PA daily: Israeli books should be burned
Hafez Barghouti, editor of official PA daily, excerpts from editorial:
"Egyptian Minister Farouk Hosni lost the contest for the position of Director-General of UNESCO. His defeat was to be expected, following the Israeli campaign against him for having stated in the Egyptian parliament that he would burn any Israeli book that he found in an Egyptian library. However, this statement, which has been used against him as an anti-Semitic statement, is not the direct cause of his defeat. Had he not made this statement, there would have been an Israeli campaign against him for not having visited Israel throughout his entire tenure as Egyptian Minister of Culture. Passing through Israel is a condition for receiving "quality certification" to enter international circles. Without it, the sword of [the accusation of] of anti-Semitism would have hung over him.
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In any event, Minister Farouk Hosni's loss [of the position] is to his gain, since taking on this position would have required him to relinquish national thought in favor of submission to a spineless, feeble way of thinking. The Israeli books which he wanted to burn, were they to be found in Egyptian libraries, are worthy of nothing else, with the exception of some objective books by a few Israeli writers, since most of them glorify racism, settlement[s], killing, war and destruction. Arab cultural personalities have no need for any international position or award, so long as the price of attaining them is moral stumbling and going along with the propagandists of killing and destruction, and with the monopolistic and capitalistic circles that control the money, the thinking, and the culture for the sake of hegemony, oppression and exploitation."
"Egyptian Minister Farouk Hosni lost the contest for the position of Director-General of UNESCO. His defeat was to be expected, following the Israeli campaign against him for having stated in the Egyptian parliament that he would burn any Israeli book that he found in an Egyptian library. However, this statement, which has been used against him as an anti-Semitic statement, is not the direct cause of his defeat. Had he not made this statement, there would have been an Israeli campaign against him for not having visited Israel throughout his entire tenure as Egyptian Minister of Culture. Passing through Israel is a condition for receiving "quality certification" to enter international circles. Without it, the sword of [the accusation of] of anti-Semitism would have hung over him.
…
In any event, Minister Farouk Hosni's loss [of the position] is to his gain, since taking on this position would have required him to relinquish national thought in favor of submission to a spineless, feeble way of thinking. The Israeli books which he wanted to burn, were they to be found in Egyptian libraries, are worthy of nothing else, with the exception of some objective books by a few Israeli writers, since most of them glorify racism, settlement[s], killing, war and destruction. Arab cultural personalities have no need for any international position or award, so long as the price of attaining them is moral stumbling and going along with the propagandists of killing and destruction, and with the monopolistic and capitalistic circles that control the money, the thinking, and the culture for the sake of hegemony, oppression and exploitation."