. Sharon would be
able to portray Israel as fighting the same fight as the United States -- a
battle against terrorists -- a move he has tried with less success against
Arafat. With Hamas in charge of the Palestinian camp, Sharon could rally
much broader support, because even those of us who support Palestinian
rights would be forced to admit that a Hamas-dominated Palestine would be a
real threat not only to Israel, but also to world peace.
Hamas has much to gain as well. Convinced that the peace process is
betraying Islamic claims to Palestine, Hamas is willing to wait another 30
or 40 years until Israel tires of endless war and terror -- if, that is, it
can be assured that when Israel tires, fundamentalists will come to power.
Hamas despises the secular forces around Arafat, and worries that if the
Palestinian Authority is not destroyed it could become the government of a
secular Palestinian state. Hamas is openly contemptuous of the many
Christian Palestinians who influence the Palestinian Authority.
So it is hard for Hamas to resist the open invitation from Ariel Sharon:
Israel will do the dirty work of destroying the Palestinian Authority and
rejecting any peace process if Hamas does its part by blowing up innocent
Israeli civilians.
Sharon refuses to negotiate unless there is a period of non-violence,
thereby signaling to Hamas forces that all they have to do to block
negotiations is to escalate their terror. And if the violence gets intense
enough, Sharon will find himself "with no alternative" but to kill Arafat
and wipe out the Palestinian Authority.
This position, of course, creates an overwhelming incentive for Hamas to
engage in acts of terror.
Washington could break this cycle by threatening economic sanctions until
Israel ends the Occupation. I won't hold my breath. More likely, it will
demand new negotiations, which will drag on endlessly and give a new
facelift to endless perpetuation of the Occupation and the suffering of the
Palestinian people.
There is only one way for Arafat and the moderates to protect themselves
from this invidious alliance: unequivocally reject the fantasy of armed
struggle against Israel and convert to the principled non-violence of
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Instead of supporting or
condoning any form of violence, engage in massive non-violent
demonstrations, punish rock-throwers, and refuse to respond to the ongoing
violence of the Israeli occupation with further violence. Otherwise,
moderates may soon find themselves the victims of an all-too-clever path
that links fundamentalists on both sides. But I won't hold my breath for
this course, either.
Sharon is banking on America's focus on bin Laden to distract attention
from the level of brutality Israeli forces are using in the West Bank and
ensure that he will have political space to escalate his attacks on the
Palestinian Authority.
Unless we speak out clearly and quickly to reject his unholy, if tacit,
alliance with Hamas, the resulting chaos will likely produce ever more
frightful bin Ladens in the future -- and they are as likely to strike
America as Israel. For those of us who support Israel, this is a moment
when our voices of critique may provide the "tough love" it so desperately
needs.
COMMENTS:
Wake up, world!
Surely, the in-step momentum of the U.S. and Israel should raise questions,
just as the in-step momentum of the U.S. and al-Qaeda should as well. The
similarities are striking. Surely, the silence of EU and NATO and UN (apart
from TOKEN rebukes) regarding U.S. and Israeli military demands for secrecy
(which is point blank admission of plan for human abuse crimes), the
inhumane treatment of Palestinians and international relief workers, the
systematic destruction of Palestinian socio-economic infrastructure, should
all raise questions. Along with the silence regarding attacks on holy site
of Bethlehem, the actions AND INactions of U.S. and worldwide leaders are
an abomination to everything civilization stands for.
There can be no REAL "rule of law" if laws apply only to targeted groups,
while some are given right to place themselves above the law.
This is supremacism, racism, sexism--all related monsters that have
repeatedly led to genocide of targeted groups throughout history. Shame!
This is NO war on terrorism! This appears to be a war USING TERRORISTS, who
are trained by covert intelligence and supported by right wing groups to
STAGE attacks, assisting the "New World Order" proponents to create chaos
and war worldwide to JUSTIFY "stability" of right wing fascist totalitarian
states.
And, what is happening to European nations? Are right wing groups staging
attacks, stirring anti-Semitism, blaming it on "immigrants," creating chaos
to destabilize some of the strongest democracies to justify right wing
momentum? Isn't that the real result of French elections? Was an election
debacle staged in order that a conservative would receive a landslide victory?
In fact, everything these "New World Order" proponents say is the opposite
of what is true. The hypocrisy are lies are unprecedented! For them, war is
peace, and they have explicitly stated such.
Speak out! Say "No!" to lies and FASCISM PACKAGED AS DEMOCRACY! Say "No!"
to war as means to achieve peace! Say "No!" to international plans for
corporate fascist "New World Order"!
Best wishes,
Tina Staik
A concerned American citizen
*********************
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<font face="Verdana" size=4><b><br>
Unholy Alliance -- Sharon, Hamas Work in Concert Against
Peace</b></font><font face="Verdana"> <br>
<i>By Rabbi Michael Lerner, Pacific News Service, Dec 14, 2001 <br>
<a href="http://www.pacificnews.org/content/pns/2001/dec/1214unholy.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.pacificnews.org/content/pns/2001/dec/1214unholy.html</a><br><br>
Though enemies, Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian
militant group Hamas are working in a tacit alliance, writes PNS
contributor Michael Lerner. Their shared goal: the elimination of Yasser
Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. Lerner (RabbiLerner%20at%20tikkun.org) is
editor of TIKKUN Magazine, a bimonthly Jewish critique of politics,
culture and society, and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue in San
Francisco.</i> <br><br>
The strategies of Ariel Sharon and Hamas are far less irrational than
portrayed by American media. Each has been cooperating in what amounts to
a tacit alliance to achieve a shared goal: the elimination of Yasser
Arafat and the Palestinian Authority and its replacement by Hamas.
Israel's announcement that it will not deal with the PLO any more is only
one part of this process. <br><br>
Ariel Sharon has never hidden his contempt for the Oslo Accord, precisely
because it aimed to create a Palestinian state in the pre-1967 borders of
the West Bank and Gaza. When campaigning, he presented himself as the
strong military man who could play the role of peacemaker. But he always
reassured his own right-wing constituents that he had no intention of
ceding any land to Palestinians. <br><br>
Sharon was the inventor of the strategy of filling the West Bank with
settlements in the 1980s to prevent any possibility of Palestinians
creating their own state. His fondest dream would be to find the
political excuses that could allow Israel to reoccupy the entire West
Bank and establish another hundred settlements. <br><br>
Arafat represented a thorn in his side, because Arafat kept insisting on
returning to negotiations and on building the Palestinian state promised
in the treaty Israel had signed in the White House garden in 1993.
Moreover, the United States has made it clear that it wants Arafat in
power and negotiations in place so that Arab leaders can say to their own
populations: "See, our cooperation with the United States against
Osama bin Laden has produced a return to the peace process." But
continued conflict in the region allows Arab elites to displace
resentment against the injustices of their own undemocratic societies
onto anger at Israel. So they seek a balance: continued negotiations and
an endless peace process, but not the creation of a viable Palestinian
state. <br><br>
When the United States became preoccupied with the war against terror,
Sharon felt free to increase the violence and repression of the
Occupation and to accelerate the assassinations of those
"suspected" of being directly or indirectly connected to acts
of terror. Those assassinations, primarily directed against Hamas
leaders, ensured that Hamas would strike back in retaliatory blows
against civilian targets within Israel. <br><br>
Instead of striking back against Hamas, Israel instead has used Hamas
attacks as justification to destroy the infrastructure of the Palestinian
Authority and to debate what would be the best moment to kill Arafat.
