Question

read this quote from haidar abd el-shafi, then answer the question:

\we, the people of palestine, stand before you in the fullness of our pain, our pride, and our anticipation, for we long harbored a yearning for peace and a dream of justice and freedom. for too long, the palestinian people have gone unheeded, silenced and denied, our identity negated by political expedience, our right for struggle against injustice maligned, and our present existence subsumed by the past tragedy of another people.\ —haidar abd el-shafi, head of the palestinian delegation to the madrid peace conference, 1991

the above quote is from a speech given at the madrid peace conference by a palestinian leader. to which of the following does the speaker attribute the ignoring of his peoples suffering?

• palestinians unrealistic dreams
• the nazi killing of jews
• the excessive pride of jews
• palestinians silence on their plight

Explanation:

Analyze the provided text

The quote by Haidar Abd El-Shafi states: "...our identity negated by political expedience, our right for struggle against injustice maligned, and our present existence subsumed by the past tragedy of another people."

Identify the key reference

The phrase "the past tragedy of another people" in the context of the Arab-Israeli Conflict refers to the Holocaust (the Nazi genocide of Jewish people). The speaker argues that Palestinian suffering and existence have been overshadowed or ignored because of the global focus on this historical tragedy of the Jewish people.

Evaluate the given options

• Palestinians' unrealistic dreams: Incorrect. The text mentions a "dream of justice and freedom" but does not attribute the ignoring of their suffering to this.
• The Nazi killing of Jews: Correct. This corresponds directly to "the past tragedy of another people" which has subsumed (overshadowed/ignored) the present existence and suffering of Palestinians.
• The excessive pride of Jews: Incorrect. The text mentions "our pride" (Palestinian pride), not Jewish pride.
• Palestinians' silence on their plight: Incorrect. The text states they have been "silenced and denied," not that they chose to remain silent.

Answer:

• Palestinians' unrealistic dreams
• The Nazi killing of Jews (Correct answer)
• The excessive pride of Jews
• Palestinians' silence on their plight