An Interview With Al-Jazeera Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Sheikh

[Spinoza]

snip> "In many Arab states, the middle class is disappearing. The rich get richer and the poor get still poorer. Look at the schools in Jordan, Egypt or Morocco: You have up to 70 youngsters crammed together in a single classroom. How can a teacher do his job in such circumstances? The public hospitals are also in a hopeless condition. These are just examples. They show how hopeless the situation is for us in the Middle East.

Who is responsible for the situation?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most important reasons why these crises and problems continue to simmer. The day when Israel was founded created the basis for our problems. The West should finally come to understand this. Everything would be much calmer if the Palestinians were given their rights.

Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?

I think so.

Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?

The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.

In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?

Exactly. It's because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The West's problem is that it does not understand this."<snip
http://www.worldpoliticswatch.com/article.aspx?id=395

Wow!

[barb162]

1. Case study in denial and illogical thinking

as in, how many students were in classrooms prior to 1948? 90 per classroom?
AND
"The rich get richer and the poor get still poorer"
That's happening in a lot of countries
AND
"The public hospitals are also in a hopeless condition"
Were they in a hopeless condition or even worse prior to the creation of Israel

:hi:

[Spinoza]

2. Ironies abound in this interview,

not least the fact that it's the (approximately) 1 million Arabs living in Israel who-on average-go to better schools and enjoy better medical care, than their brethren in 'Egypt, Jordan and Morocco'. (I don't have 'links', but this is general knowlege I have never seen disputed. And yes, I know that 'better' in this case may not be saying alot. Still.) Another irony is that, according to Sheikh, Arab detestation of Israel is not primarily based upon actual Palestinian suffering, in fact is not primarily based on ANY Israeli actions against Palestinians, but is based upon the damage done to Arab self-esteem by Israel's victories. I have never before read an admission of this type from a prominent Arab spokesman.

[barb162]

4. "Arab detestation of Israel

is not primarily based upon actual Palestinian suffering"
I read somewhere two or so years ago that Arabs of certain countries stopped giving when they realized that the average Palestinian income was way higher than theirs.

[pelsar]

5. I missed that part...

Another irony is that, according to Sheikh, Arab detestation of Israel is not primarily based upon actual Palestinian suffering, in fact is not primarily based on ANY Israeli actions against Palestinians, but is based upon the damage done to Arab self-esteem by Israel's victories.

which makes for an interesting "partnership"...those in the west who talk about the conflict is based on palestenian suffering are actually not listening to many of the arabs (at least those that the readership of aljazeer represent).....who are saying the palestenian suffering is in fact not the reason for the conflict and it will continue what ever their situation is. Acutally Hamas has also said this, when they express their belief that the problem is the jews and israel...

[pelsar]

6. did you miss the hamas spokesman?

he too had an interesting viewpoint:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3296410,00.html


HAMAS Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad has called on fellow Palestinians to cease blaming the Israeli occupation for their troubles and find a way to stop the thuggery and violence that have shattered their dreams of an independent state.
"The chaos, pointless murders, the plundering of lands, family feuds ... what do all of these have to do with the occupation?" Dr Hamad wrote in an article published on Palestinian news websites. "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the sword of thugs. We've been attacked by the bacteria of stupidity and don't know where we're headed."

"Anarchy, wanton killing, land steeling, thuggery … is the occupation responsible for all?," he asked, saying that the Palestinians should

stop espousing conspiracy theories which "limit our thinking."

[msmcghee]

3. Thanks for posting.

I read the whole interview and it is amazing.