Letters to the Editor, July 29, 2003

Many other publications around the world offer free daily or weekly E-mailed highlights of articles in their web issues. Most have links to the main story appearing in that day's issue. Is something similar to that available from your publication? I would find it informative and
valuable in better understanding worldwide issues. Thank you.

William F. Brabenec
Attica, Michigan, USA

Editor: This publication has no other source of funding except readers. Many readers asked for this extra service. More support is needed for this to happen. Interested readers may subscribe by going through the support link posted at the bottom of the front page.

Dear editor,

I just want to let you know, that no one in Pakistan consider Mr. Asif
Zardari as Nelson Mandela. I think its an insult to compare Mr. 10% to Nelson
mandeal. He was the father of corruption in Benazir time. I am happy that he is
in Jail.

thanks
Muhammad diyyar
Seattle, Washington
U.S.A

Palestinian Cause Lacks Focus

By Rich Maurice

If the articles on Aljazeerah.info reflect the feelings of Palestinians and the strategy to achieve Palestinian justice/peace, then the cause is in great jeopardy. The cause is particularly lacking in the following areas:

A clear objective

Strategy to achieve it’s objectives

Central power figure to lead the cause

Strategy-Keep objective simple and stick to it.

I will start with strategy as I feel it is the most lacking area. Clearly there is a Palestinian strategy as evidenced by the existence of this web site. I think it safe to say that an effort is being made to influence Americans but to what end? Reading through the articles on this page, one is generally left with the feeling that page is designed to (criticize) U. S. policy and institutions. The number of articles on “neo-cons”, military strategy, representatives, media, organizations and policy is astounding. While I find some of the material interesting, this is no way to direct a public relations campaign. Much of the material has nothing to do with Palestinians. In the last weekend alone I read articles ridiculing the Republican leadership (over 30% of the population in Republican), another congress and the senate (Democrats and Republicans-over 60% of the population), the U. S. military (over 10 % of the population directly while additional political parties strongly support the military), Iraq war (supported by over 50% of the U. S. population). If this were a political campaign there would be no one left to vote for us. The site contains valuable information on the plight of Palestinians. In my view they are being overshadowed by negative messages, political goals and insults.

Objective-Justice for Palestinians

I think the cause needs to follow the example set by Jews. In the early days, Jews did not own our mass media and elected officials. They won support in this country not by attacking our institutions but rather by appealing to our patriotism and sense of justice (a right to self determination and governance). In simple terms, stop verbally assaulting the people needed for the Palestinian cause and appeal to their sense of justice. This is easy for Americans to understand and relate to in terms of the Palestinian cause. It’s also easy to demonstrate the injustice endured by Palestinians:

Land stolen

No representation in government

Living in a police state and refuge camps

This is an easy sell. Why pollute the message with politics and verbal assaults? As the Oslo process demonstrated, it is not simply a state the Palestinian people need. The final draft offered opportunity for a Palestinian state. It was rejected primarily because it did not resolve the refuge crisis. If the request had been for justice rather than peace, all parties would have understood the need to resolve the refuge crisis from the start. I believe the American people would readily accept justice as a valid Palestinian need.

Central Power to Lead Cause

There simply needs to be a structure in place to keep the Palestinian message consistent, friendly and to maintain a strategy for achieving it’s objective in this country. It was the Zionists who formed the message to Americans for Jews. They developed strategies for spreading their ideas and they implemented a structure to control public relations. Palestinians need to do the same.

Editor:

While education (not public relations as you mentioned) about the Palestinian cause is a central objective for aljazeerah.info, it stays as a collective effort by intellectuals from all over the world, including Americans. Al-Jazeerah.info is an independent publication without funding from any governments or entities. The strategy you are suggesting could be best directed to the Palestinian Authority or the Arab League through their offices in Washington. Thus, while it is an honor for Al-Jazeerah.info to educate about the Palestinian cause, its shortcomings and limitations should not tarnish that noble cause.

With regard to the criticism of the US foreign policy expressed in opinion articles, it is essential for educating Americans about the consequences of this biased policy which is designed and implemented for the benefit of Israel. What makes this educational effort crucially important is the fact that Americans may not find it in the dominant Pro-Israel media. But criticism does not mean hostility. It is a constructive effort aiming at correction and improvement in international relations for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

The United States is the only superpower in the world and its ruling power elite are trying to replace the United Nations. This has not only increased hostility towards the United States all over the world but it also overburdened the American people in money ($6.6 trillion national debt) and in blood. This is another dimension of education Al-Jazeerah.info has been doing.

Finally, Al-Jazeerah.info has become a free and independent forum for intellectuals from everywhere, particularly from the United States, to discuss issues that are not discussed or addressed by the media owned by the ruling power elite. In brief, there is no public relations campaign here. It is free education.

Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal articles make for side splitting fun. I especially enjoyed his April 6 article, in which he asserted that the powers that be in the US had staffed its think tanks and government with pro war Jews. So that if the war turned out to be a failure “the American people will naturally show their anger toward these Jews without attacking the Anglo-Saxon elite.” The ramifications for the Jewish-American community and by extension Israel will be far reaching. “You will be amazed to see how quickly the American Jewish minority changes from a pampered group into an oppressed one.”

That said, there were some real funny passages in his July 27th column that rivaled what was just mentioned. I think my favorite, Comical Ali like comment, was about Americans “simply [being] incapable of fighting real battles against real people who do not roll over and play dead on cue.” Indeed, it took the US 6 hours to kill 3 men and a boy and a whole 100 hours to defeat the worlds 4th largest army in 1991. Proving himself a military historian par excellence, he suggested that the Saudis instead emulate the 1950s Chinese military tactics and have Saudi troops charge enemy positions on mass. Alternatively, he suggested that although, the North Vietnamese never won a battle in 8 years of war, the Saudis could also emulate their tactics.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).