Barghouthi: Prisoner swap is a triumph of steadfastness

[ProgressiveMuslim]

Ma'an News, Jul 16, 2008

This article was originally published by Ma'an News and is republished with permission.

Palestinian lawmaker and Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi affirmed on Wednesday that the prisoner swap between Israel and Hizbullah marked a triumph for Lebanese and Palestinian steadfastness and continued resistance.

He issued a statement congratulating freed prisoners emphasizing that completion of the deal is a guarantee that all prisoners will be set free eventually.

Barghouthi added that the profile of more than 11,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody topped the priority list of the Palestinian people. He therefore called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization to focus on the matter of a Palestinian prisoner exchange so that the men might live in freedom with dignity.

He explained that Israel used Palestinian prisoners to blackmail the PA, and that they have used arbitrary categories for the prisoners (such as those with "blood on their hands") to discriminate against some and ensure that they are not released. Barghouthi, on the other hand, describes all prisoners as political prisoners and heroes who defended the Palestinian national cause giving all they could for the sake of freedom and independence

http://imeu.net/news/article0013644.shtml

[Historic NY]

1. dead bodies, lop sided trade

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080716/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_lebanon

<snip>
That Israel paid such a high price for dead bodies could provide an incentive for militants to kill future hostages, said Yuval Steinitz, a lawmaker from the opposition Likud Party.

"This is a very dangerous precedent," he said. "We are telling them that they don't have to do their utmost to keep captive soldiers alive, to save them if captured."
<snip>


Seems like not one makes out with swaps like this, the struggles continue.

[leftynyc]

2. All this did was teach that

kidnapping or capturing soldiers is a good strategy if you're looking to get murderous animals released from prison so you can give them a parade. It sends the worst kind of message.

[Sezu]

3. Exactly and the touted future leader of Palestine

Barghouti proves that he too is a ghoul who considers murderers to be heroes and political prisoners. Imagine the future of any peace prospect with this worshipper of death at the helm.

[Vegasaurus]

4. These death lovers are disgusting

all of them, including Barghouti.

Some messenger of peace he is.

He is no better than Haniyeh or Abbas or the rest of the militants, martyrs or terrorists, or their lovers and supporters, who celebrate death and destruction of Jews and Israelis.

Karma's a bitch, and I hope they get theirs.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

6. Do you know who you're talking about?

This is Moustapha Barghouti quoted here, not Marwan.

Are you aware of that?

[azurnoir]

12. Better question

Do either of them care. if the words fit the need and their Arabs.......

[ProgressiveMuslim]

19. I don't follow you.

Can you explain what you mean?

[azurnoir]

32. You pointed out that the poster(s)

had the wrong Barghouti, I asked if they were really concerned with that, and added rather cynically that if an Arab with a similsr name (actually a second cousin or something) said it well then that's all that was needed to condemn the future leader.

see post #13

[ProgressiveMuslim]

33. LOL... sorry to be dense!

The poster doesn't know squat about *either* Barghouti, or anyone in Palestinian politics for that matter!

[azurnoir]

35. I was less than clear n/t

[Sezu]

13. oops, my bad but the sentiment still rings true no matter who the

moron is.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

20. This "moron" is like the most Western, secular Palestinian Israel could hope to deal with.

Again, do you feel no need to rethink what these exchanges have meant for Israel's victims?

[notfullofit]

25. From the little I've

read, the Middle East would be a much safer place if the likes of Dr. Mustapha Barghouti were elected.

[Sezu]

29. Unfortunately he maintains that

"all prisoners as political prisoners and heroes." This is obviously not the case in terms of Kuntar and many others so I stick to me moron designation. If he is the best hope, there is no hope.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

34. He is a hope indeed.

Uncorrupted, with the Palestinian people as his first priority.

Perhaps Sezu should do a little more research before making foolish pronouncements.

[LeftishBrit]

41. I agree!

[Violet_Crumble]

37. Yeah, if they've got an Arab surname, who gives a shit who they are? n/t

[notfullofit]

16. A very interesting read

MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI

PALESTINIAN DEFIANCE

Interview by Éric Hazan



http://newleftreview.org/A2555

[bemildred]

23. Clearly not.

But who really gives a s**t?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. I agree -- these actions confirm what Arabs already believe -- that Israel only responds to force.nt

[Dick Dastardly]

36. You mean like the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan they were forced to sign

because they beat the snot out of both of them in every war which they also caused by trying to destroy Israel.

Israel returned strategic land 3 times the size of Israel, rich with oil and minerals .


