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<a href="http://www.aljazeerah.info/Editorials/2006%20Editorials/November-December/The%20Olmert%20Peace%20Stunt%20Blackmailing%20%20Palestinians%20to%20Give%20Up%20their%20Inalienable%20Right%20of%20Return%20to%20their%20Homeland%20By%20Hassan%20El-Najjar.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Editorials/2006%20Editorials/November-December/The%20Olmert%20Peace%20Stunt%20Blackmailing%20%20Palestinians%20to%20Give%20Up%20their%20Inalienable%20Right%20of%20Return%20to%20their%20Homeland%20By%20Hassan%20El-Najjar.htm<br>
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<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=5>The Olmert Peace Stunt:
Blackmailing Palestinians to Give Up their Inalienable Right of
Return to their Homeland <br><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>By Hassan El-Najjar<br><br>
Al-Jazeerah, November 28, 2006<br><br>
After five months of shedding blood of the Palestinian people, killing
hundreds and injuring thousands of them, kidnapping them from their
homes, destroying their utilities and houses, starving them in a tight
embargo regime enforced by the US and the EU, the Israeli occupation
government prime monster is announcing to the world that he is offering
peace to his victims.<br><br>
Basically, Olmert is offering Palestinians to stop killing them, release
their teenage sons and daughters from his occupation prisons, release
their money he has been withholding, withdraw from parts of the West
Bank, dismantle some of the illegal Israeli settlements, and even help
them establish their dream of an independent Palestinian state.<br><br>
WOW!<br><br>
What a great offer!<br><br>
In return, all what Olmert wants from Palestinians is just a statement
containing three sentences.<br><br>
The first sentence should say that they "renounce violence."
<br><br>
The second sentence should say that they recognize Israel's right to live
in peace and security.<br><br>
The third sentence should say that they give up their demands to return
to their homes and property, which they were evicted from by Israelis in
1948. <br><br>
The PLO has already met the first two of Olmert's demands. <br><br>
Late President Arafat did that in Geneva, in 1988, as a pre-condition by
the Reagan administration to deal with him. He even read a peace of paper
written for him renouncing violence and terrorism. It was a humiliating
acknowledgement by him that Palestinian resistance to the Israeli
occupation, a right guaranteed by international law, was violence and
terrorism. The objective was to please Israeli occupiers and their
Zionist supporters.<br><br>
The 1993 Oslo Accords, signed in Washington by Abbas and Peres in the
presence of Arafat and Rabin together with their host, Clinton,
represented a mutual recognition between the PLO and Israel. However,
there has never been any reference to what Israel is, simply because
Israel cannot be defined until Palestine is defined.<br><br>
The most important reference defining the borders of Palestine and Israel
in the international law is the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
resolution 181, known as the Partition resolution, which divided
Palestine into two states, one for Muslims and Christians and the other
for Jews. Then came the armistice agreements in 1949, which recognized de
facto borders. <br><br>
The Israeli war of aggression in 1967, enabled the Zionist state to
control all of Palestine together with Sinai (liberated in 1982) and the
Syrian Golan Heights (still under Israeli occupation).<br><br>
The Arab League peace initiative recognizes Israel within the 1967
borders. The Palestinian leaders have accepted it.<br><br>
Thus, the Israelis and their supporters have got the first two of the
Olmert demands. A ritual repeat is expected to happen.<br><br>
However, the third demand is not going to be met until the ten million
Palestinians worldwide agree. It's not in the hands of Abbas or Fateh or
Hamas. <br><br>
UNGA Resolutions 181 and 194 have guaranteed the right of return and
compensation for the Palestinian refugees and their descendants. If they
wish to return to their homeland, whether it is called Israel or
Palestine, they should be allowed to do so.<br><br>
The core of the conflict is the refugee problem. Without solving it in a
satisfactory way, the conflict will continue. Arabs and Muslims will
continue supporting Palestinians. Zionist-controlled governments in the
West will continue their support for Israel. More invasions and wars will
be launched to secure Israel, like the disastrous invasion and occupation
of Iraq. More death and destruction will occur on all parties. It's
crazy. It has to stop.<br><br>
If there's a genuine thinking about peace in the minds of the leaders of
the Zionist Empire, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has to be resolved
on basis of justice. Only then, there will be peace.<br><br>
For Olmert to demand that Palestinians relinquish their inalienable right
of return, he is either an ignorant and stupid person, or he is just
presenting a stunt for the Zionist media machine worldwide to distract
the American people away from the war disaster of Iraq.<br><br>
If Zionists are trying to salvage their Empire, they need to leave the
Palestinians alone. Israeli occupation forces and settlers should leave
the Palestinian territories, allowing Palestinians to establish their own
VIABLE state. When this happens, and several years of friendly relations
pass, then the refugee problem can be addressed.<br><br>
To demand the Palestinians to give up their right of return is no
starter.<br><br>
At best, it's stupidity.<br><br>
But, it may be just another excuse to blame the victims.<br><br>
It's a cheap media stunt to give President Bush a nice reception in
Jordan. Then, things go back to business as usual after the
visit:<br><br>
Death, destruction, assassinations, air strikes, collective punishment,
kidnapping people from their homes, butchering entire families,
demolition of homes, air raids on electricity and water supplies, while
starving the population under occupation.<br><br>
These have been the Zionist contributions to the world, so far.<br><br>
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San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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