Analysis / Congress keeps one eye on the Jewish lobby

Hi Penny, I hope you are doing well there in Toronto; hopefully its not to cold up there. Read you?re posting and thought about what you said ?Jews and Palestinians living together peacefully,? and that ?Israel should take a page from Canadians.? Well this is a very nice analogy; you must understand that Toronto, Canada is a much different place than the Middle East. Stating otherwise simply ignores the facts on the ground. One must have a firm understanding of the history of the State of Israel, and the experiences of Jews when they were living in Arab lands prior to 1948, penny. When Mizrahi Jews, now included within the scope of Sephardic Jews, were living in Iran, Iraq, and other Muslim countries they were relegated to non-citizens, treated like dirt, were spit upon, humiliated, denied jobs and were physically abused. They were later expelled from these Muslim lands with the creation of the State of Israel following the Holocaust. In Israel, whether you are an Arab or a Jew, you are granted full rights, just like in Canada. Now as for Palestinians who are not residing in Israel proper, they obviously are not citizens of the State of Israel. Canada?s geographic location gives it the comfort of not having to deal with the chilling realities of the Middle East. Get the facts straight, please. Palestinians were not uprooted from their homes. When Israel declared statehood, the Muslim countries told the Palestinians who were living in Israel to leave, because after Israel was destroyed, they could come back as victors. The government of Israel repeatedly told them to stay put, and they would be ok. The Palestinians listened to their neighboring Muslim nations, and fled to Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt with the notion of coming back after the Jews had been destroyed. Of course, history did not turn out that way, and these people who chose to leave, could not be welcomed back after turning their back on the State of Israel, and their fellow citizens. As for peace making, Israel has offered the Palestinians peace at every step, only to be rejected each time. The framework of Oslo, land in exchange for Peace, which the Palestinians violated and looked upon as a joke, to the 2000 Camp David Peace Talks, that yet, again the Palestinians rejected. The false notion ?that when the occupation ends, so will the violence,? is a distortion. It was Israel who was attacked by the Muslim countries, only to be outnumbered and still defeat them. Gaza and the West Bank were held as a buffer zone, and to be given back under a peace agreement. Prior to this Penny, the PLO was already conducting terrorist attacks inside of Israel proper and today, the Palestinians continue to reject the idea of peace, they just say they do and then completely violate the Road Map by refusing to dismantle terrorists groups. When the respective leaders of the Palestinians refuse to arrest and bring to justice, Hamas and other terrorist organizations, then Israel has a free hand to stop the brutal killings of its citizens. Many of the victims are in fact, the elderly and the young. If you terrorize the innocent, then you have already made your own fate. I cannot understand how someone who grew up in a civilized country can equate the deaths of innocent men, women, and children to their murderers. Unfortunately you are in complete denial of the facts.

You are misunderstanding and misquoting me. I think we should all try to "Understand the other person's reality and then TRY to MAKE OURSELVES UNDERSTOOD". In Canada there are people of every religion of the world and some are white and some are "Visible Minorities". Regarding affinity with someone, in North America Skin Color is more important than Religion. What is a Semite? A blond jew or a dark haired arab who could be muslim or christian? They do not kill one another although they have different religions. No one is denying what the Nazis did in Europe against jews, gipsies and disabled people, it was genocide. But please do not use the word antisemitism whenever someone says anything about Israel's agressive policy, that's really belittling the meaning of antisemitism. Please tell me: is it ok for the Settlers and the Israeli Army to make life so difficult for the Palestinian farmers in order to convince them to give up and leave? There is a high rate of suicides in Indian reservations in Canada, especially among young people. They surely don't go and blow up themselves together with innocent civilians. What I'm trying to say is that if you have hope in a better future, you don't want to die. I see a culture of hatred, mistrust and demonization of the Other being fostered from both sides. I hope peace loving Israelis and Palestinians will form together a Strong Peace Movement. There are stupid bad people on both sides. Penny

I personally am no more willing to accept the existence of Israel if the existence of Israel entails making gentiles second-class citizens than I was to accept the existence of South Africa when South Africa entailed making blacks second-class citizens. All Israel has to do is to confer the same status on gentiles that Jews have in the USA.

