umkahlil

I wish that someone could tell me how all of Abu Mazen's grovelling will pay off for Palestinians? Why will the Palestinians provide security for the people of Israel, whose army is one of the biggest in the world when they don't even protect their own people against the depradations of the Israeli occupying forces? Is this a case of a civilization precipitating its own demise? Things have fallen apart, all right. Is he going to lead Palestinians like lambs to the reservations? Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone of the stature of Edward Said went into politics? At least we could go out with a bit of dignity. Wouldn't it be loverly if a Palestinian politician had some integrity and refused to be bought off by the Americans and the Israelis? In my dreams, Abu Mazen says: Yes, I will apologize for the suicide bombing which took the lives of three soldiers who carried out many "operations" (What does that mean? One such "operation" was the famous "targeted" assasination that involved dropping one ton bombs on apartment blocks in the most densely populated city in the world) on civilians in the occupied territories, or when Israel pays reparations to the Palestinians and lets the refugees and their descendents return to what's left of the four hundred plus villages that were systematically destroyed in 1948 . I will apologize for the suicide bombing when Israel apologizes for its thousands of house demolitions. I will apologize for the suicide bombing when Israel apologizes for the three hundred kids who were murdered by its forces before there were any suicide bombings. Yes, I will apologize for the suicide bombing when Israel apologizes to the family of the little schoolgirl in Gaza who was riddled with bullets so that some crazed killer could verify the kill. I will apologize to Israel when it apologizes for the killing of the altar boy who was hanging around the Orthodox Church in Bethelehem, I will apologize to Israel when it apologizes for the killing of the schoolgirl sitting at her desk, I will apologize to Israel when it apologizes for the death of the little Palestinian girl in the car with her parents, I will apologize to Israel when it apologizes for the death of the lovely middle aged lady in Nablus who was embroidering on her balcony, I will apologize to Israel when Ehud Barak apologizes for the murder of the poet Kamal Nasser, when Israel apologizes for the murder of Ghassan Khanafani, when Israel apologizes for the death of Rachel Corrie, when Israel apologizes for the little boys in Gaza its Defense Forces bait with insults to lure them outside and then shoot dead. I will apologize for the suicide bombing when Israel apologizes for the silent snipers that grace the buildings in the occupied territories. I will apologize to Israel when Israel apologizes for its humiliation of our old people, its attempts to erase our culture, and its theft of our water and land. Then and only then will I apologize.