I've tried to post this a few times on Justin Webb's blog to no avail. Can I link to this? Let's see.
Marbles, thanks, I ask because I have followed goings on in the ME since 1970. I lived in Saudi for 15 months, aged 10 and have been interested ever since. Then I used to wave at King Faisal (and he waved back) when he spend Ramadan in Taif. There, women could not drive (and still cannot), alcohol was banned (you could get away with drinking home brew, but just don't give it to the locals).
I then spent a good few school vacations in Jordan in the late 70s while the new Amman airport was being built. I worked on the project, and I know what Inshallah means in practice, rather than in theory.
I met many Palestinians, saw Palestinian camps, know why they existed despite the financial donations, and had guns pointed at me. I know why it's OK to have close encounters with donkeys, and why drivers overtake around bends and indeed anywhere they cannot see oncoming traffic (it's that Inshallah thing).
I understand why the Israelis behave the way they do, and I understand why the Palestinians react.
That said, I do not understand why the Israelis continue to build settlements, or why voting Hamas can end in anything other than tears. I believe that Arafat had a chance of securing sovereignty and peace but he was more interested n power, and so the area has lost 10 years of peace and prosperity. I do not believe though that the Palestinians deserve nothing.
Real Change
2 years ago
8 comments:
I despair. I've written to the BBC again.
Justin Webb's blog (why isn't it listed).
I am getting really fed up with posts being "referred to the moderators" even when the post DOES NOT breach house rules. When are you going to start using 'Intellegent Software', or even moderators with brains? Nation shall speak unto nation, unless the BBC cannot undetstand. And the BBC cannot understand.
I can't see why the Mods (who are as Gods) could object to the posting. My only observation is that I can understand why Palestinians voted for Hamas - sheer desperation and frustration and nothing to lose.
Salaam/Shalom
ed
Perhaps the whole process is a form of
Mystery Theater akin to that which we
used to watch on PBS?
I don't understand why I can't post
links to my blog, although I can
post a link to Pravda.
I told my congressman this, and he
broke out laughing. (No, I didn't
go and see him just about the BBC
moderation policy.)
Oh, and to chime in, the PLO was,
of course, notoriously corrupt.
Arafat was worth $2 billion when
he died. So, the average Palestinian
may have felt the same way about
the PLO that we do about our Wall
Street execs.
OK, when I say that I don't understand why Hamas got voted in, I can actually understand why given the alternative of PLO/Fatah. Two party states, who wants them?
I know only what I've read of the Palistinian/Israeli conflict and at fifty four it has been going on as far back as I remember, and we know it truely started with Israel at it's inception. I fear it may also end with its destruction.
Hey good post - but Im with te Palestinians!
And Everton -check out my new film - Wembley and Jerusalem her we come!
Looks as if the moderation on the BBC site is consistantly strange.
Joe Six-pack
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