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PATHETIC  SIMPLE-MINDEDNESS:

WELCOMING  MADELEINE!

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MER - Washington - 9/5/97:

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There are many reasons for the sad state of affairs in today's Middle East, for the miserable situation the Palestinians face, for the hypocrisy and duplicity of American policy toward the Middle East. Among these reasons are the pathetic simple-mindedness that often- times comes from some who actually believe themselves to be part of some amorphous "peace movement".

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Sadly, many academics as well as many involved with the church in the U.S. fall into this category. And of course then there is "Peace Now", a duplicitous group that has always in reality been closely linked to Israel's Labor Party, confusing, misleading, and sponging up the money, concern and guilt of so many gullible American Jews for so many years.

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On the Arab-American side, the hopelessness of organizations like ADC and AAI has been discussed at length in previous MER articles.

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This week a very good example of this simple-mindedness has been circulating on the Internet. It starts with some well-meaning but hopelessly naive Christians living in Bethlehem; then gets circulated by a suspect Palestinian, Issa Sarris, rather ludicrously distributing such things from Jerusalem in the name of "Freedom Network, Linking Palestinians & their friends"; and then gets distributed in the U.S. by an academic, Betsy Barlow, at the University of Michigan.

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Here's the letter to Madeleine Albright:

Dear Secretary of State Albright:

   You should see the view from our apartment in Bethlehem!

   Tonight, over the Church of the Nativity, all of the crosses are lighted.

It's a glorious sight.

   The reason? This afternoon Israel lifted the "internal closure" of

Bethlehem. Tonight horns honked. And people are relieved.

   Thank you for all that you did to encourage this important confidence

building measure on the road to restarting the peace talks. We are

delighted that you are coming to the region and recognize that you will

have a virutally impossible task.

   If there is to be peace in the Middle East, it will be important for both

sides to candidly deal with the tough issues, including Jerusalem, the

future of settlements in the Occupied Territories, the refugee issues,

etc. that you know only too well.

   Your task certainly will be to help both Israel and Palestine be more

flexible and look for ways that both can affirm justice for the other and

an inclusive society.

   Bethlehem tonight is beautiful. I wish you could see it. And I wish you

could visit the peace tent on Manger Square that is sponsored by the

ecumenical youth group. On the tent are these words:
   "The effect of justice will be peace,

And the result of justice: quietness and security forever." Isaiah 32.17

 Rev. Dr. Betty Jane Bailey
Rev. Dr. J. Martin Bailey
(American citizens) >

[MER NOTE - The above letter was initially distributed by Issa Sarris, a Palestinian in Jerusalem, using new Internet capabilities supported by the U.S. Government, George Soros, and InterNews (a front-group working with both the USG (through USAID) and the Soros Foundation); then further distributed by Elizabeth Barlow, Program Coordinator of the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. For a far more refreshing and brutally honest perspective on U.S. involvement in today's "Peace Process" get the current MER Newsletter at http://www.MiddleEast.Org/newslet.htm.]

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M I D - E A S T    R E A L I T I E S 

(202) 362-5266, Ext 638      Fax: (202) 362-6965      MER@MiddleEast.Org

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