Mid-East Realitieswww.middleeast.org

WILL THE REAL YOSSI BEILIN PLEASE STAND UP

August 4, 2001

ARAFAT DOES AS ORDERED AND MEEKLY TELLS PALESTINIANS TO END INTIFADA
Not that long ago in years, but ages ago in political time, I sat with Yossi Beilin in his office inJerusalem urging him to start talks with the PLO. It was just a few years before the Intifadaerupted. Some months before I had had a private dinner with Yasser Arafat, Nabil Sha'ath and a few top PLO officials; and in retrospect it's obvious now why Beilin was so interested.

At that time it should be remembered it was actually illegal for anyone Israeli to meet withanyone representing the PLO, not to mention Yasser Arafat himself. As we left, I and aanother person who was with me and who was Palestinian, Beilin said with emphasis to her, "Please Muna do not hate me." No response was made, just eye contact.

This of course is the same Yossi Beilin who helped lead the Palestinians into today's orgastically violent bloodletting by trying to trick them into what MER has termed an "Apartheid Peace" for years. The same Yossi Beilin who for years was nicknamed "Peres' Poodle". The same Yossi Beilin who has publicly said that he never ever discussed with Yitzhak Rabin where the "Oslo Peace Process" would eventually lead -- wonder why? The same Yossi Beilin who back in those days when we had this last meeting and he was Deputy Foreign Minister was in charge of working closely with the then racist South African government. And the same Yossi Beilin who this week wrote a crafty plea in the New York Times, along with Yasir Abed Rabbo (himself a very much discredited figure as Arafat's "Minister of Culture and Information") claiming to offer hope for "peace" but actually designed to let Beilin and his fellow Labor party travelers off the historical hook in view of what is actually happening and more importantly what is likely now to come.

The following was published by MER in March of last year about Yossi Beilin, when he was at that time the loyal follower of Ehud Barak. And after you read this I do strongly suggest you go over to your local video store and rent for the weekend "Lion of the Dessert". The hero figure is someone you have probably never heard of, Omar Muktar (played by Anthony Quinn). It takes place in the 1930s in Rome and in Libya. But it's also about today's Intifada. It's about freedom, about struggle, about deception, and about tragicly misguided loyalties. And after watching it you'll understand the headline last year: "Colonel Yossi".

Mark Bruzonsky - 8/04/2001

C O L O N E L Y O S S I

MiD-EasT RealitieS - Washington - 3/25/2000: Like in the movie LION OF THE DESERT, those who profess sympathy and understanding can often cause the most harm. The well-meaning Lieutenant Colonel who befriends Omar Muhktar, lures him into deceptive "peace negotiations" in the desert, and then salutes him as his own involvement leads to Muhktar's being hanged from the gallows, is an illustrative symbol from the past.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NOTE: For those who don't know, Omar Muhktar can be said to be the George Washington of Libya and was played brilliantly in the movie by Anthony Quinn. The movie was produced by Mustapha Akkad, made famous by his previous movie "Holloween". It is widely available for video rental -- "LION OF THE DESERT" with Anthony Quinn by Mustapha Akkad. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As befits all militarist authoritarian regimes, the Israelis have their own good cop. He is Yossi Beilin, the Justice Minister in the Barak government, former Deputy Foreign Minister and long-time protege of Shimon Peres. The other day at the U.N. Human Rights Commission, just in advance of the big push this Sunday to bribe/threaten Hafez el-Assad into the "Peace Process", Mr. Beilin told everyone how sorry he is for what has happened to the Palestinians. Trouble is, Mr. Beilin, Mr. Peres, Mr. Barak, et. al., have been saluting for so long now at the hangings while often times actually carrying out and covering up the assassinations and massacres themselves.

