Sharansky not a hypocrite
Re: Sharansky’s hypocrisy, Sept. 23
Sharansky did not ignore the primary cause in robbing the Palestinians of freedom. Those who choose terror are the ones that bring oppression to the Palestinians.Yasser Arafat, the quasi-elected leader must be ousted from office as president of the Palestinian Authority because he is an impediment to peace.
His negative influence is behind the latest series of Hamas suicide bombings in Israel that have claimed the lives of almost 40 Israelis. Sharansky said: “We know from intelligence information who has been planning the attacks.” Arafat has “prevented” the dismantling of the Palestinians’ terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and helped Palestinian rejectionists strengthen themselves during the temporary ceasefire, Sharansky said.
Sharansky suggested that Arafat’s popularity among the Palestinians is superficial. Saddam Hussein also got 100 per cent of his people’s vote. Sharanksy said Arafat has no interest in improving the lives of his people, but in perpetuating the conflict. When he was minister of industry and trade between 1996 and 1999, Sharansky recalled, he forwarded proposals to Arafat to ameliorate the living conditions of Palestinians in the Palestinian autonomous areas, but “he was not interested.”
Sharansky’s speech at York University was open to all. It was not disclosed why at U of T, it was behind closed doors, but you might remember another Israeli minister’s right to free speech was violently opposed at another Canadian university, by a group that exists at U of T.
George Jakubovits
Big thanks to kind strangers
I suffer from Epilepsy. Saturday night I was heading home to Grad House from a friend’s place at Vic, and I had a seizure. Thankfully a couple of kind people stopped to help me out, although I never found out who they are. I just wanted to send out a “Thank You!” to them for lending a hand to me when I needed one-it was very much appreciated!Sarah Clements
