PLO official: Palestinians, Israelis must be totally separated

PLO official: Palestinians, Israelis must be totally separated

Commenting on the subject of minority rights in the potential Palestinian state, PLO envoy to the U.S. says past experience shows the two people should be 'totally separated.'

The future independent Palestinian state will not include a Jewish minority, a top Palestinian official told USA Today on Wednesday, adding that it was in the best interest of both peoples to "be separated."

Maen Areikat, PLO Ambassador to the United States, made the comment just as the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was preparing to offer up Palestinian statehood to a vote in the United Nations General Assembly later this month.

Answering a question about the legal status of a Jewish minority in the future state, Areikat apprently rejected the issue, saying: "I believe, I still believe that as a first step we need to be totally separated," adding "I think we can contemplate these issues in the future."

"After the experience of the last 44 years, of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it will be in the best interest that the two peoples should be separated," Areikat added.

Former U.S. National Security Council official Elliot Abrams responded to the Palestinian official's comment, saying to USA Today that the Palestinian demand was "a despicable form of anti-Semitism," adding: "No civilized country would act this way."

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama had been openly opposing the planned Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations, arguing that a unilateral recognition of Palestinian independence would severely injure attempts at a comprehensive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

I see the double standard is once again in full swing. If this is the way any future Palestinian State will be, then its not going to last long. Amazing coming from their Ambassador to the United States. What exactly do they think this is going to accomplish? If anything its just going to make radical elements on both sides become that much more extreme.

I could only imagine what would occur in Arab Capitals if Israel announced that Arabs are no longer allowed to live in Israel.

That says a lot.

Thoughts?

reply to post by Xcathdra

Palestinians complain a lot about Israel, but Israel has not even gone this far.

You can't be serious. Israel has "jewish only" roads. Israel has "jewish only" neighborhoods. Israel has "jewish only" job postings. You want to see why they must be separated? Go hit youtube and search for Israeli settlers and watch a few videos of how loving and tender these settlers are, and how well they get along. And no, i know those settlers do not represent the entire population of Israel. The fact remains, if a two state solution is implemented, those settlers are who the Palestinians will have to live side by side with, and the settlers are not going to be happy at all.

I don't think this is a smart move at all, and I completely question the motives of actually committing that statement to print.

Some Israeli politicians advocate land-swap proposals in order to assure a continued Jewish majority within Israel. A specific proposal is that Israel transfer sovereignty of part of the Arab-populated Wadi Ara area (west of the Green Line) to a future Palestinian state, in return for formal sovereignty over the major Jewish settlement "blocks" that lie inside the West Bank east of the Green Line.[92] Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, the fourth largest faction in the 17th Knesset, is one of the foremost advocates of the transfer of large Arab towns located just inside Israel near the border with the West Bank (e.g. Tayibe, Umm al-Fahm, Baqa al-Gharbiyye), to the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority in exchange for Israeli settlements located inside the West Bank.[93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100] As the London Times notes: "Lieberman plans to strengthen Israel’s status as a Jewish state by transferring 500,000 of its minority Arab population to the West Bank, by the simple expedient of redrawing the West Bank to include several Arab Israeli towns in northern Israel. Another 500,000 would be stripped of their right to vote if they failed to pledge loyalty to Zionism."

Source

Amendment 9 to the 'Basic Law: The Knesset and the Law of Political Parties', states that a political party "may not participate in the elections if there is in its goals or actions a denial of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, a denial of the democratic nature of the state, or incitement to racism."

Source

My thought is that any outcome of the upcoming PA vote will have the potential for increased violence in the area.

reply to post by micmerci

My thought is that any outcome of the upcoming PA vote will have the potential for increased violence in the area.

I think everyone can at least agree on that, once this vote happens, tensions will be strained in the region with everyone watching and waiting with baited breath. This vote has the potential to change mideast geopolitics forever.

Another thread was started on this same topic.

A few points.

1. Who cares what the PLO says? Hamas is the government. And since when can the PLO have an "official" I thought they were a terrorist organization? So why should we care what a terrorist organization has to say?

2. If this is racist on the part of Palestine not wanting Jews to live in their country, then Israel is racist for preventing Palestine's bid for statehood.

3. Most people accept a two-state solution, well, that's segregation, right? Two states, two people. If you had one state with one people, that would be a one state solution. The Christian Zionists of course want a one state solution, of just Jews. So...the Palestinians are just being fair when they say things like this.

If segregation is not cool, racist, bad, etc, then Muslims and Jews should live in Israel together. Convert the west bank and Gaza into a Jew-Muslim happy holy land, one state solution, everyone lives peacefully under the same government. But if that doesn't work, have a two state solution and stop complaining that it might be racist.

Originally posted by Xcathdra


I could only imagine what would occur in Arab Capitals if Israel announced that Arabs are no longer allowed to live in Israel.

What about the Palestinians that are kicked out of their homes to make room for Israelis? Seems like a double standard.

reply to post by filosophia


Hamas is the government in Gaza, not the WestBank. The PLO has an Ambassador with the US, not Hamas and to my knowledge I dont think Fatah does either.

To date their is no unity government between Hamas or Fatah, still making both territories seperate from each other by way of government.

My point is if Israel made this type of announcement, you would be hearing people scream calling for their condemnation.

Maybe Arabs shouldnt have decided to invade / attack Israel, only to get their asses ahnded to them time and again, with the end result of Arabs / Palestinians crying to the UN they lost land while trying to wipe Israel off the map?

I seriously doubt any country in the Middle East would even care if Israel lost and was wiped off the map. As far as forced to move, the exact same thing occured to Jewish people in Arab countries. The only reason its not main stream news is because the Arabs dont care.

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


So Israel is stating that if your politicla party doesnt recognize Israel right to exist, you arent going to be a political party...

Your point?

Originally posted by micmerci
My thought is that any outcome of the upcoming PA vote will have the potential for increased violence in the area.

Agreed... Personally speaking, if a Palestinian State does become reality, I cant see it lasting long. I see Hamas / Arab groups continuing to attack Israel. The issue though will move from the realm of "occupation" to the realm of one sovereign nation attacking another, which changes the game and the rules. I give it a year if a Palestinian state becomes reality before the Palestinains (Hamas) forces a war with Israel, who will just invade and occupy, thus repeating the cycle.

Give Gaza back to its rightful owner, Egypt, and let them deal with the people there.
Give the West Bank back to Jordan and let them deal with the people.