Kesher Talk

Speaking truth to power. Dan Drezner links to some coverage of the Palestinian Authority's treatment of dissidents. This needs to be given wide publicity (and more attention from groups like Amnesty), but I wish Drezner would mention - in addition to intellectuals like Nusseibeh - economic dissidents such as Omar Karsou and the tremendous impact of economic reforms. I still maintain that when the history is written of the democratization, eradication of the terrorist mindset, and subsequent establishing of the State of Palestine, the actions of Omar Karsou and Salam Fayyad will loom much larger than those of Sari Nusseibeh.

That said, anyone sympathetic to the establishment of a viable society in the Palestinian territories - whether as a separate state, part of Israel, or part of Jordan - needs to join Daniel in putting the spotlight on the small minority of Palestinian leaders who continue to advocate for nonviolent resistance and negotiation. And no, that doesn't include the motley crew of NGOs and Western agitators who claim to advocate nonviolence but who in fact protect and encourage jihadists, and who don't have the political or emotional maturity to tell the difference.

posted by Judith @ 7/21/2003 02:41:34 PM