From: rivk@quads.uchicago.edu (nora gayle rivkis)
Subject: Re: BILL CLINTON ON ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE
Reply-To: rivk@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:01:38 GMT

In article <1992Aug19.143158.13093@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> nabil@ncrcol.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Nabil Idriss) writes:
>>>>    o Pressured Israel to make once sided concessions in the
>>>>      peace process
>>>>
>>>
>>>     * Pressured the Arabs to make concessions too.
>>
>>What pressure? What concessions? Where? But the Arabs were strong and
>>steadfast, and didn't yield to the pressure.
>
>Well, one of the major concessions is the departure from the idea of
>liberating Palestine and accepting the WB and Gazza. 

They haven't departed from this idea. It's still in the PLO charter,
in the regular statements issued by Hizbollah and Syria, and in the
statements made by more than half of the PLO statesmen I hear. Arafat,
immediately following his supposed "acceptance" of the existence of
Israel, followed it up in the Arab papers with something along the
lines of "No, no, no!! We do not recognize Israel's right to exist;
we have never said that." -- it's been posted here, along with the
paper it came from, but I don't recall what that was. 

>If Rabin was correct in what he said last week on MCcneil Lehrer news
>hour that he is prepared to offer the Palestininas a first step self
>rule and elections on the next peace talks, it would be a good time
>to end of boycott. I would prefer to see a final solution before the
>end of the boycott.

I just love your terminology here. No doubt a "final solution" is
exactly what you'd like; unfortunately, we fight back these days.

>You make it sound like that building settlements in the territories was
>a right for Israel to do and they gave up this right for the loan gurantees.

You got it. The territories are Israeli-owned territory just now. You
may not like this, but it's true; and as such, they have the right to
make use of the land subject to certain restrictions according to inter-
national law. It is not against international law to build settlements.
Sorry to disappoint.

>>Because Jordan is Palestine.

>Simply NO! Jordan=Jordan=The Hashemites and Palestine=Palestine=Palestinians.
>If I go to Jordan with a refugee passport to obtain a visa, they will spit in my
>face at the airport.

I suggest you take this up with the Jordanians. What Jordan does to you
is not Israel's responsibility.


>>>the hands of Saddam Hussein, Syria, and Israel as well.
>>
>>Israel has them, but doesn't (and won't) use them (unless faced with
>>annihilation). Iraq and Syria have them AND USE THEM WITH IMPUNITY!!
>
>Iraq and Syria never had Nuclear weapons. I think this is the only mass
>destruction weapon nowadays. I don't think that chemical weapons are 
>mass destruction. Every country in the world will use them as a last 
>resort. 

Iraq doesn't have nuclear weapons because Israel took out their plant
ten years ago. No thanks to anyone else for that. And while every country
in the world will use them as a last resort, Israel included, Iraq and
Syria are likely to use them well before it gets to a last resort. Put
bluntly, if Israel has nuclear weapons you don't want them to use, you
can make sure they do not use them by refraining from invading their
country and threatening it with extinction. If Iraq and Syria have nuclear
weapons you do not want them to use, the only way you can prevent them
is for everybody to do exactly what they want you to, on every subject
and in every detail.

>Nabil Idriss 

-- 
"Light one candle for those who are suffering pain we learned so long ago..."

Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast