J.Post Magazine April 18: Lies of the Pathetic Palestinian Leadership

Sir, - The heroic attempt to portray Dr. Mustafa Barghouti as a judicious, non-bigoted Palestinian leader is rendered absurd by his own statements and positions quoted in the article by Mati Wagner. What emerges very vividly is his insistence on repeating the same tired mantra that places the blame for the Palestinian's lack of significant achievements in the establishment of state-building institutions, as well as their lack of progress in the betterment of living standards for their people, solely on the state of Israel. 

Dr. Barghouti's intellectual integrity is seriously challenged by his seemingly total obliviousness to the history of the serious attempts by Palestinians and several Arab armies to obliterate the Jewish state. When questioned whether a reconciliation with Hamas would require the abandonment of their official platform that calls for the violent destruction of the State of Israel, he responds with the insensate and ludicrous statement, "Listen, this sort of approach just makes obstacles; it puts the carriage before the horse."

Barghouti aligns himself with the arch Israel-bashers when he emphatically asserts that what is happening in the West Bank is akin to apartheid. He defends this description by use of unconscionable lies concerning water allocation, claiming that Palestinians receive significantly less water than Israelis. While this canard has been totally exposed by each and every non-hostile, responsible water authority, the Palestinian's grossly irresponsible wastage and stealing of water, along with their refusal to construct vitally-needed sewage treatment plants despite more than ample international funding, is all attributed to Israeli obstacles and red tape.

The tragic irreconcilability of our positions can be clearly understood when reading Barghouti's statement: "I always said that the Israelis have taken the risks of wars and violence for 65 years. It is time for Israel to take the risk of peace." 

Please understand that Israelis have not 'taken' the risks of wars, Israelis have suffered the risks of wars that were forced upon them by an implacable enemy and those risks have increased dramatically when using honest lenses to view the bloodletting that is taking place on all our borders.

ZEV CHAMUDOT

Petach Tikva

[Image credit: Wikimedia user Aude]