WATCH OUT FOR THOSE LIBERAL APPOLOGISTS

Now there are a few things about the boyish looking soft-spoken Mr. Beilin which people may not remember. Here's a man who worked closely with Apartheid South Africa back in those days; then very quickly did an about take when Apartheid was no more. Here's a man who helped Shimon Peres coverup everything from the kidnapping of Mordechai Vanunu in the 1980s to the Qana massacre just a few years ago. Here's a man, who helped bring about the "Oslo Peace Process" yet to this day he insists he never once discussed with Prime Minister Rabin the end result of what they were starting and whether or not it would lead to true Palestinian independence. And worst of all at the moment, here's a man who while today professing such newly found deep concern for the Palestinians now champions a novel kind of Middle Eastern "Apartheid" greatly further restricting the rights and movements of the great majority of Palestinians in what once was a unified country.

BEILIN DEVIOUSLY IMPLIMENTS BEGIN/SHARON FORMULAS

Beilin's speech at the U.N. Human Rights forum -- see the BBC News article below -- is far too little far too late. But that's not the biggest problem...which is that Beilin's speech is far too devious. Beilin's policies are actually the implimentation of those originally put forward by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. He reformulates them with soothing rhetoric and professions of sorrow. But in the end the predicament faced by the Palestinians is much the same if not worse.

Having failed to impliment the "Mayors plan" and the "Village Leagues" throughout the 70s and 80s, the Israelis then turned to Arafat and the largely destroyed PLO in the 1990s to legitimize in another form their control and oppession. Now Beilin goes before the international community proclaiming Israeli atonement, when in fact things are progressively worse for the great majority of Palestinians who now live under far more restrictions and repression than before. Beilin, like Rabin, promotes this double occupation approach not out of sincere concern for the Palestinians but actually in an attempt to cleanse and justify his Zionist convictions with have left such a long legacy of killing and dispossession.

WHEN WILL THE "JUSTICE MINISTER" LET MORDECHAI VANUNU FREE?

When we hear from Yossi Beilin that Israel will finally agree to U.N. Security Council Resolutions; that the Israeli army will pull back completely to the 1967 borders; that the Palestinian people will at least be treated with full respect, equality, and sovereignty; that the more than 3 million Palestinian refugees can come as they will to the Palestinian State; that substantial compensation for lost properties and personal suffering will finally be offered to the Palestinian people for what has been done to them; and that the "Justice Minister" advocates the release of Mordechai Vanunu...

When we finally hear these things we'll know that Yossi Beilin too has watched LION OF THE DESERT and had a true epiphany.

ISRAEL REGRETS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD

Israel says its Arab occupation has gone sour Israel's Justice Minister Yossi Beilin has expressed regret at his country's record on human rights.

Speaking in Geneva at one of Israel's biggest critics - the UN Human Rights Commission - in a rare, conciliatory tone, he admitted that Israel's occupation of Arab territory had gone sour.

"We tried to convince ourselves that our occupation was a benevolent one," he told the commission. "But we know from history that occupation is occupation is occupation."

Just four days before a summit between American President Bill Clinton and his Syrian counterpart Hafez al-Assad, Mr Beilin said the prospects for peace this year between Israelis and Arabs were "very significant."

"I think we are ready. I hope the Arab parties are ready too, and if that is the case we can make peace during this year and put an end to the Middle East conflict," he said.

Mr Beilin said he hoped President Clinton's meeting with the Syrian president would lead to a resumption of the stalled Israeli-Syrian peace talks, noting that this could be the last opportunity for bringing peace between the two countries for a long while.

Referring to the Palestinians, Mr Beilin said he believed the two sides would be able to find solutions for outstanding issues such as refugees, Jerusalem's status, borders and settlements.

Mr Beilin is regarded as an architect of the 1993 Oslo Israel-Palestinian peace accords.

He is more dovish on peace issues than most of Prime Minister Ehud Barak's Labor Party.

Mr Beilin explained that Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and other territories must be understood in the context of the Holocaust.

"In our own perception we were the victim of a world (in) which there were still countries ready to destroy us," he said.

"We saw ourselves as a transparent democracy fighting for its life," he said. "But the world compared us to the most racist countries."