1) "Palestinians have an innate right to a homeland; Jews have no such right" I'm not sure ANY ethnic group has a right to a homeland, but I am sure no ethnic group has such a right if that right means taking away the rights of other people. 2) The Jewish trauma of the 40's exists, but it does not give Jews the right to mistreat any other group. 3) Bad actions by anyone else do not excuse Israeli bad actions. The same rules apply to everyone. 4) SOME of the hostility toward Israel is the result of actions Israel has taken.

Anti-semitic constructions: Palestinians have an inate right to a homeland, Jews have no such right The Palestinian trauma of the 1940s is still significant, the Jewish trauma of the 1940s is ancient history, never happened, or they deserved it. OPEC, the Sauds, CAIR, MCB, OIC are not Arab/Muslim efforts to lobby western opinion. AIPAC is, and it is evil. The bad blood between Arabs and Jews is a function of Jewishness. Arabs have never done any wrong.

I think Israelis can learn from Canadians how to leave peacefully together. I'm against violence and discrimination, Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live peacefully side by side. The State of Israel is the strongest in the Middle East. Israel has Nuclear Bombs and knows that no other State in the region can threaten its existence. This mentality of living in a fortress surrounded by enemies is wrong, suicide bombing is a horrible crime, but also the killing of that old muslim cleric on a wheelchair( I think his name was sheik Iassin) was a horrendous crime, killing Hamas leaders together with their neighbors is a crime against humanity. Israel can make peace with the Palestinians. I still cannot understand how a Torontonian who happens to be a jew by religion has the right of "return", but the people who were evicted by war cannot. Why the settlements on lands occupied in 1967? Israelis should wake up to the realitiy that their leaders lied, previous governments Labour or Likud expanded the borders of Israel at the expense of Palestinian lands. I consider myself a friend of Israel and Palestine. Penny from Toronto.

Apart from a generalized opposition to all things Israeli, the Palestinians have no game plan. Declining international interest in and support for the Palestinian cause, has made their box smaller than ever. Hamas wants matryrdom. Fatah wants the status quo. Not much to hope for, for them.

Khalid, I am sorry that the truth is a blow to Palestinian pride, but the fact is, as you should know as a sophisticated journalist, is that Gaza had no strategic value to Israel and was a good test of the ability to unilaterally separate from your people. Israel has and has always been a country of humanist values and I would think that if it was about "occupation" in retaining Gaza the strip could have simply been carpet bombed into submission. You ignore most of the comments of my post and the simple fact that without the hatred of Israel, Palestinians would be strongly divided and warring by clan, religion, and social standing. I doubt historically there has been a people so desiring peace as Israelis with a people so committed to violence and religious fanaticism. You do nothing to bridge the gap by your posts, but to educate that peace is not possible. What a pity.

At a time when the 25% of the public approves the work of the congress and up to 60 congressmen are under investigation for fraudulent behavior, any mass voting for Israel or against the Palestinians must be suspect. True, mant congressmen are pro Israel because of their fundamentalist Christian worldview, but the influence peddling of K street lobbyists cannot be discounted. It does not serve the interests of the U.S.

"But israel firsters such as you..." LOL, Veritas Anyone who uses "mulcted" in a sentence deserves a response. In the first place, I have no great affection for Sharon's government. But I do believe that Israel has a right to exist. Secondly, I can make a distinction between Jews, Israelis, Jews and Israelis who support the Sharon government, and Jews and Israelis who do not support the Sharon government. Apparently, these fine distinctions mean nothing to you. I suppose you believe that all Jews are the same. "You've seen one, you've seen them all," eh Veritas? Well, Mr. Truth, there are plenty of Jews that I don't like, but more that I do. I even have Jews in my family. I guess I'm a "jew Lover." I've only known three Israelis, and I liked them. And, the last time I spoke with them, they weren't too thrilled with the Sharon government either.

For an institution that "controlls congress",it is/was getting a lot of FBI attention.How so if they controll congress.? The perfect losers excuse."Sir it is not fair he works harder than I do". If your claim is true,get off this website and go and work twice as hard as Aipac.Crying "victim" is getting a bit passe.

