So Now Palestinian Arabs Are Worried About World Opinion?!

Was Carter even serious when he said in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV on January 14, 2007 when he said

... I wasn’t equating the Palestinian missiles with terrorism. But when the Palestinians commit terrorist acts, and I mean when a person blows himself up within a bus full of civilians, or when the target of the operation is women and children – such acts create a rejection of the Palestinians among those who care about them. It turns the world away from sympathy and support for the Palestinian people. That’s why I said that acts of terrorism like I just described are suicidal for the popularity and support for the Palestinian cause. [emphasis added]

Considering it was the terrorist attacks that got Palestinian terrorists the media--and world--attention they wanted, why would they think that world sympathy was at risk now? After all, despite Islamist terrorist attacks around the world, there has been no world outcry.

The Palestinian Arabs have found they risk nothing by murdering Israeli civilians.
But how about when Palestinian Arabs start killing other Palestinian Arabs?

So far, the world still doesn't care and there has been no outrage--unlike when Israeli soldiers retaliate against terrorists--...so far--but some Palestinians are worried:

"Everyone here is disgusted by what's happening in the Gaza Strip," said Shireen Atiyeh, a 30-year-old mother of three working in one of the Palestinian Authority ministries. "We are telling the world that we don't deserve a state because we are murdering each other and destroying our universities, colleges, mosques and hospitals. Today I'm ashamed to say that I'm a Palestinian."

...Hafez Barghouti, editor of the PA-funded daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, said he was concerned that the fighting would tarnish the image of the Palestinians. "Tens of millions of people now look at us as worthless gangsters with no values," he complained.

...Columnist Mahmoud Habbash also acknowledged that the fighting had caused grave damage to the Palestinians on the international arena. The internal fighting, he said, has distorted the image of the Palestinians in the eyes of the world.

"The world is watching how the Palestinians are destroying their institutions and achievements with their own hands. They see how we are mercilessly slaughtering innocent people. We are losing the sympathy of the world. I'm afraid the world will now view us differently."

Reflecting the gloomy mood on the Palestinian street, political analyst Ikrimah Thabet said: "There is no reason for optimism. This is a real conflict stemming from two contradictory programs and political and ideological discord. The divisions are so deep that no temporary cease-fire will help. The bloody events have caused enormous damage to the reputation of the Palestinians, especially in light of the filthy and painful violence that has claimed the lives of children, activists, leaders and innocent civilians."

So only now do Palestinians worry that:

• the world "will look at us as worthless gangsters with no values"
• Palestinian violence "has distorted the image of the Palestinians in the eyes of the world"
• That because of the merciless "slaughtering innocent people...we are losing the sympathy of the world [and therefore there is reason to be] afraid the world will now view us differently"
• The spilling of blood by Palestinians will cause "enormous damage to the reputation of the Palestinians"

If the past record of world opinion is an gauge, Palestinian Arabs have nothing to worry about. Besides, what 'reputation of the Palestinians' is there--other than as victims.
And the world will always grant them that.

Update: Mario Loyola finds these pessimistic statements by Palestinians to be reason for optimism:

It has always seemed to me that blaming others for your problems is just an excuse to avoid solving them yourself. For that reason I see more hope in these gloomy statements than I've heard coming out of Palestine in a long time

Maybe, but there will have to be many more statements like this over a longer period of time before statements like this can be taken as indicative of a change in attitude. Besides, blaming the powers in authority is not the same as a change in attitude towards Israel. The Palestinian Arabs may just find different figures to put in power and continue the violence against Israel. There is no indication of any change in attitude towards Israel in those statements above.

Technorati Tag: Palestinians and Civil War and Fatah and Hamas.