Powell: PA must fight terror before settlements frozen

[tinnypriv]

Powell: PA must fight terror before settlements frozen
Jerusalem Post, 23 September 2003

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that he does not expect Israel to freeze settlement growth as long as the Palestinians are not working to dismantle the terror infrastructure in the territories.

...

"They will respond, in my judgment, when it can be demonstrated that the Palestinian side is doing something about the bombing, the terror," Powell said.

Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria have grown an average of three times as fast as those inside the Green Line, according to a study slated for release soon.

The 2002 Statistical Abstract published by the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel showed that the Jewish population of the West Bank has grown 144 percent in the past decade. In comparison, the growth rate of the entire country was 32%.

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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1064292499479

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Comment: Saying you actually support violation of the geneva conventions is pretty brazen. Usually that is just made clear implicitly. :eyes:

[drewb]

1. Come on... Chase that carrot....

It's right there in front of you...

Oooooops... no it's not!

[IndianaGreen]

11. Since the settlements are what fuel terrorism

this is like telling the Iraqis to stop resisting the American occupation in order for it to end.

Putting the onus on the victims once again.

Nothing like American politicians from both parties catering to the ultra-Zionist votes!

[dfong63]

2. iow,

Powell doesn't expect Israel to stop stealing from the Palestinians as long as the Palestinians keep trying to get back what Israel stole.

[sushi]

21. This is so disgusting

!

[The Magistrate]

3. A Damned Un-Helpful Comment, Mr. Priv

Sharon has to be told at minimum expansion of settlements stops, regardless of what various Arab Palestinians do.

[tinnypriv]

6. I agree

An analogy I like to use is that of a person running towards the edge of a cliff.

At the moment, Israel is saying "how do I stop going over the cliff?", while running at breakneck speed towards it. The United States is standing by, providing the water, the shoes and cheering the runner onwards.

The cliff is the end of the two state solution. Each step is an expansion of the settlements.

Even if Israel stops running and building new settlements, natural growth will mean Israel will continue to walk towards that cliff.

A sane policy: first, Israel has to stop running (no new settlements). Then it has to stop walking (negative natural growth). Then it has to turn around (remove settlements).

Powell is a grade A moron.

[DuctapeFatwa]

4. The bush regime does not consider US or Israel bound by Geneva

Like who has the right of self-defense, the obligation to comply with international accords and conventions is decreed on a case by case basis by the US.

[Muddleoftheroad]

7. It's only fair

The Palestinian terror groups don't consider themselves so bound either.

[Darranar]

8. War crimes don't excuse war crimes

n/t

[Muddleoftheroad]

9. I don't advocate war crimes

But we might disagree about the definition.

[Darranar]

10. My only point was...

that you implied that Israeli violations of Gen. Conventions were justified because Hamas violates them too. That is simply not true.

[Muddleoftheroad]

13. No my point was

The irony of the whole situation.

[Darranar]

17. Yes, there's a lot of irony in it all.

n/t

[quilp]

18. How can you call people "terrorists" and at the same time

complain they " don't consider themselves bound" by international laws? If they are "terrorists" then you cannot hold the PA responsible for their acts. I don't see the Likud being held responsible for the acts of the "settlers" either. Do you?

Or is your case that since "terrorists" aren't bound by laws neither are "governments"? Is that what is "only fair" in your eyes?

[Darranar]

5. Pathetic...

this is like saying "Fly up into the sky now ro I'll shoot you!" If the PA is incapable of fighting terror, as it is now, it can't do much to end the settlements, can it?

Just like asking Hussein to destroy his WMD despite the fact that he didn't have any.

[Gimel]

12. Only logical

If the settlers are sort of a group of reverse terrorists, acting by building in response to attacks, they will be cooperative only if the terror groups are dismantled.

[IndianaGreen]

14. The settlers are squatters, living in someone else's land

If they had pulled that stunt in the USA, they would have been met by a hail of gunfire from patriots defending their property rights and exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

[Gimel]

15. depends

Squatters rights are still respected in parts of the west and Alaska.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. That's not logical at all...

The settlements came into existance long before any suicide-bombings, and they're illegal under international law. All this 'waaah! we won't do this till you do that' crap is so much a symtom of the idiocy I see in most of this conflict. If some people and their leaders acted like adults and not snotty little school-kids in a lunchtime slapping match, maybe I'd be more inclined to believe them when they claim they want peace....

Violet...

[Gimel]

26. Reminder

Suicide bombings are not the only fatal attacks endured. Long before this style was developed, sniper fire was used to attack vehicles and kill families. The territories have not had any suicide attacks even to this day, so that is a very poor assumption.

Many settlements were in fact established on the very point of a deadly attack. They were a peaceful response to the deadly attacks on civilians.

Edited to remove a mistake of one letter.

[Violet_Crumble]

29. Oh, I see...

I was talking about suicide bombings in Israel. Or are you trying to say that if any attacks in the Occupied Territories cease the settlers will up and move back to Israel? Here's a reminder for you. Those illegal settlements were there way before any terrorist attacks in the Occupied Territories. And I'm kinda curious now. If fatal attacks on settlers are labelled as terrorism, then wouldn't fatal attacks on Palestinians be terrorism as well?

Building a settlement on territory that doesn't belong to Israel, along with the associated theft of land and attacks on Palestinians, in no way can be described as 'peaceful'. Doesn't matter what reason gets trotted out, it's illegal, racist, and violent. Yr condoning this sort of thing? I thought you supported the settlements being dismantled?


Violet...

[quilp]

19. Al Capone made exactly the same point. to the other crime families.

about his Chicago territory during the prohibition gang wars.

[Gimel]

28. If you want peace

you don't promote war. You promote life.

This has nothing in common with Al Capone.

[Equinox]

22. LOL, Gimel...

Ok...so the bombings stop and the dream of Eretz Yisrael ends?

You live in a backwards world.

[Gimel]

27. The reality

of Eretz Ysrael continues. You've given voice to the will of Hamas.

[Violet_Crumble]

30. Eretz Ysrael?

Are you referring to Israel itself (this means minus Palestinian territory and the Golan Heights), or are you referring to an Israel that includes what some folk prefer to call 'disputed' territory?


Violet...

[Gimel]

31. Past, prsent and future

In it's various forms. It is. Israel lives.

[Violet_Crumble]

32. Now do you want to try answering my question?

I'll make it even easier for you this time and if you try to evade it again don't you dare accuse anyone of misrepresentations if they say they suspect that you believe the Occupied Territories are part of Israel. All you have to do is select A or B, okay?

Are you referring to:

A. Israel itself (this means minus Palestinian territory and the Golan Heights),

or;

B. an Israel that includes what some folk prefer to call 'disputed' territory?

Violet...

[LastDemInIdaho]

20. Powell is right on this one

The nations that tried to push Israel into the sea many years ago need to look inside their action and provide reparation to Israel first.

Israel is just trying to survive the onslaught of terror and anti-Israel public opinion. I'm always amased to see such hate against Israel on a progressive site such as this one.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MariMayans]

24. That has what exactly to do with settlements?

Even allowing for your childish little fantasy about the history of Israel's armed conflicts what would that have to do with a land grab made illegal out of respect and condemnation of Hitler's war crimes?

[Jackie97]

25. Of course....

Freezing the settlements is not going to promote terrorism (in fact, it might do the opposite). Keeping the settlements is not "defending Israel". It's nothing more than saying "We'll do what we want to, and use terrorism as an excuse".