How so? "Shove it" a real intelligent remark.Any other persuasive arguments??

The murderer of hundreds of thousands of people,ally of the Palestinians,openly supported by Arafat. Isn't it time you people got off your moral high horse. PS Being the hands on heart American patriot that you claim to be(as is obvious by your choice of name),would you pontificate about dual loyalty if an American poster called himself "Israeli Technology"? Are you going to avoid and evade now?

You state: "And, as far as influence with the Congress goes, look to the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) which is vastly more influential than AIPAC could ever hope to be." But AARP lobbies my government on behalf of a large segment of American society for the benefit of Americans. APIPAC lobbies my government on behalf of a foreign government and its actions are overwhelmingly detrimental to the best interests of America and most Americans. But Israel firsters such as you really couldn't care less as long as Israel gets what it wants from us. Your further state: "You have bought into the myth of the All-Powerful AIPAC lobby, hook, line and sinker." Of course AIPAC and all other the Israel firsters over here want the mass of Gentile Americans to believe that the Jews and Jewish organizations such as AIPAC are too small in numbers and influence to really affect American practices and policies elsewhere in the world. They operate best in the dark, like those creepy crawly things that scurry back to darkness when one overturns a rock. You and others like you can bray all you wish about being powerless over here, but your protestations merely remind me that I never heard of a con man who wanted his victims to realize they were being conned until he was safely out of town with their money. And Israel and its minions over here have no intention of ever leaving the American town as long as there is one more dollar or one more bit of military or political support left in the USA to be mulcted in support of Israel.

Don't forget the Christian Zionists. Their power is perhaps not as great as that of AIPAC in the US Congress, but they are very, very strong and influential within the Republican Party. And they mostly support a "Greater Israel" including even Gaza. I have seen a number of Christian television shows which blame, for example the devastation of New Orleans as God's punishment for pulling out of Gaza. Christian Zionists may not have the finances of AIPAC, but they control millions of voters, and their leaders (Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer, others) have threatened that their voters will stay home if Bush pressures Israel too much.

Putting aside your rather tortured psychological explanation, it is fair to ask if any of the allegations are true. If so, why not raise the issue?

After recent revelations of AIPAC's role in acting as agents of the Israeli government, it would be criminal for NSA not to monitor AIPAC

"$25 millions spent by AIPAC a year to fund congressional elections..." - El-Birawi Sorry, old man, but AIPAC doesn't contribute one thin dime to anyone running for the US Congress. I'll try one more time. AIPAC is a LOBBYING organization, not a PAC, and is precluded by law from making political campaign donations. And, as far as influence with the Congress goes, look to the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) which is vastly more influential than AIPAC could ever hope to be. If you don't believe me, ask yourself what happened to George Bush's attempted assault on social security. A snowflake in hell, as they say, has a better chance of surviving than did Bush's stillborn proposal to diddle with social security. The AARP led the charge in defeating that particular harebrained scheme, and with one hand tied behind its back, by the way. You have bought into the myth of the All-Powerful AIPAC lobby, hook, line and sinker.

When we talk of Congress, of course these representative represent the interest of their respective district. That is not the issue. The issue here is when it comes to Israel the Israeli lobby, AIPAC rules and congressional staff sponsored by AIPAC are there in these offices to make sure that memebers of Congress say "yes" to the rulers of the hill, AIPAC. One only need to see all resolutions passed by Congress and related to Israel or Palestine, to see memebers of Congress are held hostage and under occupation and always hold their breath if not their speech to make sure the money keep coming from AIPAC. $25 millions spent by AIPAC a year to fund congressional elections, memebers of Congress, vote $4 billions of our tax dollars to Israel without even 3 minuted debate. Funding a school in inner city in Chicago will take months of debate, while billions to Israel do not require 3 minuted debate. Is there something wrong, of course!

In a sense, we have always been in a box. But so are you. If you were not in a box, why did you then flee from Gaza? Serene people don't flee and don't have nightmares of which you have a lot including the demographic nightmare. In fact, in 1948 our very existence was precarious..and fragile.. Now, we are close to 5 million, well-established, well-entrenched, and well-steeled by suffering. Yes, there are alot barking here and there, but the caravan keeps going. And thirty eight years of systematic repression and barbaiansim couldn't dislodge us... I am sure that had you been through what we have been through, 90% of you would have just fled to America...or to Russia... We know you very well, and we know ourselves. We are willing to eat Khubbezi. We know what you do when the money are in short supply.

may the L-ORD look after the health of prime minister sharon and make him well again as soon as possible.

Our congressional reps are beholden to their constituents. The majority of American citizens will never support a terrorist society. Americans will only support the Palestinians once they repudiate terrorism and make efforts to allow decent values to flourish in their communities. Blaming the Palestinians' lack of support on AIPAC only plays into the Palestinians and their supporters' continued use of "the victim card". Be honest and encourage the Palestinians to shoulder decency, clear concepts of right and wrong (terrorism is not a moral method for negotiating), and responsibility.

If we disregard the usual babblers here the fact is that the Palestinians are in a box that is only getting smaller all the time. Their only real millitary option, suicide bombing, has been drastically cut, will be reduced even further through fencing, and has not brought Israel to its knees, as was intended. Israel can freely and unilaterally separate from them as was done in Gaza. Arab countries do not care about the Palestinians at this point and Israel was applauded for its withdrawal by the international community, although Palestinians did not want it to tae place. Israel need not negotiate anything with them, just separate. The legacy of Arafat is a society of violence that cannot govern itself effectively and must rely on handouts from the europeans and americans who can turn off the spigots as they wish. Hamas, which just wants to wage war, is now forced to govern or lose favor. It however cannot govern, because waging war prevents Palestinians from being able to work and creating an economy that removes the Palestinians from poverty. The Palestinians are running out of options, and are weaker now than they were before Oslo, when the Palestinian economy was better and people could go to Israel to work. Talk about self-induced suffering !

I absolutely love your work!! Keep it up

No one cares a hill of beans about AIPC beyond their breaking the law and giving away US secrets. They may get a handshake around election time but that will nothing more than a photo-op.

when people give voluntarily they are far happier then if the government squeezes them in the form of heavy taxation. let us have more foundations of the bill gates and rockerfeller type in israel who would specialise in helping needy families .if enough people set an example there would be many who would follow.yossi sarid would be the ideal person to be involved in this type of project. (i remember reading of an american who said "it is awful collecting money.people you do not respect piss all over you."hopefully it would not be like that.)

America is not a bit player in an al Manar drama about the "Protocols of the Elders of AIPAC." We have not forgotten that the Palestinians have an unbroken record of allying with the enemies of America, from al Husseini and the Nazis, to Arafat and the Soviet Union, to Hamas and Iran. George Bush severed relations with Yasser Arafat, when he asked Arafat if he had personal knowledge of the Karine A arms shipment. Bush had in hand, before asking, a CIA surveillence report, documenting Arafats direct involvement. Arafat swore that he had no knowledge. The CIA also believes that the PLO and Arafat had direct involvement--- training and/or munitions--- in the US embassy bombings in East Africa. It's not only America that has this kind of experience with Palestinians. Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Jordan have all been burned as well. Congress has no shortage of reasons to mistrust Palestinians, AIPAC or no AIPAC.

"As such, AIPAC should be viewed as the conductor of funding to US politicians, but it does not actually play in this orchestra." - Mark Kato They just arrange the payola. What a fine distinction.

"It would not surprise me to learn that AIPAC members were on the list of Americans the NSA is currently monitoring. " - Nat Broizman Could be, AIPAC gives money to democrats.

"AIPAC rules Congress, this is the fact" - El Birawi Dream on. AIPAC is no where near as influential as it's propagandists make you believe. Moreover, it has in recent years been repeatedly involved in the transfer of classified information to unauthorized persons. Thus AIPAC is getting to be a bit radioactive, not so much as Abramoff, but getting there.

there was no massacre in jenin.the whole article turned out to be a pack of lies. the article ends: "most of all perhaps the children of jenin need to know.the future of this land if it still has one lies with them.to deny them the truth would be another crime." i retch at the hypocrisy.

irish sensation has his own reasons for being on this site daily.some may find him and his opinions loathsome.i have no doubt he is motivated by hate. the irish seem to be particularly prone to the betrayal of their own.the british authorities completely infiltrated the irish terrorists in ulster.they knew a great deal about what the wretched terrorists were doing.a few days ago one such vile character(dennis donaldson) who had been particularly close to arafat and the palestinian terrorists was outed as a traitor. he was also very close to gerry adams the top irish thug in ulster.betrayal was and is very common among the irish.i put the palestinains on notice to beware of their friends.irish sensation could well be a shin bet agent.

sharon has allowed 50000 palestinians to return to israel since 2000.

the guardian 17/4/2002 "hamas would have been allowed to pursue its suicidal tactics." note the guardian using the sterlised phrase "suicidal tactics". the words tell us that the terrorists are killing themselves as well as other people.there is no emphasis in those words of the 29 men women and children dining at the park hotel on a jewish festival and blown to bits.there is no sense that an atrocity had been committed. words are the profession of the editor of the guardian.he knew exactly what he was writing. we all know that there was a battle in jenin.there was no massacre.the guardian did not apologise.

the guardian continues thus:17/4/2002 "what cruel deficit of pity denies those who die the benefit of departing grace" can you see the smirk and self-satisfaction on the face of the editor as he reread these words? note the "cruel deficit of pity" and the "benefit of departing grace." yet it was all lie.a bare-faced lie.but the guardian did not apologise.

You missed the point. The new strategy with these idiotic AIPAC resolutions is to get virtually 100% support for them. The resolutions have no impact, and are not binding. Keeping the "no" votes to almost zero (ideally zero) makes the resolution look insignificant and trivial, like a Mothers Day resolution. And the media then ignores them. Also, worth noting that the Senate resolution (identical to the House's) was introduced by 15 Senators. Before the espionage scandal, AIPAC would never introduce anything without 40 or 50 senators. They are waning, big time. And the spy trial isn't until Wednesday. The real story this week was that 106 House members led by the Chairman of the International Relations committee, Henry Hyde, sent a letter to Sec'y Rice commending her Gaza involvement and urging her to keep the pressure up.

17/4/2002 "jenin looks like the scene of a crime.its concrete stubble and tortured metal evokes another horror half a world away in new york smaller in scale but every bit as repellant in its particulars,no less distressing but every bit as man-made.jenin smells like a crime" thus the london guardian newspaper.with absolutely no proof it was delighted to smear israel with a foul lie.we all know that there was no massacre in jenin.some of those who misspoke apologised but not the guardian. it not only lied it also compared jenin to the new york atrocity on 9/11. readers will make up their own minds about the loathsome behaviour of the guardian.particularly loathsome is "jenin smell like a crime." they did not apologise.

Perhaps the Ha'aretz monitors will allow this message to be published in order to dispel the false notion that AIPAC makes political contributions to members of the US Congress. My previous comment regarding same apparently died somewhere in cyber space. AIPAC is a lobbying organization and cannot under US law either publicly (officially) endorse or contribute to the candidacy of any US politician, local, state or federal. However, it does have tremendous influence over individual members of AIPAC and bona fide Israeli-supporting PACS, from which contributions to US politicians are derived. As such, AIPAC should be viewed as the conductor of funding to US politicians, but it does not actually play in this orchestra.

You are not referring to the Clinton paramaters which was the final offer, and not like anything you described.

There are so many lobbying groups on the Hill each day and AIPAC is only one. All countries and interest groups lobby the US for funding and on political issues that they perceive as positive or negative to their interests. K Street is full of highly paid professional advocates for anything you can think of from the environment to gay rights to animal welfare. By its own stupidity AIPAC has shined a negative light on itself doing just the opposite of what it is supposed to do, advocate for Israel's interests. If the US is looking closely at AIPAC it is because they crossed a line. It will take many years of hard work for them to regain trust. Unfortunately they are not alone as many lobbying groups have been sited for all kinds of shady deals but in these sensitive times they did a huge diservice to the very cause they are supposed to be serving, Israel.