Except for Egypt and Jordan, force was the only thing Israel was given to work with by the Arab countries

[LeftishBrit]

44. Very good point here!

[ProgressiveMuslim]

46. 30 years ago...

[Phx_Dem]

7. Sometimes you can't worry about what others think

Israel did what they thought was best given the situation.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

8. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Shalit. nt

[Vegasaurus]

9. He'll be killed (if he isn't dead already)

and the Palestinians will demand that terrorist and suicide bombers and baby killers be released in return for his body.

And Israel, because it promises never to leave a soldier in the field, will comply,

And the cycle will continue.

Sickening.

[notfullofit]

10. Yep, I was wondering

what incentives they have now to keep him alive.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

11. Do you pro-Israel folks find Israel's actions

shockingly foolish?

[rockymountaindem]

14. Yes

I think exchanging live prisoners for remains is foolish.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

18. ITA

Do you think someone is gonna get fired over this?

[rockymountaindem]

26. I don't know

I don't follow the mideast situation as much as I used to. But it seems to me that Olmert is already sinking under his own weight so if he alienates anybody else with this move, he might not be in office much longer.

[Sezu]

15. I do but at least it has shed light on the illusion that

the Lebanese were basically decent people held hapless hostages to the will of evil Hezbollah. The "unity," so touted recently will not serve Lebanon well in any future clashes since that sleight of hand will no longer work.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

17. So, the Lebanese people aren't basically decent?

Or is it that you used to think only Hezbollah were indecent, but now you've come to see that they actually have much wider support, so now all Lebanese are indecent?

[Sezu]

28. I know better and have posted here SEVERAL times

about the disgust shared by lebanese bloggers. The state embrace of Hezb will of course not lead to any peace since peace is not one of their goals. And here I though peace was what we all wanted. You?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

30. I sure do. Haven't seen my ILs in 10 years. FIL is dying and has never laid

eyes on his only grandson.

But I'm pretty clear that the State of Israel's actions indicate they have no desire whatsover for a negoatied peace based on UN resolutions.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

31. Do you have those links?

There are some in Israel who prefer Israel over their Muslim brothers, that's for sure.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

48. Would really, really, really like to see links to those Lebanese bloggers! Thx! nt

[LeftishBrit]

42. Do you think that the Lebanese people are somehow less decent than those of other countries?

My view is that being at war tends to reduce human decency in any group, and that this is especially true in countries where the state (or other 'interested' group) has a lot of control over the media and uses it to whip up hatred.

Lebanon has experienced far too much war over the years, and I am very doubtful about any 'unity' there lasting very long.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

47. I'd like to hear this question answered as well.

[Phx_Dem]

24. no. nt

[Phx_Dem]

22. you guys are assuming an awful lot

like that terrorist orgs like hamas, hezbo et al make rational decisions based on a careful cost/benefit analysis.

[Vegasaurus]

27. I think these terrorists are insane and irrational

but they also have recognized the value of dead soldiers for live terrorists.



Haniyeh’s spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri went further, saying Wednesday’s swap “shows that the only successful way to free the prisoners is by kidnapping soldiers.”

[ProgressiveMuslim]

40. Do you think any Arabs are capable of rational thought?

[LeftishBrit]

43. Phx_Dem was referring specifically to terrorist groups, not Arabs as a whole

Do you think Bush is capable of rational thought? If the answer is No, that doesn't mean that no American is capable of rational thought.

But I do think that terrorist leaders are quite 'rational' when it comes to working out how to keep themselves in power. (As is Bush.)

[ProgressiveMuslim]

45. Isn't that just silly?

Clearly, Hezbollah has demonstrated that they are amply able to think rationally.

Disagreeing with the goals of group and opposing its program is very different than accusing it of being incapable of irrational thinking.

Hence my question. If Phx dem is going to look at a group that has shown its ability to be strategic, disciplined and effective, and accuse them of being irrational, what must he think of other Arabs?

I'd really like to hear his answer.

[Sezu]

21. No doubt he is dead. This will likely be the assumption of

most now and unfortunately for Gaza, there is more than one way to retrieve dead bodies.

[Violet_Crumble]

38. Since when has there been no doubt?

Maybe to wankers who are frothing at the mouth to fantasise about how many innocent Palestinians could be killed in discovering 'more than one way to retrieve dead bodies', but the indications have been that there's definately no certainty as to whether he's alive or dead. I think the Red Cross must be allowed to visit him and check on his welfare. That way it would be known one way or the other, though I'm sure the frothing-at-the-mouth folk would still insist that there's no doubt he's dead...

[ProgressiveMuslim]

39. How many will die to retrieve a corpse? We shall see.