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Thursday, February 26, 2004
Palestinian "moderate": Bus bombing "great sacrifice...noble

Palestinian "moderate": Bus bombing "great sacrifice...noble motives" bad
PR? Defeat Israel with co-opted Israelis

Public opinion and the people's will
by Hani Masri
The Jerusalem Times (independent Palestinian weekly) 26 February 2004
www.jerusalem-times.net/article/news/details/detail.asp?id=4840

Last Sunday's bus bombing in Jerusalem is an example of great
sacrifice. Nonetheless, despite the noble motives that brought about the
military operation, it served to strengthen Israel's ians. Hamas and Jihad
movements have broached ideas about taking civilians off their list of
targets.

Their other declared objective was to wipe Israel off the map.
This is no longer part of their rhetoric. Today, one discerns a trend among
those factions to consider the idea of accepting the establishment of a
Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Palestinian resistance at its most effective is expressing
itself in an altogether different quarter.

Monday, the 24th of February, 2004, will go down as a historic
day in the annals of the history of Palestine. This is the day the
Palestinians joined their voices everywhere in a show of resistance to the
presence of a wall in their lives. When a people sets forth in all of its
ranks and factions, the young and the old, it is invincible. But when the
choice of initiative is left to separate and disparate factions to make
pacts and sign agreements, be they official or virtual, the result is
chaotic and ineffective, and leads to realizing little, or worse to total
disarray. Equally, confusion may follow from military operations which take
place as a result of an on-the-spur-of-the-moment judgment by a faction,
reacting to Israel aggression.

We believe that the military operation that occurred in Jerusale
m will have not a major impact on the panel of judges at the International
Court of Justice in The Hague. After all, they have before them the facts
and it is on this basis and from this pile of evidence that the judges will
have to reach conclusions. This is a profound process which one doubts will
be disturbed by the consequences of the operation. And should we need proof,
let us remind ourselves that the issue of the wall was accepted by the court
at The Hague despite the numerous operations undertaken by Palestinians
inside Israel.

Where we should be concerned is the impact Sunday's operation
will have in an arena no less important than that of the forum of jurists at
The Hague. While we may feel relatively safe in court, we are vulnerable in
the war over the heart and mind of world public opinion, which is deeply
influenced by the media. If world public opinion were won over, our struggle
would be reinforced by a thousandfold. For public opinion on a global scale
is the second mightiest power in the world and in recent times has grown to
rival that of the United States of America, the superpower of the
contemporary world.

It is doubtful we should ever be in a position to defeat Israel
by military means, nor can we hope to ever tip the balance of political
forces in our favor unless we firmly base ourselves on the undeniable fact
that our cause is just and strive to gather the rest of the world around it.
Those we see as joining us should include Israelis in large numbers. This
could well be the way to win world public opinion to counterbalance and
defeat the edge Israel has had in military matters.

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