do I even need to comment?
Last weekend I watched a group of Palestinian women and daughters running for their lives as they were fired upon by Israeli Snipers. I watched as one of them a woman in her 30’s or 40’s crumpled to the ground lifeless as she was shot in the back. I watched to blood start to pool under her. I didn’t see the gun man supposedly beside her the sniper said he was trying to shoot. Maybe he was wearing a harry potter invisibility cloak. Maybe the sniper failed sniping class. In fact i didn’t see any guns in the hands of the one man i saw in the crowd of all those women, both in wide shot as they fled for their lives or in the close ups. It looked like the streets of Derry when the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march and shot 26 unarmed civilians killing thirteen of them, six of these were minors. We called that day bloody Sunday. This morning i see Israel shelled a group of civilian houses for 50 minutes last night killing 18 people and injuring 54. Of the dead 7 were children and four were women. I am watching the news and waiting for the uproar to come from governments around the world…oh wait i forgot. These were Palestinian. Camera fodder, they can die but it doesn’t really mean anything. Can you imagine if 18 American, Australian, French, English, or any other western nation civilians were shelled by tanks in their homes while they slept? It would be front page news for a week, the UN council would be called and sanctions would be placed on the aggressor. But the UN is a lame duck, the power of veto of the strongest over the weakest makes it impotent. I know next week there will be another Bloody Sunday in Palestine. I know we are still recovering here from Bloody Sunday that happened in 1972. I don’t understand how these people will ever forget. I want to punch a wall. Or maybe i should pick up the guitar. Maybe if i shout loud enough into the void someone else will listen and they will start shouting. Maybe I’m dreaming. I know i am white knuckle angry. I wonder if the sniper and the Tank commander are having breakfast with their families. I wonder if they feel sick, or if they feel nothing. I wonder what happened to the Israeli pilots and soldiers who refused to attack the occupied areas before the 1967 borders? I wonder if i would have the balls to stand up against the tide of my own nation? I wonder what is going through the head of a young boy this morning who has lost his mother, brother, sister, father?
November 9, 2006 at 10:07 am
How can you compare ?
OK, Isreali’s army is an occupation army as brit’s army in Ulster, I’m agree with you on that point. But have you ever seen ulsterian citizen using himself as human bomb almost every week at London or everywhere in England ? Cause it’s always the daily reality for Isrealian people.
These women decided to be involved in the struggle when they decided to protect the terrorists hidden in the mosquee last week. They choosed to be human shield. So don’t infantilise women, please, they’ve a fighter conscience and they make the choice to be in the frontline.
I’m probably as sad as you to watch these TV images but children burning in a bus in the way to school in Jerusalem is the same tragedy, but there’s not so manichean (like it’s in Ulster!)
Sorry for my english, my arguments are more persuasive in french!
November 9, 2006 at 11:14 am
Hi Pollux,
Thanks for the comment, discourse is good.You bring up some great points. I have Israeli friends who cannot live in Israel and have been shunned by their families because they make films about both sides of the conflict, not pro Israeli or pro Palestinian. Without discourse and freedom to voice opinions from all sides there is no hope. There are many similarities between the Israeli situation and the Irish one. In fact if you go to Derry right now you will see Palestinian flags flying in the Nationalist areas beside the Irish tri colour and the Israeli flag flying beside the Union Jack in the Loyalist areas. Citizens of Ulster in the form of the IRA didn’t use human bombs, but they bombed Britain from London to Manchester and murdered innocent civilians as well as here in the north. Being Irish in England in the 80’s was not a good thing to be. I was there. I remember being terrified when questioned by British police on entering the country that I would be sent to Jail like the Birmingham six or Guildford four. I was called a terrorist enough times myself. And no, i was not in the IRA. The same with Loyalists like the UDA and the UVF in collusion with the British security forces. They bombed and murdered civilians too. The British security forces regularly murdered civilians from the nationalist minority. I don’t condone bombing of civilians in any war. I don’t usually label the smaller equipped army as terrorists either. One persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter, it is all in the head of the people fighting on each side. Nelson Mandela and the ANC were labeled terrorists too.
