This is important. Gosh I wish I had the power to prick this balloon…
Yesterday on her blog, Helena Cobban noted that David Makovsky, Israel lobbyist par excellence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and co-author of a recent book on resolving the conflict (along with Dennis Ross, the Israel lobbyist/catspaw in State), had put himself forward as a spokesman for the Palestinians in a panel at the U.S. Institute for Peace last Wednesday. Cobban:
He claimed he was just back from a short visit to Ramallah, and
Everyone I talked to there was adamant that the US should not deal with Hamas. I talked to hundreds of people there, and they all said that to me!
What a gross misrepresentation of the facts about the attitudes and preferences of the people of Ramallah! Makovsky claims he talked to "hundreds" of people in Ramallah in his short time there?
I would love to know who just two or three of them were. He gave us no names.
But honestly, how do you talk to "hundreds" of people in Ramallah during a short visit– or even, a long visit? I spent more than a week there back in February/March, and I was able to gain meaningful interviews with no more than two dozen Ramallah residents. And I am, yes, considerably better plugged-in there than someone like Makovsky…
[W]hy did no other participants in the panel discussion call him on it?
At one point one of the other panelists– I think it was Nathan Brown Paul Scham, it may have been Amjad Atallah… indirectly challenged the general impression that Makovsky was presumably trying to convey, namely that "all of Fateh" wants the US to continue excluding and combating Hamas.
Of course that is not the case. As Nathan pointed out, Fateh is deeply split– on this issue as on a number of other issues.
This is an old habit for Makovsky. As we reported here earlier this year, Makovsky has twice gone before Congress to tell our representatives how Palestinians feel. Lately, he suggested that Palestinians would be happy with "biometrics" at checkpoints, to ease the lines. And five years ago, as David Bloom stated in that same link, Makovsky–
told Congress
that Palestinian residents of Qalqilya (the large city on the other
side of [the Lev Leviev-owned Jewish settlement] Zufim) would be willing to accept the loss of their lands if
they were compensated. In his testimony,
Makovsky stated that "there is hardship" for Palestinians impacted by the
fence, but asserted that most "are very happy to hear the Israeli
government coming out this week with a 2-billion shekel or $500 million
program on the hardship. I happened to speak to the mayor of Qualqilya,
and I saw the wall on the Palestinian side, and I asked him, I said,
'if there was a compensation program to offset some of these hardships,
would you be for it?' He said absolutely. "
Having spent three months in Qalqilya district, including Jayyous,
I never met a Palestinian who would accept compensation for
their land–regarding it as their ancestral and cultural heritage, the
selling of which amounts to collaboration with the Israeli occupiers
But Marouf Zahran, the mayor of Qalqilya, sent an email to the WW3 Report, stating the following:
"It is with deep regret that I learn that David Makovsky of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy implied that I would accept
'compensation' for the impoverishing and destructive effects of
Israel's Wall as built around the West Bank town of Qalqilya, the town
of which I am Mayor. As I made clear to Mr. Makovsky during his visit
that while I would welcome any relief offered to the suffering
residents of Qalqilya, such relief would not be necessary if Israel
builds its Wall on the border [the Green Line] between what became
Israel in 1948 and Occupied Palestinian Territory. I made it very clear
to Mr. Makovsky, with the express intent that Mr. Makovsky not
misconstrue my statements for his own purposes, that under no
conditions would I or the residents of Qalqilya accept or otherwise
acquiesce to the construction of the Wall in exchange for compensation.
Our property and our human rights are not for sale."
Note that this is a hearing before a congressional committee on
"Israel's security fence." The only witnesses are Ross and Makovsky,
both then of WINEP. No Palestinians. no one even slightly neutral. Would things be different now–yes, I believe.
Paleostinians need Western spokespeople, that's well known. How could representatives of the Great Unwashed, that don't usually speak English and aren't capable of making deserts bloom be allowed into the Hallowed Halls of power of the Shining City on the Hill?
Nazi Germany, Israel, The Roman Catholic Church, and Richard Witty http://www.avigailabarbanel.me.uk/nothing-new.htm...
I don't get the headline. When did he say that he was "Palestinian spokesman"?
That's right Witty, you DON'T get the headline. He never said he was the 'Palestinian spokesman'. Read it again. Seriously, are you paid by the Israeli government to be this dishonest or does it come naturally for you? Do you not understand Phil's meaning here? Makovsky is behaving as though he is the spokesman. It's not like he has to explicitly say so. I don't buy that you misunderstood that. I think you're just a liar. Shame on you Witty. This isn't the first time you've done this. How can you sit there and continue to type your pretentious 'advice' when you've managed not ONCE to get the respect of any pro-Palestinian? And I don't want to imply that's a hard thing to do, we're all ordinary people here. Reasonable people. How often do people point out your intellectual dishonesty? Do you think you're converting more people to Zionism by your commentary? Phil's blog is popular. Zionist hasbaraniks will always be here and elsewhere but they aren't indicative of some new mass of recruits. Israel is losing that war. They have to focus all their energy on delaying/deflecting/diverting the debate. It's ALL rhetoric. And you truly exemplify that strategy. Does Phil even know you in real life?
A few facts for the MondoClueless. Ramallah is a Fatah stronghold. Fatah takes Hamas Jihadis (just like they sometimes take Jews) to Ramallah for executions. Fatah HATES Hamas and wants them all dead. (Hamas feels the same about Fatah.) Don't be so surprised that everyone in Ramallah wants the US to ignore Hamas. Just because one of your Enemies says so doesn't mean he's wrong.
I was pleased to read more about Makovsky too, since I was admittedly a bit puzzled about the article below by Laura Rozen: http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyranni... http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyranni... It's striking that Chas Freeman feels so absolutely sane among all the voices she collects, and admittedly I hadn't paid attention to David Makovsky, so far. So for me her article was just in time. Rumor mills. I am wondering why Laura gives them a free ride.
You should be re-named, Richard Dim-Witty
Don't question Phil! While he's never been to Haifa, Eilat, or tel aviv, he did spend a few days as a guest of Hamas in Gaza.
These types of assumptions are as old as colonialism itself – you would think people would get the hint that this is what is going on. You see, the "poor people have no voice," they have no voice and we have to speak for them. None of the oppressed have a voice, their positions always have to "explained" by their enemies, and you can extend this to the entire MSM. Now for those of you who believe this dribble coming from these "Middle East Experts – Think Tanks (stink tank) – Middle East Media Bureaus" go have you cup of tea on your lawn as your predecessors, ask for one lump or two, and ask why the "natives" are so uppity.
Ernst Zundel speaks of the cooperation between the Nazis and the Zionist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFBQfxjUOas&NR...
Well Jake, how would you like it if say Zogbi, offered the ONLY response to a senate hearing saying that Isarelis really don't like settlers and would like to have the US put more pressure on Israel to get them out of the Palestinian Territiories. Its a case of if you really want to know, get it from those who are affected by your decisions, that is if you really want to know. You obviously really want to know, you keep coming back to Mondo…….., call it what you wish, but its where you get the other side, if you really want to know.
Zundel is a fool and presenting anything that comes from him is in the spirit of making this Blog seem something it is not. Although any fool has the right to say what they wish, we don't have to publicize stupidity as if it really makes a difference, ok Hasbara.
Strahl – I just popped in to see what everyone was talking about, but thought it funny that you asked if dim-Witty was a government employee. Not sure if this was already covered in Mondoweiss blog, but he very well could be. The Israeli Foreign Ministry now has a department dedicated to posting to blogs, twitter, YouTube etc … as ordinary citizens but advancing government talking points. I've seen that Mondoweiss is a popular blog, so I'm sure it's at least monitored, if not already 'covered'. http://www.muzzlewatch.com/2009/07/14/that-angry-...
Well Jim this is quite an elementary subject – I know I know, you want it to be "complicated" and in some cases mystical and immensely hard to approach – so you have been told by the complicit "apologists" in the USA (it is funny that it is not that complicated in the rest of the world). If you want to rob Phil of any personal experience expertise there are plenty who have been to these places and more, and not to the mere tourist traps (or on ideological junkets). So you "point" is quite moot
Because she wants to be "balanced"…lol If I had a dime for everyone who wanted to confuse any easily discernible situation or event by claiming "balance," I would be rich. Especially in the states – Like this instance http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/200...
And of course Jake "knows" all this because he's in constant communication with Fatah and visits Ramallah often. Not. I'm sure Jake is convinced that he'd be killed immediately in Ramallah, because all those Arabs are just violent, bloodthirsty savages, don't you know. Jake reads Israeli newspapers and listens to Israeli TV and thinks he is well informed. What he is well informed of is the mainstream Israeli take on things. If you want to know what the "well-informed" center-right Israeli thinks, its here in all its racist glory in the poster Jake.
You've been reported for falsely using Jim Haygood's name yet again.
ha ha! If Witty is working for the israeli govt they sure aren't getting their money's worth!
Exactly what makes Zundel a fool? The fact that he says things you disagree with? He gives Jewish sources for what he states. Let people hear him and decide for themselves. No one needs you deciding for them what is stupid and what isn't, OK Censor.
I am sure many Israelis feel that way, and myself a self proclaimed Zionist, feels exactly that way. The Settler movement needs to be reigned in, the Pals need the WB, and we all need peace baby!
Don't talk to Hamas or PLO! Make them disarm
Brad, what a confused response. I simply pointed out that Ramallah is a Fatah stronghold and that Gaza is a Hamas stronghold. The two factions are at war with each other and have killed many of each other in the past year or so. That's just the way it is (at the moment) and it doesn't matter who says so.
Dearest treeling, that Hamas and Fatah have a to-the-death hatred for each other isn't rocket science. As for visiting Ramallah, entry into Area A (controlled by the Pal Authority) is forbidden to Israelis (and Jews) so I haven't been there in many years. And, yes, Jews who have wandered into Ramallah in the past by accident have been lynched by the bloodthirsty savages you mentioned. Clearly you will oppose anything I say but that doesn't mean the world is flat just because I say it's round. Facts. Deal with it.
Again reference to Nazi Germany in order to "put the Jew in his place" remind him of the horrors of the holocaust.
Jake. Confused, maybe for how you read it, but my point is, the messenger should be hung in this case as the message is false. BTW, i agree, (today's) Fatah and Hamas are a poor example of reprensentation for the plight of the Palestinians. I, and you, have to admit though, what can you expect. Israel made a good effort to destabilize the Palestinians and now all they have are two groups of weak and desparate people who can deliver only what you allowed them. So I guess in the end, you kinda created your own problems.
Of course I got the dig of the headline. I don't get the journalism of it.
No. More like reference to "Huns" in WW1 propaganda. Jeez, get some education. BTW, we all see you do not address any of the content in Citizen's referenced url article. I urge all readers here to click on Citizen's link.
It isn't rocket science, its an overly broad generalization. As Nathan Brown said, Fatah officials and members are deeply divided on the issue of whether the US should include Hamas in negotiations. That doesn't sound at all like a "to-the-death hatred" now does it?But such a nuanced interpretation would interfere with your manichean perspective, so you constantly resort to racism and over-generalization. From Helena Cobhan's Just news report linked above: "Osama Abu Irshaid also made the excellent point that the split inside Fateh is not– as it has commonly been portrayed in the west– one between "the old guard" and (as many westerners like to believe) a more pragmatic and flexible "new guard." No– inside Fateh, as incidentally also inside the Iranian rveolutionary authorities these days– the split is deeply inside the old guard itself. Anyway, be that is it is, Makovsky's claim that he's somehow speaking on behalf of a claimed majority of the Palestinian people when he argues that the US should continue to exclude and combat Hamas had all the air of the worst kind of mendacious colonialist misrepresentation of the "true" desires of the indigenes. What a silly and despicable argument. Yes, I know there are some individuals in Ramallah who are virulently anti-Hamas. But they coexist there with many of their compatriots who are either Fathawis and other secular Palestinians who are supportive of a Fateh-Hamas reconciliation, or are themselves actually Hamas supporters. (Hamas, remember, won four of the five seats in the 2006 elections that were elected directly from Ramallah/Al-Bireh.)" As for the rest of your tripe: Jews are not forbidden in Ramallah, there are probably many of them there right as we speak, including Amira Haas, who lives there, and Neta Golan, who also lives there. ISM Headquarters are in Ramallah and many Jews from all over the world go there to participate in their non-violent actions. Why even David Makovsky was there, talking to at least 200 Ramallans, he claims, so clearly Jews are not forbidden there. Or is your claim that Makovsky wasn't really in Ramallah, since he must have been prohibited from entering there since he is Jewish, right? Israel does have laws making it illegal for Israeli citizens to go into the West Bank unless they live in or are going to the settlements there. But they are only selectively enforced, obviously since some Israelis do enter. If all you said was the world is round there would be nothing to argue with. But since you are a flat-earther with a racist agenda I find plenty to disagree with.