Congress is responsible for overseeing American tax-payer dollars. We are at war with Radical Islam and the Palestinians territories is run by terrorists so why in the world would the US support that kind of state? They will just have to get along with EU and UN funds until they renounce terrorism. We will not support the creation of a terrorist state and rightfully so.

This statement bothered you? "If it were up to me, any extremist Israeli, Palestinian party should not be allowed to participate in the governments because they will always be the stumbling block to peace." So in other words, you're not committed to peace. Glad to see your intentions.

Irish Sensation writes: "How many other organizations boycotted and outlawed, evolved into the political process i.e. Sinn Fein?" Sinn Fein was only allowed to participate in the political process once its "military wing" had agreed to give up the "armed struggle." Hamas is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. Would you be willing to negotiate with someone who was committed to your death? "If it were up to me, any extremist Israeli, Palestinian party should not be allowed to participate in the governments because they will always be the stumbling block to peace." If it were up to you, in all likelihood the Jewish people would no longer exist, so thankfully you have absolutely no input in these matters.

The UN is basically good for nothing. None of its resolutions are taken into action. The U.S. did not get the vote from the UN to invade Iraq, but it still did, and no one stopped it. How many resolutions imposed in Israel did the U.S. veto? The UN might as well close up its offices. When the U.S. passes resolutions in Congress they are put into practice i.e. blind support of Israel. Big difference, very big.

The Palestinians were asking in prinicipal to accept the right of return, i.e. that Israel would admit it caused the Palestinian diaspora. The Palestinians were committed to only allowing 30,000 refugees back in Israel proper, hardly a number that would damage Isreal's demographics. The rest of the refugees would be allowed to return to Palestine, and the World Bank would fund this aliyah back to Palestine for Palestinian refugees. It's the Palestinian birthrate that scares Israel more than anything. Dennis Ross the American "mediator" was Jewish, you expect him to be unbiased? Aaron Miller the Israeli participant in Camp David even admitted Arafat was weaker than Barak and the U.S. favored Barak and imposed more on Arafat than Barak. This assymetry was the recipe for disaster along with the "generous offer" of Barak. As far as being offered everything, Israel was going to be allowed to retain West Bank settlements to house 80 percent of the settlers in the WEST Bank, large settlements like Maale Adunim, at least 10 percent of the West Bank, East Jerusalem for Palestine would be Abu Dis which is in reality a suburb of Jerusalem, not the city even though Israel has unilaterally changed Jerusalem's borders. Israel was going to control Palestinian borders and the Jordan valley. The Palestinians even accepted allowing Israel to fly over Palestinian airspace for the IDF drills. Palestine in the West Bank was going to consist of 4 cantons, with no access to it's heart, East Jerusalem. There is no way a viable Palestinian state would survive along this offer. Bravo Arafat, the only smart thing you ever did as a politician.

Hadyn writes: "Most of the terror atacks that happen are because of or fueled by israels stupidity in dealing with their own mess." For almost two thousand years, whenever Jews were murdered, most gentiles would shrug it off with a "Oh well, it's their own fault anyhow." So what you say here is nothing new, but it is extremely predictable. If you try to forget for one moment that the women and children who are being murdered are Jewish, perhaps you'll be able to reach a far more sensible and equitable conclusion about these terror attacks. I'm not holding my breath though.