If the Palestinians launch a rocket guerrilla style they are terrorists but if the Israelis fire a missile from a helicopter gunship they are not terrorists? Is it because their delivery device of a bomb is sometimes strapped to a person rather than fired out the barrel of a tank? I wonder if they had the choice which would they choose? The smaller ill equipped army is always going to use guerrilla tactics, there is no other way they can fight. They can not take on one of the worlds most well equipped and well funded army in a conventional battle. The bottom line to this,despite labels of terrorist or army or methods of fighting each other, is that someone dead is someone dead be they Israeli or be they Palestinian. They are human and the fact they are dead is fucked plain and simple. But there is no black and white. It is a mess of grey. I don’t agree with violence as being the ultimate solution for any conflict. Talking is better, if both sides agree to talk. But sometimes one side does not want to concede what it has won, especially if it is more powerful. My country was occupied for 800 years and unfortunately the only way I am not a subject of the Queen and living in a free land is through a violent guerrila uprising. It was “terrorists” in the form of the original IRA who brought about that freedom. You agree that Israel is an army of occupation. Do you see them willingly returning lands to the 1967 borders and allowing the refugees they replaced to return to their lands?
Back to the point about the women, yes they chose to be human shields. But did they have guns shooting at the Israeli’s? Shooting unarmed civilians is a war crime. Shooting unarmed civilians in the back as they run for their lives is cowardice and unbridled malice. As for a daily reality for Israeli people living with the threat of bombings and rocket attacks yes i fully agree with you that it’s fucked. But the scale of deaths are totally disproportionate. Since the intifada how many Israelis have been killed? How many Palestinians? How many times have Palestinian tanks rolled into Israeli suburbs, how many Israeli sewage and water lines have been destroyed, how many Israeli houses knocked by Caterpillar armoured bulldozers.
Were the Irgun, the Haganah, and the Stern Group terrorists or freedom fighters defending their people in the face of a larger opposition force and state? If the Palestinians had a conventional army with $8.7 billion (FY99) a year spending, plus nuclear weapons, and the Israelis had man power but little in the way of weapons and were occupied by the Palestinians, what would they be called if they fought the Palestinians for freedom. Terrorists or a conventional army? I am very glad you brought up your points Pollux. Like i said there are two sides to an argument and in this one there are 50 sides with little in the way of black and white. You are totally welcome to maintain your opinion and to voice more and to point out where my arguments are weak. I don’t hate Israeli people or think all Palestinians are angelic people who can do no wrong. I am not anti Semitic either or anti Islam or anti christian, Buddhist etc. I myself am atheist and have seen the religion as flag card played too many times in conflict and suppression of a people.
I am sure there will be other comments on this from others with more differing opinions to both mine and Pollux’s. All I ask is that anyone who comments be as polite and understanding as possible in voicing thier opinions. I loof forward to reading what people think.
November 9, 2006 at 4:34 pm
First point, I don’t take your post as a racist or antisemitic point of view (if, I would not have even answered).
Two, I didn’t try to disculp this blooshed but just wanted to explain that Israelian do not have the monopoly of cruelty.
As you, I hope someday Israel will accept the borders before de Six Days War (beautiful socialist project supported by Solona
. In fact this goal will be reached when the balance is reversed, it’s just a question of natality and time, now Israelian are fewer than Palestinian. The same iniquitous question that justified the six counties.
I truly believe that the majority of the israelians are ready to this (the withdrawal of the colonies is a strong exemple of their will), most of them work for peace but I’m not sure the Fatah react which encourage new suicides bombings is a proof a wisdom.
There’s a real ditch between the acts of the army, and by extension the attitude of the right gov of Israel, and the rest of the population. But media prefer focus on the army or islamist terrorists, it’s better for sales! Nobody throw a glance with moderated initiatives in the two camp, they’re the silent mass! I can’ believe that Palestinian are all Hamas supporters (weird elections) and Israelian are nostalgics of the Lehi! Do you know this film : “L’accord” (not sure of its english title, the translation is The Agreement) http://www.solaris-distribution.com/L_ACCORD/AccordFA.htm, it’s a perfect plaidoirie for the dialogue.
I’m agree with you concerning the fact the position of the Palestinian is precarious and fragile but where’s the help of the muslim countries for their Palestinian bro ?
When european jewish arrives in Palestine, they built a country in the same hard conditions that the people who live over there since years. Have you seen what the Palestinian did when they arrived in the deserted colonies ? Instead enjoying the infrastructures and non destroyed houses, they burned everything!
I’m atheist too but I can’t believe that all this mess comes just from religions, as in Ireland, the roots of the problem are more social and politics. But intolerance, which is the basis of religions, complicated things.
You know what, I’ve seen a miracle on TV this weekend in Israël, the three religions at the same table, discussing and being agree on a point : the Gay Pride in Jerusalem is a blasphem, gov must absolutely prohibit this demonstration. Long work to change mentalities
November 9, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Merci Pollux, I will check out that film when i get back next week. I agree that the media prefers to focus on radicals. I will reply properly when i get back. Thanks again for your thoughts! Have a cool weekend.
March 22, 2008 at 1:08 am
Good page., bro