He acknowledged that Israel had rejected criticism too often, and that its foreign ministry had become a department of defence, over-eager to defend Israel's view of the world than reaching out to others.

His comments also come at a time when the Pope is visiting the Holy Land and has made an impassioned plea for a Palestinian homeland. Links to other Middle East stories are at the foot of the page.

PALESTINIANS TOLD TO END ATTACKS ON ISRAEL
by MARK LAVIE

JERUSALEM (AP - 8/3/01) -- The official Palestinian news agency called for an end to armed attacks against Israel in a statement published Friday, an unprecedented appeal for restraint in the 10 months of Mideast violence.

The Wafa news agency, which is controlled by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority and reflects official Palestinian positions, said Palestinians could achieve their goals ''only by political means'' and ''not (by attacks) inside Israel, and not using firearms.''

The statement, printed Friday in the Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadida, said symbolic acts of resistance, such as throwing rocks and shoes are ''more effective than mortar shells fired at Israeli settlements.''

Throughout the current conflict, the Palestinian leadership has blamed Israel for the violence. Israel has repeatedly accused Arafat of failing to rein in militants, including members of the Palestinian security forces.

The Wafa editorial was the strongest statement to date calling for Palestinians to refrain from attacking Israel. While the editorial was presumed to have the approval of the Palestinian leadership, the statement was not issued in Arafat's name.

It was not clear whether radical Palestinian groups would heed the statement, and hours after the editorial was published, violence broke out.

Palestinians fired mortar rounds at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, lightly injuring a 6-year-old boy, the Israeli army said. Palestinians have fired hundreds of mortar rounds at Jewish settlements and army posts in Gaza and at Israeli villages just outside the territory.

In Tel Aviv, a Palestinian woman tried to carry a bomb into the central bus station, police said, but security guards challenged her and she dropped the bag with the bomb. Police arrested the woman, cleared the area and defused the device.

Also, Palestinian gunmen shot and killed a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel in Bethlehem. Abdullah Abu Alhawa, 56, who was gunned down in a public square, was the fourth suspected collaborator killed by Palestinians this week.

Palestinian officials have urged a halt to such killings, and a statement issued Friday said the Palestinian Authority alone was responsible for dealing with people ''trying to violate the national interest of the Palestinian people.'' The statement said officials ''condemn any attempt by any party to take the law into his own hands.''

Palestinian security courts this week have sentenced four Palestinians to death for helping Israel's army carry out deadly attacks on suspected Palestinian militants.

Sixty suspected collaborators have been arrested in the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian security officials said.

Arafat has sought to keep the Palestinians united during the current conflict. However, if he attempts to crack down on radical groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and prevent them from carrying out attacks, it could create a backlash against his leadership.

Many Palestinians have been demanding revenge for Israeli strikes against suspected Palestinian militants.

An Israeli helicopter raid on the offices of Hamas in the West Bank town of Nablus killed eight Palestinians on Tuesday, including a senior Hamas leader and two young boys. The next day, tens of thousands of Palestinians marched in a mass funeral and called for militants to strike at Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday reasserted his position that a full-fledged peace treaty with the Palestinians is not a possibility now or in the next few years.

Speaking at a military ceremony, he said that even if the violence ends and peace negotiations resume, he would seek an interim agreement. ''A clear-eyed outlook of the continued state of animosity demands a different approach than the one we have tried so far with the Palestinians,'' Sharon said.

Israel and the Palestinians signed their first interim accord in 1993, and subsequent negotiations were aimed at a comprehensive peace treaty. Those talks broke down in January. The Palestinians say they will not sign another interim accord.

The new U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, said Arafat's short-term goals were unclear, and until there is progress toward making peace, Arafat is not likely to be invited to Washington.

Sharon has visited the White House twice since President Bush took office in January.

Kurtzer told the Yediot Ahronot daily, ''I don't think anyone knows the answer to the question, 'who is Arafat?' I don't know, either.''


Mid-East Realitieswww.middleeast.org

Source: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2001/8/327.htm