With Arafat dead and the Palestinian Authority in shambles, Hamas would
become the prevailing force in the Palestinian world -- and the image of
the Palestinians would then be more like that of the Taliban. Sharon
would be able to portray Israel as fighting the same fight as the United
States -- a battle against terrorists -- a move he has tried with less
success against Arafat. With Hamas in charge of the Palestinian camp,
Sharon could rally much broader support, because even those of us who
support Palestinian rights would be forced to admit that a
Hamas-dominated Palestine would be a real threat not only to Israel, but
also to world peace. <br><br>
Hamas has much to gain as well. Convinced that the peace process is
betraying Islamic claims to Palestine, Hamas is willing to wait another
30 or 40 years until Israel tires of endless war and terror -- if, that
is, it can be assured that when Israel tires, fundamentalists will come
to power. Hamas despises the secular forces around Arafat, and worries
that if the Palestinian Authority is not destroyed it could become the
government of a secular Palestinian state. Hamas is openly contemptuous
of the many Christian Palestinians who influence the Palestinian
Authority. <br><br>
So it is hard for Hamas to resist the open invitation from Ariel Sharon:
Israel will do the dirty work of destroying the Palestinian Authority and
rejecting any peace process if Hamas does its part by blowing up innocent
Israeli civilians. <br><br>
Sharon refuses to negotiate unless there is a period of non-violence,
thereby signaling to Hamas forces that all they have to do to block
negotiations is to escalate their terror. And if the violence gets
intense enough, Sharon will find himself "with no alternative"
but to kill Arafat and wipe out the Palestinian Authority. <br><br>
This position, of course, creates an overwhelming incentive for Hamas to
engage in acts of terror. <br><br>
Washington could break this cycle by threatening economic sanctions until
Israel ends the Occupation. I won't hold my breath. More likely, it will
demand new negotiations, which will drag on endlessly and give a new
facelift to endless perpetuation of the Occupation and the suffering of
the Palestinian people. <br><br>
There is only one way for Arafat and the moderates to protect themselves
from this invidious alliance: unequivocally reject the fantasy of armed
struggle against Israel and convert to the principled non-violence of
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Instead of supporting or
condoning any form of violence, engage in massive non-violent
demonstrations, punish rock-throwers, and refuse to respond to the
ongoing violence of the Israeli occupation with further violence.
Otherwise, moderates may soon find themselves the victims of an
all-too-clever path that links fundamentalists on both sides. But I won't
hold my breath for this course, either. <br><br>
Sharon is banking on America's focus on bin Laden to distract attention
from the level of brutality Israeli forces are using in the West Bank and
ensure that he will have political space to escalate his attacks on the
Palestinian Authority. <br><br>
Unless we speak out clearly and quickly to reject his unholy, if tacit,
alliance with Hamas, the resulting chaos will likely produce ever more
frightful bin Ladens in the future -- and they are as likely to strike
America as Israel. For those of us who support Israel, this is a moment
when our voices of critique may provide the "tough love" it so
desperately needs. <br><br>
<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=4>COMMENTS:<br><br>
Wake up, world! <br><br>
Surely, the in-step momentum of the U.S. and Israel should raise
questions, just as the in-step momentum of the U.S. and al-Qaeda should
as well. The similarities are striking. Surely, the silence of EU and
NATO and UN (apart from TOKEN rebukes) regarding U.S. and Israeli
military demands for secrecy (which is point blank admission of plan for
human abuse crimes), the inhumane treatment of Palestinians and
international relief workers, the systematic destruction of Palestinian
socio-economic infrastructure, should all raise questions. Along with the
silence regarding attacks on holy site of Bethlehem, the actions AND
INactions of U.S. and worldwide leaders are an abomination to everything
civilization stands for.<br><br>
There can be no REAL "rule of law" if laws apply only to
targeted groups, while some are given right to place themselves above the
law. <br><br>
This is supremacism, racism, sexism--all related monsters that have
repeatedly led to genocide of targeted groups throughout history.
Shame!<br><br>
This is NO war on terrorism! This appears to be a war USING TERRORISTS,
who are trained by covert intelligence and supported by right wing groups
to STAGE attacks, assisting the "New World Order" proponents to
create chaos and war worldwide to JUSTIFY "stability" of right
wing fascist totalitarian states. <br><br>
And, what is happening to European nations? Are right wing groups staging
attacks, stirring anti-Semitism, blaming it on "immigrants,"
creating chaos to destabilize some of the strongest democracies to
justify right wing momentum? Isn't that the real result of French
elections? Was an election debacle staged in order that a conservative
would receive a landslide victory?<br><br>
In fact, everything these "New World Order" proponents say is
the opposite of what is true. The hypocrisy are lies are unprecedented!
For them, war is peace, and they have explicitly stated such. <br><br>
Speak out! Say "No!" to lies and FASCISM PACKAGED AS DEMOCRACY!
Say "No!" to war as means to achieve peace! Say "No!"
to international plans for corporate fascist "New World
Order"!<br><br>
Best wishes,<br><br>
Tina Staik<br>
A concerned American citizen<br>
<b>*********************<br>
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