Make sure 'Gaza first' is not 'Gaza last'

[bemildred]

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi - Tuesday, 11 October 2005

As Palestinian factions vie for credit for Israel's disengagement from Gaza, many forget that the success really belongs to the ordinary men, women and children of Palestine who have remained in their homeland during 38 years of devastating occupation and clung to the belief in the justice of their cause. The disengagement is a direct result of their patience and resilience, and now the occupation has only one direction to go - backward.

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His tactics have laid three main challenges in front of the Palestinian people.

First, Palestinian mismanagement of the Gaza Strip would encourage critics to claim that Palestinians are unfit for self-rule.

We can avoid this by holding fair democratic elections in the legislative council, municipalities and all representative bodies, making sure competition between factions is expressed only through the ballot box, in a peaceful and pluralistic manner. Forcing opinions on people using violence, intimidation, favoritism and patronage must be avoided at all costs.

IMEMC

[pelsar]

1. how about the first step...

no matter how intellectual they write...they all start with the first illusion...so that if gaza fails..we can all blame israel

If Israel removes its settlers and soldiers but maintains control over all access to Gaza by land, sea and air, the strip will remain an isolated, impoverished prison.

is the egytian/gaza border "invisable"...whats with these people...do they a problem with saying...hey...israel is not responsable for something involving the palestenians...guess its really difficult to change old habits...

a SERIOUS article will recognize that the egyptian/palestenian border is precisly that..and if the palesetenians are in a prison...as so many like to claim, so they can blame israel for a potential failure, perhaps they should look south?..to see who closed the border?

whatever else he wrote...is just blah blah.....

[bemildred]

2. So, you feel Palestinians should be free to come and go as they like?

Then we agree.

[pelsar]

3. come and go ....

sure they can do what the want...just not in israel....or i guess egypt....or the US or kuwait....or syria....just like EVERYBODY ELSE in this world. They are not special, they have a society in gaza which is now responsable for their welfare. If they want to leave gaza they have work out the deals with Egypt or israel...just like all countries do with their neighbors..whats the big deal?

[bemildred]

4. And airplanes and boats too of course.

Glad we agree.
:thumbsup: