[Ynet News] Dan Schueftan - The recent Temple Mount riots and Mahmoud Abbas' renewed request for a UN discussion of the Goldstone report again point to the deep structural failure inherent in Palestinian political culture. The Palestinians are proving yet again that even the responsible elements among them cannot act in a constructive manner in order to build their society and promote agreement with Israel. At the moment of truth, the radicals win. The Palestinian handling of the Goldstone report illustrates how Palestinian society has become addicted to the pose of the ultimate victim, which involves de-legitimization of the Jewish state's existence. When Palestinian anti-Semitic propaganda regarding Israeli "crimes" was granted a tailwind courtesy of a negligent judge who works in the service of a body hostile to Israel, the Palestinians were unable to forego the party. Israel's problem is not that there's no Palestinian with whom we can discuss a constructive deal. The problem is that when a Palestinian who shows indications of political responsibility appears, he cannot speak on behalf of his people. The writer is director of the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa.
2009-10-13 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive