Rashid Khalidi - The Palestinian Struggle for Statehood

[chardonnay1]

it is lunatic ideas like this guy so arrogantly spews that caused the death of Rachel Corrie. Very sad to see the self proclaimed intelligentsia aka leftists, lie and brainwash young people,

[chardonnay1]

in retrospect, his opinions are pure lunacy. Iraq is functioning. BO assassinated OBL. And honestly, what the F does Palesine have to bitch about? They have the WestBank. Have you seen it on a map? HAVE YOU? give me one good reason why they need to take more land from Israel? Why can't they shut up and be content with what they have? all the unrest in the world today over a tiny strip of land. WHY?

[rachelgolem]

Israel is just like South Africa, except we don't have an 18% HIV infection rate.

[debbiejayn]

Read the book! It's great!

[prkjs08]

Rashid Khalidi, masha'llah,  May the Mercy and compassion of God always be with you.

[bigdaddymp977]

This guy is nuts. I've been deployed in Iraq in 2003 and very familiar with the history there from the locals as well as from documentation. I'm sure the Kurds and Shia were really happy with Saddam's regime that murdered thousands and thousands of them even using chemical weapons on women and children. Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act before he left office requiring the US to do what it could to topple Saddam's regime. Something ye Bush bashers need to know.

[abusalahedin]

How many inncoent Iraqis did you murder yourself in Iraq. Oh by the way where are the WMDs.

[holaguesswho69]

WMDs is at your mum's house

[bigdaddymp977]

Are you insane or just deliberately slow?

Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act before he left office requiring the US to do what it could to topple Saddam's regime.

So I really have to repeat myself that much? Research it.

[chardonnay1]

@abusalahedin innocent? really, dude, lets go back and count how many times those coward AlQaeda gangsters hid behind innocent women and children. Quit spouting misleading statements and flat out lies and false accusations of murder against our military. you want to win the argument then you bring facts and truth to the table. otherwise hang your head in shame. AlQaeda and the Taliban abuse, rape, stone and shoot innocent women in the head execution style...this you support.

[BlueDog3o]

And furthermore a good friend of mine (currently stationed in Iraq) has expressed to me the incredulity with which the Iraqui natives are adjusting to thier newly aquired freedom for simple pleasures like playing chess or a rudimentary game of baseball. These are among the SIMPLEST forms of entertainment for United States citizens and the rest of the world. To belittle or scorn the honorable sacrifice our troops have made to make that possible is an atrocity and I, in turn, scorn YOU Mr. Kalidi

[Diamonddavej]

BlueDog3o, Baseball is only played in US, Japan and Cuba, its not played anywhere else. Iraqis prefer Soccer.

The British invaded Iraq in 1918-1919, they controlled Iraq (The State of Iraq) from the 1920 to 1932 and they imposed Soccer on them.

[BlueDog3o]

Have you been to Iraq sir? my information is based on testimoney from people who are there right now. I'm not talking about organized baseball. That's why i said "rudimentary". I don't know why I dignified this with a response...

[Diamonddavej]

Sorry, it was called the "British Mandate of Mesopotamia".

I met a guy in his 90's who worked in the Iraqi oil industry in the 1920s. He said the British gave the Iraqis sanitation & allot of aid, the British gained much respect.

During 1920s, the British mostly operated in Basra area, which is still oil rich, thus they were given Basra region again.

The funny shape of Jordan (which was drawn by Churchill) allowed the British the fly from Cyprus to Iraq, over British friendly territory.

[BlueDog3o]

Is that really all you had to say? Baseball? How primitive.

[Diamonddavej]

I wasn't criticising the invasion, I was pointing out that history repeats itself. I agree with the invasion in principle, but I think its aftermath was handled abominably.

Its like the film Rear Window, except Jimmy Stewart acts prematurely, he beats up his neighbor to prevent murder (a scenario prevented by Jimmy's broken leg). People would think the beating was futile, but it makes nothing happen.

If the post-invasion period was handled better, we would not be asking if it was worth it.

[BlueDog3o]

You know something i could slap this guy for saying that the Bush Administration destroyed what was left of the Iraqui government when in fact the Iraqui government wasn't structurally sound to BEGIN with. It was a DICTATORSHIP under which it's defenseless citizens were massacred and harshly opressed. If you walked the streets of Baghdad today (as opposed to before the American liberation of Iraq) you would find what appears to be normal activity that was never possible under Saddam's reign.

[wasabilou]

colombia u is an idiot house. I have a doctorate, but that is irrelevant. These people have stripped their own lives, not Israel. Israel has great, non-life stripping relations with many countries, including Jordan and Egypt. Palestinians have clearly created ripe conditions for Israel to justify its fighting back.

[nk284]

Just out of interest, where did you get your doctorate from, and who as on your supervising committee?

[wasabilou]

UofA, but why would this be 'just out of interest' with this topic?

hmm.

[nk284]

I'm someone what skeptical of your credentials...and you seem to have confirmed my suspicions that your hardly a middle east expert.

[wasabilou]

So what was it that made you skeptical of my credentials? and what did I say to confirm your suspicion that I'm not a middle expert?

1. my credentials are irrelevant when posting a comment on youtube

2. since when do experts only comment on public (web) sites?

[nk284]

Your disdain for Columbia University, which is anything but an idiot house. In fact alongside NYU, Columbia has a superb teaching tradition in Middle East Studies.

Your experience of Gaza and the West Bank are wholly different to mine, or maybe you haven't been? Either way, you reduce a complex situation.

[wasabilou]

Lol. Edward Said's 'superb teaching tradition' is far from 'factual.' Most universities are, Columbia in particular. Not fact, just my opinion - but that is called intellectual honesty.

So what was it about my opinion of Gaza that is 'wholly different' from yours? Is it your definition of a 'building' they threw their Islamic brothers from? I'm just curious.

[wasabilou]

go figure, full of criticism, void of introspection. Let me guess, 'you think, therefore you are'? lol, now run along..

[nk284]

Actually, i'm still waiting to hear about your personal experiences of Gaza and the West Bank, as opposed to your inane jibberings. But alas, i feel your zealous criticism of khalidi, are based on little objective insight.

Clearly, your command of pop. philosophy is a tribute to your prestigious doctorate. Received via post no doubt.

[wasabilou]

Little objective insight without personal experience? You know, I did claim substantial personal experience with academia - and you doubted that. Why would my personal experience with Gaza receive a different response?

Clearly, you have no answers but are full of-questions.

[wasabilou]

solidarity with a people who push their brothers off buildings, and bomb civilians?

what junk, this professor is an articulate quack.

[radi150mcom]

Solidarity with people who had their homes destroyed and their livelyhood stripped, this is a guy who has tenure at columbia, what do you have?

[BlueDog3o]

I agree with Wasabilou. There's no excuse for the bombing of innocent civilians. It doesn't take a doctorate to see that, so Wasabilou's credentials shouldn't be called into question. We should be careful not to confuse the acts of extremist movements with those of people who are dilligently defending thier right to exist/or right to reside. I'm not unsympathetic to the Palestinian cause, but I think it was a stupid idea to build a temple over the site where thier old temple was.