Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., January 11, 2008 Shvat 4, 5768 | | Israel Time: 21:07 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 10:59 27/11/2007
People who hate the very idea of peace
By Bradley Burston
Tags: Annapolis summit, Israel 

You know them. The people who come out every time there's any chance of anything resembling a move toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians. You know their simmering rage, their triumphant condescension, their propensity to call anyone who opposes them, at best, a wishful thinker, at worst, a dangerous traitor.

They are people for whom the very idea of peace ignites a passionate hatred. It is, more often than not, directed against people on their own side of the Jewish-Arab divide.

They will tell you that this peace, any peace, is fictitious, virtual, a fantasy, a sham. They will tell you that for true peace, you need not give up a thing.

They will tell you that this is not their idea. It is God's idea.

It is God's will that their side have everything, own everything, all the land, all of the Land, and that the other side should see that, understand that, accept that. Live with it. Or live somewhere else.

You know these people only too well. In a moment, you will see them on the bottom of this page.

They are the very first to reject the idea that there is anything resembling symmetry between extremists on the two sides. They are also the very first to illustrate that symmetry.

You don't have far to look. On Monday in Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum declared that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was promoting a "failed and dangerous" policy that undermined Palestinian unity.

"The Palestinian people's history has not seen a worst era than that of Abu Mazen as president," he said, again referring to Abbas.

A few hours later in Jerusalem, MK Zvi Hendel was addressing a rally of the Yesha settlers council, also protesting the Annapolis conference. "I'm very sorry to say we have a weak and very dangerous prime minister."

"Never before has a leader posed such a danger to the people of Israel.
There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal, and with Olmert wounded from all the police investigations he is weak enough to divide Jerusalem, free murderers and load them up with arms on their way out."

Jump cut to Gaza. Mahmoud Zahar, a founding leader of Hamas, is speaking to a rally of 2,000 people strongly opposed to Annapolis. "Anyone who stands in the face of resistance or fights it or cooperates with the occupation against it is a traitor," he says, in a clear reference to Abbas.

"The Land of Palestine ... is purely owned by the Palestinians," senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said in a speech. "No person, group, government or generation has the right to give up one inch of it."

Dissolve to Jerusalem, where settler leader Shaul Goldstein is speaking to a parallel rally.

"The people of Israel did not give you a mandate to give away its property and what belongs to it," he says.

Fade to Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh, seen as the more moderate leader of Hamas, tells the crowds "We would prefer to die than give up the land of Palestine. We will not give up one grain of the land of Palestine, and we will never recognize Israel."

Final cut to demonstration in Jerusalem's Paris Square. A sign reads "There was never a Palestinian people."

There you are. Repeat after me:

Not one inch.

You have no right.

Anyone who gives away the property of our people is a dangerous traitor.

It belongs to us, all of it.

Jerusalem is ours in its entirety.

The land is ours alone, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.

Any act is just in defense of our right to our land.

Our case, our cause is entirely, objectively just. Theirs is a flat lie.

A no to compromise is a yes to self-defense.

Peace is an illusion.

Don't even think about it.

______________


Previous blogs:

