I've been to Israel - stayed with a Palestinian family, in a small Jewish hotel (in Netanya), and a Christian hospice, talked with many from all three groups...

And I've read Elias Chacour...

My sympathies - and anger - are, if anything, slightly more with Palestinians (particularly Palestinian Christians, who cop it from all directions).

One of the sadnesses in this mess is that people aren't listening. (Do you know a Jew who's read Elias Chacour? Know a militant Muslim who listens carefully to an opposing point of view?)

--

Rowland Croucher

April 9, 2002

~~~

Following is the text of a speech by Ariel Sharon to a special session of the Israeli Parliament, as provided by the Prime Minister's Office.

Mr. Speaker,

Members of Knesset,

Our dead lie in a long row: women and children, young and old. And we stand facing them, facing the vacuum created by their murders, and we are speechless.

On the recent evening of the seder, while I was sitting with my family at the table, I received the terrible news of the massacre in Netanya.

There is no more dreadful moment in the term of a prime minister, than that horrendous moment when the telephone rings, or a note is passed during a meeting, and carrying Job's tidings.

And then the sights and sounds come rushing in, the sights of destruction, the cries of the wounded, the sirens. Then the awful silence of the funerals, the faces and human stories which stare at us from the newspapers: the face of Rachel Koren, whose husband and two children were buried on the same day, side by side; a short distance from her, the face of Karmit Ron, forever separated from her husband, 21-year-old daughter, and 17-year-old son; the face of Adi Shiran who was buried while both her parents are unconscious, fighting for their lives in the hospital; the face of Zahava Wieder - a true heroine of the people of Israel - who lost her husband, daughter and son-in-law at that seder, and during the seven days of mourning agreed to donate her husband's organs to a Palestinian family in Shuafat. She is living proof of the fact that, even at the most trying times, we remain humane.

Victims of coexistence, those whose worlds fell apart while eating at an Arab restaurant in Haifa - their blood mixing with the blood of Israeli Arabs who were sitting beside them. Entire families, Jewish and Arab, are destroyed in the heat of the murderous insanity which has taken hold of our Palestinian neighbors. And thus the killers and dispatchers intend to destroy the hope for peace, hope for the future and hope for a normal life.

It is not a coincidence, members of Knesset. It is not cruel fate. The murderous gangs have a leader, a purpose, and a directing hand. They have one mission: to chase us out of here, from everywhere - from our home in Elon Moreh and from the supermarket in Jerusalem, from the cafe in Tel Aviv and from the restaurant in Haifa, from the synagogue in Netzarim - where the murderers slaughtered two over 70 worshippers, walking in their prayer shawls to morning prayers - and from the Seder table in Netanya.

And there is one dispatcher: Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasir Arafat. He is the man who, in a series of agreements, promised to abandon the path of terrorism, refrain from committing murder, use his forces to prevent it - and betrayed all his promises. Because of his promises Israel agreed to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. That is why Israel agreed to transfer security responsibility in the areas given to its control.

Thus, Israel agreed to the establishment of Palestinian security forces. We hoped that the Palestinians would understand, as they promised, that ruling does not mean a license to kill, but rather the assumption of responsibility for the prevention of killing.

But what was merely apprehension at the beginning, and intensified into suspicion, has turned into solid facts which nobody can deny. In the territories under his rule, Arafat has established a regime of terror, which nationally and officially trains terrorists and incites, finances, arms and sends them to perpetuate murderous operations across Israel.

There is overwhelming evidence, accepted by all serious people in the world. For example, in a chilling document, which was found in Arafat's offices, terror tariffs are displayed. For those who haven't seen, here are the documents.

Mr. Speaker, I admit that ordinarily it is not customary to present a document to the Knesset, but the horror, malice, brutality and deception revealed here are alarming. I will not show the document, but I am allowed to read it, Mr. Speaker. Here is a letter signed by Yasir Arafat, addressed to him as "the President, warrior, brother Abu-Amar, God protect him," and requesting that he "kindly allocate funds in the amount of $2,500 to the following brothers: Ra'ad el-Karmi (I hope you still remember him), Ziad Muhammad Ash, Ammar Ka'adan." There are additional documents which incriminate murderous terrorist elements, some of whom - thanks to our security system - will not be inflicting any more harm. There is also a letter signed by Marwan Barguti addressed to "the President, brother Abu-Ammar, God protect him," asking him to instruct that $1,000 be earmarked to each of the fighting brothers," with the same list mentioned earlier.

And there is another interesting document, detailing the cost of murdering a Jew. We have a financial report from the "Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade" to the person who served as the liaison between Arafat and the Iranians - Fuad Shubaki. The report specifies the cost of an explosive belt - 700 NIS, stating that: "we need 5-9 charges each week for the groups in the various areas." There are complete details as to the cost of each deadly weapon aimed at murdering innocent civilians in cold blood.

Such and such an amount for a suicide attack, such and such an amount for a charge of explosives, such and such an amount for an explosive belt. The document contains the "bloody" accounting in the handwriting of Arafat's treasurer - the man who paid for the attempt to smuggle Katyushas and rockets, and who, today, sits with Arafat in Ramallah and enjoys his personal protection. This is the bill for the price of Jewish lives at Yasir Arafat's organized bureaucracy of murder.

Members of Knesset,

For eighteen months Israel has been under bitter and bloody attack, initiated by our Palestinian neighbors. We have paid a high price in blood, solely because of our honest wish to live in peace with them, and because of our belief that they want the same.

The infrastructure of terror against Israel was established before this government took office. The main purpose of our National Unity Government was to achieve a cessation of violence and incitement as a vital and essential condition for the resumption of our efforts to achieve peace in the region. This is the essence of this governme