PrintMay 4, 2011
Palestinians once again prove they are not interested in peace
The aftermath of Osama bin Laden's bullet to the head proves one thing beyond any reasonable doubt. The Palestinians on whom the two-state solution depends for success don't want peace with Israel.
The reactions of Palestinians to bin Laden's death tell us a great deal about their true feelings. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Gaza's Hamas government said, "We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood .... We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs." It must have escaped Haniyeh's notice that Hamas is currently engaged in the indiscriminate shedding of innocent Israeli blood and that Osama bin Laden was the head of al Qaeda, an organization that is committed to the destruction of Israel and to the extermination of anyone who doesn't buy into its version of Islam, including other Muslims.
In Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood, a.k.a. the City of David, an incendiary location, dozens of Palestinians rallied in support of bin Laden. They threw rocks at police and chanted as they have done many times before at the slightest provocation. I use the word "provocation" loosely since Silwan residents charge out of their homes on cue regularly with rocks in hand ready to perform for assembled photographers when Palestinian leaders want to make a not-so-subtle statement. That was an event staged for global media consumption.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Fatah's military wing, called bin Laden's killing a "catastrophe" and referred to Seal Team 6 as "a gang of heretics." The original message released by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade included this statement: "The Islamic nation is capable of supplying an abundance of new blood into the arteries of the resistance, and is capable of restoring the glory of Islam and the flag of Allah's oneness." That wording was removed after what must have been debate within the party, and this statement was inserted: "The path irrigated with the blood of its leaders is the path of victory, Allah willing. If Abu Abdallah (bin Laden) was killed, then he merited the martyrdom which he had sought, and inscribed with his blood the landmarks of jihad, leaving behind an entire generation that follows the path of Sheikh Osama."
Fatah is the political party over which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presides. A few days ago, Fatah reconciled with Hamas, another Palestinian political party, to unify Palestinians politically. The Palestinian's message couldn't be any clearer. Their goal is the annihilation of Israel, and to them Osama bin Laden was a holy warrior in that quest. Bin Laden's death proves that Palestinians don't want peace with Israel.
Neil Snyder taught leadership and strategy at the University of Virginia for 25 years. He retired from UVA in 2004 and is currently the Ralph A. Beeton Professor Emeritus at UVA. His blog, SnyderTalk.com, is posted daily.
