-Caveat Lector- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26602
WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Saudi writer: PA no longer credible Palestinian Authority 'bestowed upon us lies' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Posted: February 26, 2002 1:00 a.m. Eastern A columnist for the London-based Saudi daily newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat has apologized to his readers for reporting the Palestinian Authority's version of the Karine A weapons ship affair. Columnist Ahmad Al-Rab'i called on his readers not to believe the Palestinian Authority's declarations any longer. In early January, Israeli commandos seized a 4,000-ton Palestinian arms freighter, the Karine A, in the Red Sea. More than 50 tons of weapons in 83 crates turned up long- and short-range Katyusha rockets, with a maximum 20-km range, anti-tank Lao and Sagger missiles, 120-mm mortars and an abundance of heavy machine guns, rifles, mines, explosives and ammunition. Most of the hardware originated in Iran. Here, as translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI, are excerpts of Al-Rab'i's column: "When Israel announced that it had seized the [Karine A] weapons ship, I doubted the Israeli account and espoused the PA's claim – that the whole thing was a fabrication. I did this out of a sense of obligation to support our Palestinian brothers, and out of trust in the veracity of their account. But it seems that the [Palestinian] leadership deceived us with its account, and we, in turn, unintentionally deceived our readers. "I remember when my colleague Abd al Rahman Al-Rashed, editor [of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat] criticized the Palestinian version [of the incident]. All the conspiracy theory 'bulldozers' rose up against him; they charged him with 'serving' the enemy … "Now, not only is Arafat confessing to the [Israeli] account, but he goes further still, and has sent [a letter] to the American secretary of state [from] which it can be interpreted that he takes responsibility for this incident. "Therefore, I take responsibility before my readers; I and my readers were victims of our obligation to and trust in the Palestinian leadership. I assure the readers that since Arafat has confessed his responsibility to Colin Powell, I will no longer take the Palestinian leadership's declarations seriously. "A journalist in our Arab world is confused, [caught] between his respect for himself and his readers and the Arab attitude towards the news. Fearing that he will be denied, the journalist misses the opportunity to analyze important news. If he writes about it [anyway], he … is stricken with anxiety, lest his commentary be published in the same issue that carries the denial of what he reports. "The [guiding] principle [in the Arab world] is not to treat the public with candor and transparency, but to conceal information [from it], such that if [the news] is picked up by the foreign press, we can deny it. Sometimes we are forced to confirm an item after we have denied it, because it has turned out to be a proven fact. "When we defended the [Palestinian] National Authority in the weapons ship incident, we faced two problems: "First, some commentators and Palestinian leaders denied the story, claiming that it was a fabrication, a show, and an attempt to divert public opinion from the peace issue. "Second, smuggling weapons in this way is [in itself] a naive act attesting to ignorance – primarily because these weapons will not shift the military balance in favor of the Palestinians. Likewise, smuggling weapons on a route controlled by the Israeli navy is an escapade no reasonable person would attempt. "[However,] what matters here is that the PA 'bestowed' upon us lies, and we, on our part, pressed our readers to support the PA. We, and our readers, were victims of our commitment [to the Palestinians] and of the trust we placed in it – which is now lost." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! Write to same address to be off lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
