Why is it that racism against Jews is persecuted to the fullest by our evervigilant yet conveniently hypocritical US congress and euphemistically-named "mainstream" media, while the Zionist Jewish racism against the long and presently suffering Palestinian People is Kosher? In the eyes of our cowardly and complicitously silent congress and lucrative pornography-peddling media, are the Christian and Muslim Palestinians less human than the formers Zionist masters?! The Palestinians refuse to become the conveniently dispensable appendix of civilization to make room for the politically extractable Zionist cancer.

Sami B. Mashney

Avraham Burg's Racism is Not Tolerable
Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo Sends a Letter to the Knesset Speaker

8 August 2001
Palestine Media Center PMC
www.palestine-pmc.com

Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information sent a letter today 8 August to Mr. Avraham Burg, the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Speaker.

In his letter, the Minister objected to Mr. Burg's racist remarks to ABC's Nightline program on 2 August. During that interview, Mr. Burg described Palestinians as unhuman neighbors adding that they are people you do not want your daughter to get married to.

The Minister stressed that such remarks are wholeheartedly rejected and intolerable. He also pointed out that such racist remarks are especially dangerous when spoken by a government official of a party long claiming to champion the cause of peaceful co-existence between Israel and Palestine.

Minister Abed Rabbo urged the Knesset leader to follow the example of Palestinian Authority officials who have refrained from resorting to ugly racism with respect to [their] Israeli neighbors.

Mr. Abed Rabbo then concluded by reminding Mr. Burg, Peace between our nations can never come while one nation dehumanizes the other. It is precisely because Palestinians are human that they will react as all people have reacted to the denial of their freedom.

Avraham Burg will be competing with the current Israeli Minister of Defense, Mr. Benyamin Ben Eliezer for the top position in the Labor party during the upcoming Labor elections.

Below is a copy of the letter

Avraham Burg
Israeli Knesset Speaker

Dear Mr. Burg,

It is with great regret that I write to you on behalf of the Palestinian Authority with respect to your comments on ABC's Nightline on August 2. During your interview, you described Palestinians as "unhuman neighbors" and "people you do not want your daughter to get married to".

Such racist remarks are never tolerable and they have regrettably become commonplace among Israeli leaders opposed to peace such as Israeli President Katsav and Rabbi Youssef. However, it is particularly alarming when spoken by a government official of a party long claiming to champion the cause of peaceful co-existence between Israel and Palestine.

At a time when the level of incitement and dehumanizing language has only contributed to greater violence and bloodshed, your comments serve only to exacerbate a situation that responsible leaders should be attempting to calm. We urge you to reconsider using such racist and dehumanizing language and to follow the example of Palestinian Authority officials who have refrained from resorting to ugly racism with respect to our Israeli neighbors.

Peace between our nations can never come while one nation dehumanizes the other. It is precisely because Palestinians are human that they will react as all people have reacted to the denial of their freedom.

Yasser Abed Rabbo
Minister of Information and Culture
Palestinian Authority