September 22, 2010
I don't understand the Palestinians
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Elmasry
More by this author...Peace negations or not, I just do not understand those Palestinians. Why do they complain so much, when they know their lands were taken over by "the only Democracy in the Middle East"? They should be thanking their lucky stars that what they claim is "robbery" has been done at gun point by some of the kindest armed settlers in the world, the Zionist Jews.
And why aren't the Palestinians happy living together like one big family in tiny Gaza, surrounded by the protecting siege forces of Israel from land, sea and air? What's a little overcrowding and deprivation -- can't they just toughen up a bit? And if it’s as overcrowded as they claim, why do their leaders insist on the right of return for compatriots scattered all over the world? It doesn’t make sense!
Can’t those Palestinians understand that every time armed invaders establish themselves on native land, it has to be held through force? Surely they can't expect the descendants of European Jews who came to settle "empty" Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s to be any different.
And it seems so unreasonable that the Palestinians should envy their uninvited Jewish "neighbors" in the Occupied West Bank, with their paved roads, beautiful parks, fine houses, swimming pools, community centres, schools and health clinics.
Maybe they should form Palestinian Welcome Wagon clubs instead, to send flowers, falafel, pita and hummus to settlers arriving from Canada and the U.S. to enjoy in their new homes in the Occupied West Bank.
No, I just do not understand those Palestinians. Why do their leaders lament that the people are losing hope for the future? Is 70% unemployment so bad? If the Israelis bomb their power generating station, they'll only miss their favorite TV shows and air conditioners.
The Palestinians are too impatient anyway. Israelis have occupied their native lands in Gaza and the West Bank for only 43 years -- not 200! And didn't Israel dismantle some Jewish settlements in Gaza?
Why must Palestinians be so greedy? All they do is talk, talk, talk, about ridiculous issues like peace with justice, or an independent state of their own. Shouldn’t they be more considerate and leave all that empty West Bank land to the new Jewish settlers without so much fuss?
And don't Palestinians know about the right-wing Christian imperative that Jews must first be settled in Palestine before Jesus can return? How can Palestinians, who claim to believe in God, be so selfish as to deny God’s promise of Palestine to the Jews? They don't even teach their children these facts! Is it perhaps because they want their kids to grow up anti- Semitic?
Palestinians should all be more helpful and move out now from all of Palestine, so that this future historical event can happen. There's plenty of room for them in the U.S., or at least in nearby American-occupied countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. Both Christian and Muslim Palestinians should be able to understand what a noble sacrifice this would be!
And another thing: What makes Palestinians think, in their wildest dreams, that forming a government through free and democratic elections is anything to cheer about? We've seen how imperfect democracy can be. But they still insist on being copycats to other nations with far more resources and sophistication. And here is generous Israel, surrounding them on all sides and more than happy to do all that tiresome governing for them!
So I wonder when (if ever) the Palestinians will wake up and be grateful to Zionism for all the benefits it has brought -- contact with ambitious white Europeans, American fighter planes, helicopter gunships, a wide variety of modern killing machines, and state of the art armed forces. After all, what has Palestinian culture given to armed Jewish settlers in return? -- Just a lot of "empty" land and falafel, which became Israel's favorite fast food. Big deal!
No, I still do not understand those Palestinians.