The U.S. is allowing Iraqis such as Muqtada al Sadr (Shite cleric who has tons of support in Iraq and waged an insurgency against the U.S. and Britain) to run in elections. They are also seeking dialogue with the "insurgents" or Iraq. These insurgents are blowing up everything they can, as Hamas did. Hamas has kept its word in regards to peace with Israel while other Palestinians factions, Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade blunder up here and there. Yet the U.S. who are actually losing American lives because of these insurgents is willing to deal with them. It's hypocritical to impose such on the Palestinians. Will the U.S. impose the same conditions on freezing aid to Israel until it disbands its right wing extremist parties like Moledet who are constantly advocating the forcible "transfer" of Palestinian Arabs from the West Bank to Arab states, or the National Religious Party? How many other organizations boycotted and outlawed, evolved into the political process i.e. Sinn Fein? If it were up to me, any extremist Israeli, Palestinian party should not be allowed to participate in the governments because they will always be the stumbling block to peace. Look, you wanted democracy in the Middle East, and unfortunately you're getting it as many Middle Easterners, i.e. Palestinians, Egyptians, Iraqis, etc are supporting the religious parties in their countries because they are deemed as less corrupt than the secular authoritarian regimes currently in place who are supported by the U.S. What did Israel expect when it allowed the creation of Hamas in 1987? They've created a monster in essence. Israel made a big blunder in trying to divide and conquer the Palestinians i.e. placing religious vs secular PLO. You can't expect nothing else neither, Isreal/Palestine is a very holy area, where religion is going to be a big issue. There's going to have to be a balance b/n both peoples. In the end, the Palestinian religious parties will be involved in the parliament. There's no way around it, many nations have them, i.e. Israel, the U.S. with some of its ardinent right wing Evangelical Christian politicians who appear to be more Israeli than Israelis, Palestinians, etc. P.S., the U.S. has even turned the former ultra secular, wine drinking, adulter Saddam into a Sheik as you see him holding his Quran in court non-stop. This is the democracy that is forming in that region, and there's no way to stop it. Let's just hope all of these religious parties, or people in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic world follow their faiths the way God taught them, which is to be peaceful and loving towards each other. Peace.

El-Birawi writes: "Any resoultion submitted by AIPAC no matter how stupid or irrelevant or un-natural even if against US interest or has to do with earth being flat, submitted will have 70% approval from Congress." What you are in fact describing is the United Nations and its insanely biased treatment of Israel as a result of the malign influence of the Arab voting bloc. Let me quote the great Israeli statesman Abba Eban for you: "If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions." In any event, the oil weapon the Arab nations wield is by far the most important influence on American and European politicians.

The US is not stopping Hamas from running for elections, that would be "interference." However, it is quite correct for the US Congress to state that electing a majority that calls for violent overthrough of a nation violates the mores of civil society and, therefore, the US will stop funding such government. No government exists in a void. The Palestinians have the right to clearly state they think terror is an important factor in their existence. Other nations have just as much right not to support such a government.

Nothing israel says or does will count until they pull back to the 67 borders get out of the west bank completely and stop causing so much pain in the world. Only then will israel have the moral high ground to say no one to talk to. Most of the terror atacks that happen are because of or fueled by israels stupidity in dealing with their own mess.

Any one familiar with the working of the US Congress should know that AIPAC rules and is the King on Capital Hill. Any resoultion submitted by AIPAC no matter how stupid or irrelevant or un-natural even if against US interest or has to do with earth being flat, submitted will have 70% approval from Congress. Memebers don't even bother to read the resolution. We know what happens to any memebers of Congress who defy AIPAC. He/she will be chased out of Washington. One also has to know how many staff memebers on the hill are sponosred by AIPAC. It is these staff memebers that make the decisions for memebers of Congress. Our Congress is an Israeli Occupied Territories and will remain so until the money from AIPAC dries out.

I cannot see racism and arrogance in the people who are against terrorism, mainly when they are the victims of it. From what you say, the "Pals" are really nice people. There is no corruption among them, there is no hate. After all, they only murder Israelis.

The legacy of the Holocaust just sixty years after the liberation of Auschwitz is the continuation of anti-Semitism throughout the entire gentile world. Thus the gentile in attempting to ease his conscience at what his father's generation did to the Jews of Europe will typically suggest that the Jews are just Nazis replaying the Holocaust in the Middle East. Naturally this is an obscenely perverse and wicked suggestion, but we must not forget that those very qualities are what make anti-Semitism such a poisonous ideology in the first place.

I cannot see the difference between Hamas and Fatah. Both of them are terrorist organizations which want to destroy Israel through terror.

