The Plight of the Palestinians

Josh Baker’s letter in the Wall Street Journal, responding to an article by Palestinian-American Zahi Khouri, is a good summary of the Palestinian’s plight:

Mr. Khouri perfectly demonstrates why the Palestinians have failed so miserable at establishing a state or a civilized society.  Athough the international community has made the Palestinians its chosen people (while generally ignoring the plight of Kurds, Kashmiris, Chechens Basque, Tamils, Tibetans, etc.), the Palestinians refuse to accept one ounce of responsibility for their situation and refuse to take any positive actions for their own benefit.  Instead, as Mr. Khouri demonstrates, even Palestinian moderates would prefer to cling to myths and victim hood.

For example, Mr. Khouri outrageously claims that Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948.  There is not a shred of credible evidence to support this claim; yet Palestinians continue to repeat this lie and to ignore the fact that it was they who rejected the U.N. partition and statehood in favor of a shot at riddling the land of Jews.

Similarly, Mr. Khouri condemns Israel for building a security barrier and erecting check points without acknowledging that these reasonable measures were a response to well over a hundred suicide bomb attacks by Palestinian terrorists.  And, of course, he fantasizes that the Palestinian rejection in 2000 of a state in more than 95% of the West Bank and all of Gaza with a share of Jerusalem never occurred.  Nor is he able to acknowledge that since Israel withdrew from Gaza, Palestinian militias have turned Gaza into a living hell for ordinary Palestinians.

Over at Boker tov, Boulder!, a reader made the mistake of challenging Anne Lieberman to visit Gaza to better understand the Palestinians’ plight; her response is classic BtB.

Meanwhile, Condoleeza Rice yesterday continued to indulge the Palestinians in their victimhood, in her Keynote Address at the American Task Force on Palestine Inaugural Gala:

I believe that there could be no greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian state for a people who have suffered too long, who have been humiliated too long, who have not reached their potential for too long, and who have so much to give to the international community and to all of us. I promise you my personal commitment to that goal.

They’ve suffered, been humiliated, and not reached their potential, even though they have so much to give to all of us. It sounds like an indulgent teacher talking about a 15-year old second grader.