Comments on: Opinion polls suggest Israeli policies against Gaza and Hamas have sharply reduced Palestinian support for extremists

By: Lynne T

Lynne T — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:38:16 +0000

These poll results mirror precisely what Robert Auman wrote recently about Game Theory. Once you refuse to give into being blackmailed into excepting outrageous demands and show your opponents that they have more to lose by being unreasonable, the other side will see reality.

By: Jonathan Karmi

Jonathan Karmi — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:25:50 +0000

Other opinions revealed by the survey confirm the overall message that most Gazans now consider the Hamas regime to be a failure …

“The vast majority of Palestinians think creating jobs and fighting poverty is the most important issue facing Palestinians, with 75% saying the Palestinian economy is deteriorating.

The poll also showed that 67% of Palestinians think their society is headed in the wrong direction.”

The policies of the EU, the US and the UN, create a paradox by bolstering Hamas. The correct policy should be to encourage and assist the Gazans to get rid of Hamas, and when that’s done, give them the aid they need to rebuild.

By: YAAKOV HAIMOVIC

YAAKOV HAIMOVIC — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:44:33 +0000

DID THE DIVISION AND SEMI DESTRUCTION OF GERMANY AFTER WW2 MADE IT INTO A MORE EXTREMIST COUNTRY OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND?DID NUKING JAPAN MADE IT INTO A REVANCHIST STATE OR A PACIFIST ONE?
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN!
MR.FRANKL YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THEY ARE ANTI-JEWISH TOO.JEWS DONT HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS OF SELF DEFENSE AS EVERYBODY ELSE(PLEASE SPARE ME JEWS/ISRAELI DIFFERENTIATION).

By: lucien

lucien — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:56:44 +0000

radicalisation is a term used by islamist apologists to fool the bien pensants western believers in moral equivalence. Those nihilists who steadfastly refuse to acknowledge what they are told by so called islamic leaders time and time again -that a non muslim self determining state within lands deemed sacred and part of the Oumah, can never never be permitted to exist.And it is said everywhere in the ‘charters’ of hamas, fatah, the PLO and of course in all the sharia run countries that must agree because it is a basic tenet of islam.
this is of course what the BBC and the hordes of islamist apologists will never discuss or aimply talk about radicalists if only to further the impression that the rest are tolerant and peace loving.

By: Gábor Fränkl

Gábor Fränkl — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:48:51 +0000

I would go further, all those people in the 1st sentence are basically racists. The do consider the Palestinians as never-to-be–able-to-mature-and-grow-up children, mindless idiots, two bit one dimensional robots. It’s clear that they do look down on them and take them for deranged or retards. It’s not the Israelis/conservatives/neo-cons/etc. who are the racists, they are! I’ve known this for half a decade.

By: Andy Gill

Andy Gill — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:38:30 +0000

The bien pensants don’t have much time for facts or evidence. They just look into their own hearts and find the truth there. They just know.

By: Naomi

Naomi — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:40:58 +0000

Two points:

1. Since Arab radicalism can be traced back to at least 1929, when the Jewish community of Hebron was massacred, the argument that it is caused by Israeli persecution of Palestinians never made much sense.

2. The relatively high popularity of Fatah versus Hamas today would likely be even greater if Fatah didn’t suffer from a reputation for corruption.

By: Winston Pickett

Winston Pickett — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:55:44 +0000

A searing, judiciously argued indictment of the ‘conventional wisdom’ that dangerously prevails in foreign policy circles. Israel is part of the solution - not the problem. What are the odds of that formula catching on any time soon?

By: AKUS

AKUS — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:41:34 +0000

I really do hate to say this, but it has been proven over and over that the only language Arabs [governments and political movements] understand is the language of force. Negotiation, compromise, moderation are not part of the “religion of peace”, and as a result they perceive concessions as weakness.