The Mayor of London is an Idiot
I shouldn’t be surprised that Ken Livingstone is still a dense fool.
“London Mayor Ken Livingstone told Sky News on Tuesday that he does not distinguish between members of Likud and Hamas, branding them as “two sides of the same coin.”
“I think it is the Israelis who are leading the stubborn line,” said Livingstone, who is known for his consistent criticism of Israeli policy. “The Likud and Hamas members are two sides of the same coin. They need each other in order to attract support.”
“Each side emphasizes the extremism of the other in order to attract sympathy,” Livingstone said.”
He clearly does not read. I could cite chapter and verse from the Hamas charter calling for the destruction of Israel as well as their recurring calls for more bloodshed. Consider this statement from Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar:
“He strongly dismissed the argument made by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas according to which the rocket attacks on Israel were causing more damage to the Palestinians than Israel.
“Who said that the rockets are harmful to the national interests of the Palestinians,” Zahar asked. “History has proven that the rockets have been in the interests of the Palestinians. The rockets have forced Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and they will end the occupation in the future. It’s the resistance, and not the negotiations, that brought about the end of the occupation.”
There is nothing in that statement that suggests that Hamas will negotiate or has any interest in negotiation. Their sole purpose and goal is to try and destroy Israel.
You would think that after July 7 Livingstone might understand more, but it is clear that he does not. In a Jerusalem Post interview he made more questionable statements:
“Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet fighters, they only have their bodies to use as weapons. In that unfair balance, that’s what people use.”
These are not the words of someone who believes in balance. These are the words of a terrorist apologist. Here is another nugget:
“According to Livingstone, “They point to the excesses of the other to recruit and support and I don’t make any distinction because I believe the taking of human life is wrong, in particular when you think of the illegal invasion of Lebanon, the illegal invasion of Egypt and Jordan in the Six Day War, all these exercises of going into Palestinian refugee camps and indiscriminately destroying homes simply because a bomber came from that area.”
There is no distinction made here between the sovereign right and obligation of a nation to defend itself and the wholesale slaughter of innocents. You cannot defend people who blow themselves on busses, subways, schoolyards or supermarkets.
He is an embarrassment and I would love to see Tony Blair tell him to stuff it, but that is not real likely is it.
Jack's Shack July 20, 2005 at 8:11 pm
Dindel,
Sometimes it is dumb luck and sometimes it is a dumb schmuck. Unfortunately I think that old Ken is not so dumb which makes this all the more exasperating.
Dindel July 20, 2005 at 8:09 pm
All I can say is; Stupidity can be so impressive and insulting all at the same time. How do these people get into such powerfull roles when living in the motto of “ignorance is bliss?”
Jack's Shack July 20, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Chaim,
I don’t want to hurt the man, but I do want to kick him in the pants to try and wake him up.
Chaim July 20, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Nothing to add, you and Z said it best. I just wanted to put my disgust into words. It’s just hurtful really. How supposedly intelligent people in position of power and in a leadership role, can be so blind.
bornfool July 20, 2005 at 1:51 pm
I’m surprised that he didn’t blame Israel for the London bombings.
Jack's Shack July 20, 2005 at 6:51 am
Z,
You said it so well. I am not sure how to improve upon it.
Z July 19, 2005 at 11:42 pm
It’s the same old same old. Western society insists on seeing Israelis as white westerners and Palestinians as ignorant savages and thus one must ALWAYS be the aggressor and the other must ALWAYS be the victim. An Israeli could be standing in the middle of an ice shelf in the Arctic next to a Palestinian who whips out a gun and blows him away…the Israeli’s only retaliatory action is to grab the Palestinian’s ankle to save himself from slipping off the ice shelf. The press would report that the Israeli sacrificed himself to try to pull an unarmed Palestinian to his death in the icy murk.
The British press, in particular, and Western press as a whole needs to stop flogging the western world for colonialism and slavery and get on with it. It’s time to call a spade a spade because mark my words…this is just the tip of THAT iceberg. Wait until the Chinese get here.