i watched this interview by aljazeera reporter yesterday. Alan Fisher went to Tel Aviv to ask the Israelis what they thought about Gaza. They were all in favor, of course. But this middle age woman, a mother perhaps, said something that haunted me.
This Israeli woman was asked what she thought of the woman and children that were dying in Gaza and if it's justifiable by any means.
This is her answer, "Sure, it breaks my heart when I see things like this. But no one cares when it happens to us. We suck it up and keep quiet. We don't show the whole world and complain. We don't let it get to us. Because our women don't shout and cry like the Arab women do."
I can't believe any human being can say such a thing.
Their children were dead and they didn't even have the right to cry?
Their most basic human rights were taken away from them and she said they shouldn't shout?
My friend said, "I'm sick with you people, who cursed israel like hell. They're human too. There no such thing like occupation. It just grows hatred. Israel didn't have any choice. Jews believe, that Palestina is the promised land, their ancestral land. Please understand them. Sometime we don't give them a chance...You guys are angry without knowing the real problems"
And so on...
I'm too tired to tell you here what i've told him. The same old arguments and facts, i guess.
And here we are. The warwatchers.
Sitting comfortably in front of our television. Wishing the world to change. Too much violence, on every side.
They're just warwatchers.
Coming from some town in the southern part of Israel with their binocular and laughing and joking while the bomb explodes on Gaza. War tourists.
Yes my dear friend, I'm angry. Indonesian people are angry. The whole world is angry. And you can't blame them for that. They're not stupid, nor blind.
You can't say "Israel doesn't have any choice". They do have choice.
They can stop this assault. They can lift the blockages. They can start a new dialogue. And stop blaming other for those children they've killed.
They have a choice. Like Jonathan Benartzi, the first Israeli soldier to be court-martialed and jailed for refusing to join the military. His uncle is Benyamin Netanyahu.
Like Yonatan Shapira, the man who didn't walk by. He was dismissed from Israel's air force in 2003 because he refused to take part in aerial attacks in areas of the Occupied Territories of Palestine where there exist large concentrations of civilians liable to become "collateral damage."
Like any other Israelis who joined the Jewish Voice for Peace, including the 1,000 Israelis who protested in the streets of Tel Aviv, in condemning ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
And NO, how many times i have to say THIS, I don't want to wipe anyone off the map. No matter what religion, race or skin colour they may have.
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5 comments:
We don't show the whole world and complain. We don't let it get to us. Because our women don't shout and cry like the Arab women do."
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She is wrong and lying in my opinion. Whenever something happens in Israel, the American Press is always saying how terrible it must be for them. What the press does not say is that the Palestinians are being slaughtered by the 100,s and being starved to death on a daily basis. I feel for the children in Israel as well, but it is the fault of Israel to start with that causes them misery. People like here are cold and callous. I cannot feel sorry for her or others like her.
I would respectfully disagree with not having any sympathy for people like this woman.
I think that people like that are also victims of the occupation. Most people outside of the far left will beleive some variant of what they are told wihtout too many questions. That goes for Palestinians, it goes for Americans, and it goes for Israelis too. They are not occupied militarly, but their minds are occupied. They have lost a piece of their humanity in this conflict. In confronting Israeli racism we can't afford to personalize our differences with Zionists. We're only hurting our own cause by polarizing the issue. Many great humanitarians were at one time opposed to peace. In his youth Uri Avnery was a member of Irgun. Most of the American left, myself included, at one time were pro-Zionists. If they had been attaced personally they might have become entrenched in their views and refused to continue any other viewpoints.
Plus as liberals we should be concerned with all of humanity, even those who are involved with repression.
To tell the truth, there're always a lot of hatred from both sides.
But yes, right now i'm angry with those cold blooded arrogance people who GIVE THEIR FULL SUPPORT to drop white phosphorus, depleted uranium and clusters bomb.
Killed almost 900 people and wounded 3650 in just 2 weeks. More than 100 people have been injured from gas inhalation and burns.
They have no respect for life. And i don't want to be one of them. I refuse to be inhumane.
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/01/israeli-ornitologists-in-action.html
I feel pity for them, those zionist blokes.
I'm sad of what's going on in Gaza right now, but i'm proud to support the courageous people of Gaza.
Gaza will not go down.
i oppose israeli's attack on palestine... but there's one fact that quite bothers me... that's about hamas. hamas' policy is zero tolerance to israel. at this moment, i don't see this policy to be in favor of the palestinians... instead it will only justify Israel to keep bombarding Palestine... just a thought... CMIIW
As an outsider i can only say what thich nhat hanh said,
"In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change"
It's a really grim situation there in Gaza...
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