Monday July 10, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

The Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre, a Palestinian polling organization, has provided us with a window into the Palestinian mind.

A just released poll asked 2000 Palestinians what they thought about the practice of kidnapping Israel soldiers and civilians.
77% said they agreed, they believed it was fine to kidnap Israelis.

They were asked what they thought about shooting missiles into Israel.
64% said that was OK, no problem, appropriate action.

They were asked if this current crisis will end on a positive note or a sour note.
37% of Palestinians think this situation will end positively for Palestinians.

These are profound statements about the future of Israel/Palestinian interaction.
What frightens me as much as the attitude of Palestinians is the attitude of the West. The West does not believe that average Palestinians think this way. The West must now factor this new knowledge into their analysis.