Nine reasons Annapolis will succeed
A kinship of genocide
Dying of occupation - a case of cancer and the Israeli right
Palestine, and the crime of being a Jewish state
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
'Body of 2008'
A U.K. men's magazine pays homage to Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli.
Echoes of Thessaloniki
A book on Sarkozy's Greek-Jewish roots goes on sale in Greece.
  1.   Right this time 10:17  |  MarkC 27/11/07
  2.   What`s your point,Mr.Burston? 10:18  |  Hastaroth 27/11/07
  3.   Islamic extremists and right wing Israel = peace "killers" 10:26  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/11/07
  4.   Right on the spot Beginning the end. Read it please 10:41  |  e.m 27/11/07
  5.   Part 2.Beginning the end. Read it please 10:43  |  e.m 27/11/07
  6.   There are prime examples among the talkbackers 10:48  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/11/07
  7.   Shallow attempt at equating 11:00  |  FOX 27/11/07
  8.   Margie, BB already said that 11:10  |  Yonatan 27/11/07
  9.   do you mean security when you say peace 11:14  |  joe 27/11/07
  10.   Extremists on Both sides are Mirror Images of Each Other 11:24  |  Tzfonit 27/11/07
  11.   Words of wisdom from a great Russian 11:33  |  Klaudia 27/11/07
  12.   Bradley missing the barn again... 11:33  |  Ofer 27/11/07
  13.   Yet another brilliant article 11:35  |  ScotGuy 27/11/07
  14.   Qui Bono? Who benefits by avoiding peace? 11:36  |  Natallie Durson 27/11/07
  15.   response to Bradley Burston 11:38  |  Raad Bargh 27/11/07
  16.   Israel doesn`t want peace 11:42  |  American 27/11/07
  17.   Israels idea of peace 11:46  |  Natallie Durson 27/11/07
  18.   Where This Leads? 11:50  |  Lloyd 27/11/07
  19.   an article directed at talkbackers 11:54  |  hold your peace 27/11/07
  20.   More Reasons to Hate Peace 11:58  |  Walid 27/11/07
  21.   To Natalie re - Who benefits by avoiding peace 12:05  |  Klaudia 27/11/07
  22.   IF PEACE MEANS A COMPLETE SURRENDER 12:16  |  indrajaya 27/11/07
  23.   great article 12:25  |  Mike 27/11/07
  24.   Burston is committing the fallacy of equating the two sides, 12:30  |  lakshmi 27/11/07
  25.   # 12 Ofer, a "simple" question for you..... 12:32  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/11/07
  26.   Walid 12:37  |  A.M. 27/11/07
  27.   Walid #20 Just an afterthought? 12:40  |  Tzfonit 27/11/07
  28.   False equivalence 12:42  |  peter 27/11/07
  29.   #17, Natallie Durson 13:03  |  Anton 27/11/07
  30.   Klaudia 13:14  |  Walid 27/11/07
  31.   Yonatan 13:17  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/11/07
  32.   # 7 fox 13:17  |  Axel 27/11/07
  33.   You are so right! I love you 13:25  |  Edith 27/11/07
  34.   A.M. 13:26  |  Walid 27/11/07
  35.   Bradley Burston spot on as usual 13:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 27/11/07
  36.   Swiss comparing apples and container loaders... 13:39  |  Ofer 27/11/07
  37.   Tzfonit 13:42  |  Walid 27/11/07
  38.   # 35 Chris Linthwaite - Just curious 13:48  |  17 27/11/07
  39.   Yes.. 13:48  |  cfs 27/11/07
  40.   It shows the middle needs each other.... 13:51  |  Teresa-Maria (Tess) 27/11/07
  41.   Mr. Burston, you said it! 14:02  |  Anne 27/11/07
  42.   Yes Claudia (11) , the keyword is dead souls 14:06  |  Karl 27/11/07
  43.   Bradley is right - extremists on both sides are preventing Peace! 14:13  |  Neville Chamberlain 27/11/07
  44.   Has Burston`s Brain Burst? 14:17  |  The Questioner 27/11/07
  45.   #24 Zionizt project 14:31  |  Henryk 27/11/07
  46.   Walid, you are Evading my Point 14:38  |  Tzfonit 27/11/07
  47.   I would just like to add that I experienced this problem in 1938 14:45  |  Neville Chamberlain 27/11/07
  48.   Bradley is right: I am a moderate doctor of Shoah Denial 14:48  |  Abu Mazen 27/11/07
  49.   #16 american...you are one of the goofballs 14:55  |  Lynn 27/11/07
  50.   Bradley You Know What Would Be Worse? 15:01  |  Yosemite 27/11/07
  51.   # 20 Walid....... concerning peace 15:08  |  Lynn 27/11/07
  52.   "Peace" is merely a hudna before the deluge 15:12  |  Pilly 27/11/07
  53.   #40 Tess ........Right on!! 15:13  |  Lynn 27/11/07
  54.   #38, 17 15:20  |  Chris Linthwaite 27/11/07
  55.   bradley confuses peace with appeasement 15:20  |  victor hardman 27/11/07
  56.   26 A M `local bourgeoisie` Marxism,you seem a bit confused!I 15:21  |  lakshmi 27/11/07
  57.   Why fear peace? 15:24  |  BC 27/11/07
  58.   What about the non-servers? 15:29  |  Decent or liberal 27/11/07
  59.   Walid,your equating the Illegal Israeli Presence & a genuine 15:31  |  lakshmi 27/11/07
  60.   Bradley may be right but 15:37  |  Simple Tom 27/11/07
  61.   Peace is wonderful....but only if Hamas and other terror 16:09  |  The Equalizer 27/11/07
  62.   # 54 Chris Linthwaite 16:12  |  17 27/11/07
  63.   ignorance is the true enemy 16:13  |  don 27/11/07
  64.   Tzfonit aka Bracha #10 16:16  |  Gabe1 27/11/07
  65.   # 36 Ofer 16:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/11/07
  66.   Swiss... in defense of the Israelis and Pals 16:19  |  Lynn 27/11/07
  67.   lakshmi....the whole point is 16:26  |  Lynn 27/11/07
  68.   Israeli extremists and 3% 16:26  |  peter 27/11/07
  69.   Christian Zionist & Hamas are in no way equivalent 16:40  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/11/07
  70.   #49 Say Cupcake Lynn 16:45  |  ballistic 27/11/07
  71.   # 66 Lynn 16:47  |  Swiss (Dino) 27/11/07