It would not surprise me to learn that AIPAC members were on the list of Americans the NSA is currently monitoring. (See NY Times for details). Anti War activists and other so called, dissidents as well. Under the cloak of National Security i.e. these days, The War on Terror, this country has always maintained secret agendas that have been illegally kept from the public and even from elected officials in Congress and the Senate. Just New York paranoia you say ? Not only did it happen in the past, COINTELPRO went on for 15 years.

"a Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, or One State for all." You were offered virtually all of the former, but rejected it out of hand on the basis that no agreement would be signed unless Israel accepted the so-called "right of return." And this last as you well know would result in a "one state for all" in which Muslims were the majority. That it is totally unacceptable for virtually every Israeli Jew to live in a Muslim state in which he and she would be at the very best a third-class citizen goes without saying. You miss the third option: a continuation of the conflict almost without end. This, I suspect, is what will happen until such time as the Arabs grow tired of their self-inflicted and growing poverty and leave for Jordan and such countries in the West that will at that time still look kindly on Muslim immigrants.

Mr. Eldar is showing objective journalism, unfortunately comments from some Jewish readers are full of hate, arrogance and racism. It's really true that power over the Palestinian Population has corrupted many Israelis. What is the legacy of the Holocaust? Do to Others what you would not like to be done to you? Why the most vocal people are the social Darwinists? Penny from Toronto

mr. eldar writes that the us "eill find it difficult to dictate to the palestinians not to include hamas in the government if its candidates receive widespread voter support AND IT IS WILLING TO LAY DOWN ITS ARMS. in fact, that is exactly what the house of representatives' resolution demanded: that the palestinians set standards for electability(i. e. no violence, no arms, no gencidal program)for all candidates, and ENFORCE them. If hamas complies, us aid will continue. Why doesn't mr. eldar mention this? us aid is conditional on candidates respecting democracy, not on which candidates are elected-and even if it were conditional on a certain candidate, the money is a gift from the us, to be given how the giver chooses, not a palestinian entitlement!

Shame the PA,acolytes and apologists can't understand the simple fact that Israel like any other government will act to protect its people.The Palestinians showed yesterday what happens when Israel loosens its grip. As sensible as firing Qassems from Gaza.

both hard leftists.yet i have often seen in beilins words empathy with the jewish state and the jewish people. i have never seen such sympathy for israel from akiva eldar.he shows us a soul of cold steel. to be brutal he sucks up to the enemy and pours venom on israel and those who serve the state.

how does it benefit israel and the jewish people for eldar to make such a claim? if we look at eldar's history we may conclude that he has no empathy for the jewish state. i ask readers to check his interview with arafat on 23/6/2002.he met arafat a very short time after a horrendous attack on israeli civilians.

Hammas and new Fatah do not care about Congress or what Israel are saying, they only intrested in what the People of Palestine are wanting and saying so forget it.

akiva eldar used brutal language calling peres a "porter for sharon".please note the obsequious prose he uses in writing of thomas pickerton the american diplomat. is akiva eldar qualified to write for haaretz?

The problem is Israel not the Palestinians. Israel is yet to take a strategic decision to give up the spoils of the 1967 war. Indeed, nstead of taking the right step for peace, the ZIonist state has been frantically busy creating facts (settlements) on occupied land. Obviously, a country that builds hundreds of settlements on her neighbors' territory obviously has no intention of reaching peace with them. Needless to say, there will be and there can be no peace until the stolen goods are returned and Israel leaves all the territories it occupied in 1967. Meanwile, indulging in mendacious hasbara and blaming the Palestinians for the absence of peace while Israel continues to invest billion of dollars stealing Arab land and building illegal settlements will only lead to the inevitable result, the creation of one state and the end of Israel as a predominantly Jewish state. The court is in Israel's court, for there are only two alternatives, either a Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, or One State for all.

We are in an impossible situation. The Congress is right to cut the funds to a corrupt PA. On the hand this might strengthen Hamas which apparently doesn't need this strengthening anyway. The real problem is not Congress and not the White House. The real problem is that the Palestinians, Fatah, Hamas, whoever you name , simply do not want to recognize and live in peace with a Jewish state.