This deadbeat is one of Avigdor Lieberman’s Foreign Ministry new Internet Fighting Team!
Try reading and understanding the significance of the article, Richard Witty. The journalism of it is clear. Makowsky DID put himself forward as a spokesman for the Palestinians.
Sorry ! but that Patrick Lang is one obnoxious SOB — god the guy can't even be bothered to read links… but likes to tear down people who disagree with him. That's the last time I look at his site for informed analysis — what a prick.
Laurie, Do you know nothing about Zundel? I hope to god you are being naive here in posting a video by this wretched, hate-filled man. You are doing the Palestinians a terrible disservice, not to mention Phil and Adam. It doesn't matter if he uses Jewish sources. He IS the source of the video, and thus totally discredits them. He is an AVOWED NAZI AND HOLOCAUST DENIER. He's worse than any damn fool. Or maybe you are doing this deliberately to undermine the blog? Pretty fricking transparent and unsubtle and stupid, if that's the case. You can't do better than this? I hope they remove your odious post, and I don't give a damn if you call me a censor. Where is the moderator here?
Zionist American Jews can speak for any people; nobody but Zionist Jews are allowed to speak for World Jewry. Get it?
Divide and conquer. Jews always do this with goys, It's their leitmotif. It works often because white goys have a tradition of individualism–you know, what allows Witty to be a racist while protected by low paid goy fireman, cops, and US military?
Jake, thanks for sharing your racist thoughts while being protected by goy bodies and money in Israel or in the USA. We love to see what we are supporting. You help clarify that.
Not Jim Haygood. Just the usal Hasbara ID fraud.
"The Settler movement needs to be reigned in, the Pals need the WB, and we all need peace baby!" If you sincerely believe this Yoni, then I take my hat off to you. Who knew we could agree?
Hmm? Seems I changed my mind. It is a densely packed text. One simply has to read it really carefully. It's all there. And she highlights both Ross and Makovsky. My general impression doesn't change. It was there immediately: rumormills.
No, the ultimate source is those Zundel shows. You may disagree with Zundel's conclusions, but don't blot out his original Jewish sources. Further, when you say Holocaust Denier, please explain exactly what is being denied. The devil is the details. Have you looked at the changing official sign face of the sign of deaths number at Auschwitz? Have you looked at the lack of evidence of gas chambers? Do you still faithfully believe that the Nazis turned people into soap and lampshades? Do you think US GIs in Vietnam took scalps? Or even that IDF boys shat in Palestinian kitchen sinks? These items are important in terms of gaining mass attention, no? Who is the post-modern Nazi?
Sand, I can't respond to your statement about Pat Lang directly, since it is gone at the moment. I don't care at all what you think about him. Yes he can be harsh occasionally, but if you look closer, you will find out why. I belong to his fans as to Phil's and Adam's.
I think the real Jim Haygood has left for good.
Well, he's a tiny step up from the other hasbara agents in that he cloaks his ethnocentric lies in humanistic verbiage. At least he usually doesn't slur the messenger outright. The other zionazis don't earn their hasbara bucks at all. It's a waste of recycled US taxpayer dollars.
More to heart of the matter, cut off all foreign aid to Israel!
Laurie, I can't listen to that. Are you aware of the special status of Theresienstadt? I really had to stop at that point. He is using the authentic Nazi propaganda at the time. Put another way that is exactly how Theresienstadt was used in Nazi propaganda. If you want to know about cooperation between Zionists and Nazis read Francis N. Nicosia, he is a leading expert on matters. This is his latest book. http://books.google.de/books?id=JTtGXWzfD10C&... Just don't listen to these pied pipers. But strictly it is your choice and I don't care.
Nope… I didn't expect you to LeaNder22, but from now on — when a link goes to that that guy I can in all honesty say he has as much validation with his analysis and sources as the pundits on the FOX news channel… I don't expect you to care what I think about him… But I will be giving my opinion on him nonetheless should his links crop up. He either has a certain political agenda, or is protecting his own financial agenda but that blog is not a place to have free flowing informed ideas — no friggin way. Comparing him to Phil and Adam, even MJ and Steve Clemons… like comparing friggin day and night.
