Intifada, Part I
The next several posts are going to be excerpts from Chapter 8 (Intifada) of Keith Intrator's "From Iraq to Armageddon." I found it most compelling, and I would encourage you to read this book even if just for a different opinion on the "end times" matter. This chapter put together for me some things that are currently going on in our world, and was quite an eye opener.
From Keith Intrator's "From Iraq to Armageddon."
"By the summer of 2000, the Camp David talks with Clinton, Barak, and Arafat were in full swing. Ehud Barak, the most decorated soldier in modern Israeli history, had set himself to negotiate a peace settlement with Arafat by putting all the issues on the table. He had just completed a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. While there were objections from the right that the withdrawal would be interpreted by the Arabs as weakness, and therfore encourage more terrorism, it received widespread approval in Israeli public opinion.
Barak, riding this wave of success and popularity, offered to give back or remove Israeli presence from the disputed territories, allow for a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, and even relinquish control over the Temple Mount area! The right wing went into a panic. The mainstream was confused. Even the left wing was amazed at how far Barak was pushing. It seemed crazy. But...who knows? Israel was so tired of the wars and the struggles. Perhaps if we just made concessions on all the issues, we could get to peace.
One thing that Barak demanded was an "end of conflict" clause. In other words, that the Arab world would agree to this treaty and commit to no further demands being made on Israel. Here Arafat balked. The talks started to stall.
Sharon's Visit
The right wing felt the need to move. A year earlier the Lukud party, under the leadership of then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the Labor party under Barak. The new chairman of the Likud party, Ariel Sharon, decided to protest by making an official "visit" to the Temple Mount. The visit, of course, would be a statement of Jewish rights to the Temple Mount area.
He invited Knesset members from all parties to join him. Actually very few showed up. While on the Temple Mount, although accompanied by heavy security, Sharon was pelted by rocks. Violent demonstrations erupted all over the Palestinian territories. The response was much greater than anyone (on the Israeli side) expected. Barak, frustrated by Arafat's intransigence, publicly backed Sharon's right to visit the Temple Mount, although not agreeing to the particular timing of the event.
The situation, instead of quieting down over the next few weeks, grew worse. The Camp David talks collapsed with both sides walking out in anger. At that point, Arafat proclaimed the opening of a new "Intifada," a civil uprising or terrorist war against Israel.
The Israeli public was stunned. Despite the rhetoric against the concessions that Barak was offering, it was likely that a plebiscite vote would have affirmed the treaty. The Israeli public so desperately wanted peace that it was ready for anything, even what seemed to be humiliating and dangerous concessions. But Arafat refused. He not only refused; he opened a war in return.
Within a few weeks, Barak's goverenment was toppled. Sharon became the new prime minister. Even more disconcerting than the change in government was the shaking of the Israeli worldview. The very conception that it would be possible ever to negotiate and arrive at a peaceful agreement was deeply undermined.
And the Intifada continued and continued. Almost all the Palestinians working in Israeli businesses were fired. Laborers from China, Romania, the Philippines, and Nigeria were brought in to cover the jobs. Tourism to Israel dropped to virtually zero. That caused a chain effect in other related businesses, such as hotels and restaurants. Foreign investment also dropped dramatically. Unemployment in Israel skyrocketed. With the high costs of prolonging a war that seemed to go on and on, there was no budget left for schools, hospitals, and welfare.
The police were so stretched in security issues that crime protection went down. The despair of the people began to express itself in symptoms of higher sexual abuse, violence in families, gambling, and substance abuse.
And on the Palestinain side, the disaster was almost total. Widespread malnutrition, poverty, and unemployment ruined the day to day life of the average Palestinian. The Palestinian authority was plagued with horrible financial corruption, so that donations from Europe and the Arab nations never reached the people. Militant fanatic Islam spread more and more. A subculture idolizing terror grew up that gripped large parts of the Palestinian youth and even children. Arafat at one point even called for a "million suicide terrorists" to volunteer to "liberate" Jerusalem.
When Sharon was elected as prime minister, he wanted to alter his image as hard right wing. He offered to open negotiations by declaring a unilateral cease-fire on Israel's part. Arafat continued the Intifada. After the World Trade Center disaster, another attempt was made to negotiate a cease-fire, to no avail."
