Peace talks: Palestinian views

[ProgressiveMuslim]

With planned indirect Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on hold after a row over settlement building in East Jerusalem, Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank give their views on the prospects for peace.


ADEL HASSAN RASHED, 81, UNEMPLOYED, NABLUS

Adel Hassan Rashed, Palestinian, Nablus

We should never go back to negotiations. The solution is always in the hands of the US, but we expect nothing from them. They are the only power in the world - and the Israeli have no-one standing against them.

The idea of the two-state solution is like morphine . There is nothing called a solution. They just keep taking the land from us and building for themselves. Israel took everything from us and the Americans are backing them up, even with weapons.

The only option we have is to take back with force what they took from us. When we have the real power to fight, we will - but not now, we have no power.

KHADER SAMARITAN, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH CENTRE, 55, NABLUS

Khader Samaritan, Palestinian, Nablus

I think it's better for us to have direct negotiations with Israel, because there is no-one to talk on our behalf in indirect ones.

Face to face talks are better, but the condition for these should be to stop the settlement activity. - and not just for eight months.

East Jerusalem is internationally known as the capital of the future Palestinian state and west Jerusalem is the capital for the Israelis - this should be the two-state solution.

Peace is the key to everything. I'm not convinced about military resistance. The people are already suffering from the economic situation and the first and second intifidas. The people of the world have heard our voices, and all the world is standing behind us - to have a third intifada now would just hurt our own people.

RUBA ZAGHMOURI, 24, ARTS CENTRE WORKER, RAMALLAH

Ruba Zaghmouri, Palestinian, Ramallah

It's not about whether Mahmoud Abbas should go into talks or not. Whether he does or doesn't go into them, I don't think the result will satisfy the Palestinian people.

I don't want a two state solution. Definitely not. A two-state solution could be done when we have equal grounds, both the Palestinians and Israelis, but without us Palestinians having basic rights, you can't discuss a two-state solution.

I have never believed in a two-state solution. I want to be free. I want to live in peace. I want to be able to live here in Ramallah without going back and forth to Jerusalem for my ID problems. I don't want to have to go to Amman just to use an airport. I don't want anyone to be killed, and I don't want anything to be stolen from us.

What I want is so confused at the moment. I feel like Palestinian and Israeli leaders are all lying to us. It's becoming really difficult for the new generation to weigh what's right and wrong and what we actually want out of all of this. We know we want peace, but how it could be achieved - this is what we don't know...


read on... please!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8597201.stm

[peacetalksforall]

1. "We know we want peace...."

Says it all. The children want it. The mothers want it. Good souls everywhere want it. Some don't.

[Igel]

2. Their peaces differ.

When they each have sufficiently large majorities with the same peace in mind and ways to satisfy their cultural imperatives while attaining it without provoking a minority to militancy, then they'll have peace.

They can negotiate for a common view of peace. You can't negotiate from outside about how to resolve culture-internal needs. The best you can do is learn how to use them (yes, that's manipulation, but what else is new?).