Citizen hit the nail on the head: "[Witty] cloaks his ethnocentric lies in humanistic verbiage." That sums him up perfectly.
the hasbara campaign of eliminating hamas from any future talks is totally obvious and shows no bounds. did everyone see the 'palestinian' jerusalen group poll last week that alleged pals favor fatah over hamas (w/ratings down in the teens). this was blathered all over the place as if we are supposed to believe it. then the constant 'uplifting' of abdas abbas abbas fayyed fayyed fayyed (mr money man) and how everything is so loverly in the west bank now that bibs economic recovery. meanwhile the US met w/hamas last month in switzerland (unofficially of course). its the old divide and conquer,l splitting hamas (and gaza) off from the 'mainstream' and just dealing with our favorite tools in the WB (did someone say fayyed?). anyway, it is all hasbara lies. no neocons you do not get to choose who will speak the palestininas. witty says he doesn't understand . i just love it when people who pretend to be clueless, it is so..NOT effective. a tacvtic used around here alot lately. borinnnng. i don't think anyone from likud should be allowed to participate in the negotiations until they publicly refute their charter. "The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting. … The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river."
"Don't talk to Hamas or PLO! Make them disarm" Hamas arms are no big deal. Israel has nukes and F-16's, which is got for free. Stop the welfare cheques and the free loans to Israel. If Israel can't survive on it's own, like any other civilized country, then it should exist.
whoops, sorry about all my typos i will go grab my glasses shortly. i wanted to thank you for linking to helena, she is the tops! she reports Sfard also argued that much of the violence that the settlers deploy against the civilian Palestinian indigenes of the West Bank has a clear political goal– "and therefore, it qualifies as terrorism." He said, This is not just a question of a few hooligans among the settlers… In the past year there’s been a big change in the way settler violence is carried out. It’s not a secret that there’s a correlation between the rate of violence and the settlers feeling the political winds blowing against them. So today, the settler violence we're seeing is not just a spontaneous thing; it’s being planned much more than before. Now there is some kind of leadership coordinating this effort to build up the tension whenever there’s a decision to dismantle an outpost or whatever. There’s a clear plan: when the army is sent to dismantle an outpost in the north then groups of settlers in the south will make a swarm and go and burn fields in the south, and that diverts the security forces. They are spreading terror to get political gains, and this is the very definition of terrorism. now there's some truth.
No
The point is that those who support Israel represent themselves as knowing the Palestinian perspective and being able to accurately report it …as you do frequently.
Oh, thank you, Annie.
Hamas and Fatah were due to have talks to discuss forming a unity government when Washington and Tel Aviv stepped in, ordered Abbas to pull out and them ordered him to stage a coup to overthrow Hamas, which they financed and supported. The last thing Israel wants is a unity government. They want to isolate the weak and discredited Fatah, so that they can get get a better deal from a desperate leader. Israel did the same with Arafat, agreeing to meet with him after he was isolated from the Arab world following Desert Storm.
Of course he didn't. He put himself forward as a spokesperson for Israel (which itself is an exageration).
Thanks for the book reference LeaNder22. I will take a look at it. I believe we have been lied to about what happened in WWII and I will listen to any point of view and decide for myself. We were told and everyone believed it that the Nazis had murdered the polish officers in Katyn but the truth has come out and we know now it was the Soviet NKVD, that did the deed. What else have we been lied to about, I want to know. Why was the first reference to the 6 million dead in a New York paper in 1942? You, me and everyone have been lied to LeaNder22. I am suspicious of writers that draw parallels between the Israelis and the Nazis, because it backhandedly reinforces the meme of the Nazis being the ultimate evil and therefore lessens or excuses what the Jews/Israelis have done. This meme keeps intact the religion of the holocaust. Why don't we compared Israel to the Bolsheviks , they killed more people? We don't because the Bolsheviks victims were not Jews and the goal is to keep in the minds of people that Jews are victims and therefore should be treated special. This of course causes resentment so that the average person starts seeing the Jews as the problem (it is used the same way racism is used, to divide people). Jewish tribalism is used as a tool to divert peoples attention from the real problem which is a economic/cultural system that enslaves people through debt. This system allows a few to control the many. I believe the only way to bring the real problem to light is to expose the lies of history and to help the Jews to see that their fierce tribalism is being used against them and the rest of us. I want the truth LeaNder22 and by god I'm going to get it.
Here is a very good book about controlled opposition (especially for you LeaNder22) THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT: Notes of a College Revolutionary by James Simon Kunen "Isn't it singular that no none ever goes to jail for waging wars, let alone advocating them? But the jails are filled with those who want peace. Not to kill is to be a criminal. they put you right into jail if all you do is ask them to leave you alone. Exercising the right to live is a violation of law. It strikes me as quite singular." I would change "right to live" to "right to think".
Brad, I just read your posting twice and it's confused, too. That the Palestineans hate EACH OTHER and murder EACH OTHER isn't the fault of Israel. Arabs in the Middle East have been doing this since before the time of Mohammed – and that wasn't the fault of Israel, either. They do this still today (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, Morrocco, and on and on and on….)
ShingoLiar can't help itself. Abbas has a fight-to-the-death conflict with Hamas. He's not planning on giving up while he's still alive. None of this is Israel's fault.
US soldiers are actually protecting ARABS and MUSLIMS in a variety of countries. Not a single US soldier is protecting Israel. Your silly blabber is without foundation. That is why it is silly blabber.
Margaret, it isn't so much that I'm an expert on the Arabs so much as so many outsiders are remarkably ignorant of Arab life, culture and history. WOuld you care to be more specific? Or are you afraid to betray your own ignorance, perhaps?
Tree, part of the dispute between Hamas and Fatah is religious – one side wants a secular society and the other wants a Jihadi theocratic society. Both sides are happy to resort to terrorism and murder to further their positions. Both sides have done so repeatedly in the last few years. That's all I was saying. You make a valid point in the selective enforcement of some laws here. Thus it is possible for Jews to get into Ramallah (some did a few days ago and were removed by the PA before they were lynched). Overall, Israel doesn't want Israeli citizens entering Ramallah because that too often requires a military operation to save them or a political and strategic headache to follow (e.g. Gilad Shalit). Your flat-earth analogy is not original. If you disagree with the facts I list here, then you have a problem with reality. Your problem, not mine.
My father personally collected soap bars made of Jews in Europe to give them a proper burial. The Germans shipped those soap bars back to Poland for the Poles to use. The Poles, horrid antisemites, nevertheless knew how those soap bars were made and refused to use them. Not out of sympathy for the Jews they murdered but out of revulsion and that the Germans were treating the Poles so badly. Holocaust deniers are the lowest of the low.
Did you have troubles with him? Did he not publish something you wrote and what was it. Could you be more specific? He is retired, and I assume as a man of the military conservative. But that's not what you mean, is it? What political agenda. What is yours? I accept all kind of political agendas. No doubt there are red lines, beyond which I probably too would be suspicious. But than I could tell you why. I think he is concerned, maybe concerned as an Arabist, that is he may well know a little more about the region, and in specific contexts more than you do? Financial agenda? In what respect? He is retired?
"That's all I was saying." Please spare me your sophomoric backpedaling. You originally insisted that all Hamas members and sympathizers and all Fatah members and sympathizers were locked in a mutual death wish, and that we were all idiots for not "knowing" that. You didn't know what you were talking about, and now you are backpedaling. You merely know how to regurgitate the racist Israeli propaganda you hear daily. Thanks, but I can get that from other sources. You'll notice that Phil has posted a very moving statement from a religious Jewish woman, Tema Okun, who has toured all over the West Bank (including Ramallah) and been treated very warmly by all the Palestinians she met. I have yet to meet any Jew who goes there with warmth in their heart who has not been treated with great hospitality and friendship by the Palestinians, and that includes in Ramallah, and I know or have met scores of Jews who have gone there. If someone goes there with hatred and racism in their heart, the reception may be different, just as it is different if a duvdevan unit goes there. I'm not saying that violence never happens in Ramallah, because that happens everywhere, including within Israel, VIDEO: Jerusalem camera catches brutal attack by Jewish teens on Arab youths and Arab MK to Dichter: Protect Arab drivers from stone throwing on Yom Kippur Do these incidents prove that all Jewish Israelis are violent savages? Of course not, so cut the racist crap about violent Arabs. We've heard that tripe before when it was used to excuse the mistreatment of blacks in the US. You only make yourself look bad by recycling that garbage. It was your flat-earth analogy, BTW, so its kind of amusing that you find it so unoriginal. Maybe you need new material. You can call ignorant and racist rantings "facts" if you like, but that doesn't make them facts just because they emanate from your mouth. No problem for me, as I see them for what they are.