Stay tuned for, "What Arafat Sees" next post.
From Keith Intrator's "From Iraq to Armageddon."
INTIFADA
"By the summer of 2000, the Camp David talks with Clinton, Barak, and Arafat were in full swing. Ehud Barak, the most decorated soldier in modern Israeli history, had set himself to negotiate a peace settlement with Arafat by putting all the issues on the table. He had just completed a unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. While there were objections from the right that the withdrawal would be interpreted by the Arabs as weakness, and therfore encourage more terrorism, it received widespread approval in Israeli public opinion.
Barak, riding this wave of success and popularity, offered to give back or remove Israeli presence from the disputed territories, allow for a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, and even relinquish control over the Temple Mount area! The right wing went into a panic. The mainstream was confused. Even the left wing was amazed at how far Barak was pushing. It seemed crazy. But...who knows? Israel was so tired of the wars and the struggles. Perhaps if we just made concessions on all the issues, we could get to peace.
One thing that Barak demanded was an "end of conflict" clause. In other words, that the Arab world would agree to this treaty and commit to no further demands being made on Israel. Here Arafat balked. The talks started to stall.
Sharon's Visit
The right wing felt the need to move. A year earlier the Lukud party, under the leadership of then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the Labor party under Barak. The new chairman of the Likud party, Ariel Sharon, decided to protest by making an official "visit" to the Temple Mount. The visit, of course, would be a statement of Jewish rights to the Temple Mount area.
He invited Knesset members from all parties to join him. Actually very few showed up. While on the Temple Mount, although accompanied by heavy security, Sharon was pelted by rocks. Violent demonstrations erupted all over the Palestinian territories. The response was much greater than anyone (on the Israeli side) expected. Barak, frustrated by Arafat's intransigence, publicly backed Sharon's right to visit the Temple Mount, although not agreeing to the particular timing of the event.
The situation, instead of quieting down over the next few weeks, grew worse. The Camp David talks collapsed with both sides walking out in anger. At that point, Arafat proclaimed the opening of a new "Intifada," a civil uprising or terrorist war against Israel.
The Israeli public was stunned. Despite the rhetoric against the concessions that Barak was offering, it was likely that a plebiscite vote would have affirmed the treaty. The Israeli public so desperately wanted peace that it was ready for anything, even what seemed to be humiliating and dangerous concessions. But Arafat refused. He not only refused; he opened a war in return.
Within a few weeks, Barak's goverenment was toppled. Sharon became the new prime minister. Even more disconcerting than the change in government was the shaking of the Israeli worldview. The very conception that it would be possible ever to negotiate and arrive at a peaceful agreement was deeply undermined.
And the Intifada continued and continued. Almost all the Palestinians working in Israeli businesses were fired. Laborers from China, Romania, the Philippines, and Nigeria were brought in to cover the jobs. Tourism to Israel dropped to virtually zero. That caused a chain effect in other related businesses, such as hotels and restaurants. Foreign investment also dropped dramatically. Unemployment in Israel skyrocketed. With the high costs of prolonging a war that seemed to go on and on, there was no budget left for schools, hospitals, and welfare.
The police were so stretched in security issues that crime protection went down. The despair of the people began to express itself in symptoms of higher sexual abuse, violence in families, gambling, and substance abuse.
And on the Palestinain side, the disaster was almost total. Widespread malnutrition, poverty, and unemployment ruined the day to day life of the average Palestinian. The Palestinian authority was plagued with horrible financial corruption, so that donations from Europe and the Arab nations never reached the people. Militant fanatic Islam spread more and more. A subculture idolizing terror grew up that gripped large parts of the Palestinian youth and even children. Arafat at one point even called for a "million suicide terrorists" to volunteer to "liberate" Jerusalem.
When Sharon was elected as prime minister, he wanted to alter his image as hard right wing. He offered to open negotiations by declaring a unilateral cease-fire on Israel's part. Arafat continued the Intifada. After the World Trade Center disaster, another attempt was made to negotiate a cease-fire, to no avail."
Stay tuned for, "What Arafat Sees" next post.
posted by KariBryant @ 10:47 AM
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