Posted on 09/27/2001 9:04:30 AM PDT by Illbay
Sept. 26, 2001, 8:47PM
DAMASCUS, Syria -- A morgue assistant pulls out drawers holding the mutilated corpses of Palestinians killed in clashes with Israelis. Doctors pummel the chest of a dead Palestinian in a desperate attempt to revive him. The body of an infant, swathed in bloodied blankets, is held by a grieving parent.
These raw images -- aired almost daily on Arab television since the Palestinian-Israeli clashes erupted a year ago -- haven't lost the power to touch the hearts of Arab viewers.
Indeed, they have fed a buildup of Arab anger -- not only against Israel but also against the United States, its chief ally, already resented for imposing 11 years of sanctions and carrying out repeated airstrikes on Iraq.
That anger provides a potential base of support for the militants, who can use it to keep governments from cracking down on them. The outrage has also left many Arabs grappling with conflicting emotions over the Sept. 11 suicide attacks in the United States.
Some governments -- while decrying the deaths at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania -- have echoed murmurs in the streets that the United States brought violence on itself by angering Arabs. Others have made it clear they want to be sure U.S. retaliation doesn't target nations like Iraq or groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, who are heroes to some Arabs because of their anti-Israel stance.
"We feel outraged by what happened in the United States, but we want the world to feel the same about the daily Israeli killings of Palestinians, the demolishing of houses and the humiliation of the people," said Wafa Mohammed, a shop owner in Jordan.
"If the United States had sympathized with the Arabs, the destruction that took place in the United States wouldn't have happened," said Mohammed Tohami, 22, an Egyptian frame maker.
"There's a feeling among Arabs that the United States is totally responsible for what's happening in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," said Imad Shueibi, a Syrian political analyst.
The Palestinian-Israeli clashes began one year ago Friday. The spark, the Palestinians say -- or the pretext, according to Israel -- was a visit by then-opposition Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to the holiest and most disputed site in Jerusalem, which Jews call the Temple Mount and Palestinians Haram as-Sharif.
Since then, 642 Palestinians and 177 Israelis have been killed. Many of the Israeli casualties were civilians who died in Palestinian suicide attacks against discos, restaurants, markets and train stations or shootings with machine guns and mortars.
The resulting resentment cannot be ignored as President Bush -- who has threatened to punish Afghanistan's Islamic rulers harboring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden -- assembles U.S. forces for a retaliatory strike. Bin Laden has portrayed himself as the champion of Muslims and Palestinians.
Adding to the pressure on the mostly secular Arab governments are fatwas, or religious edicts issued by Muslim clergymen warning the governments against joining the anti-terrorism coalition.
I have often wondered why God ordered the Children of Israel to do this. I am not positive, but I think it may have been only once, when they returned from captivity in Egypt, but I have a suspicion, that there was another, yet much smaller outbreak of the Nephilim. The first outbreak, was so extensive, that God wiped out the entire planet, except for 8 people, by the Flood. I don't have a clue why God does many of the things He does, but He must have His reasons, that we do not see. If you think He is a fiend for this, why not tell Him about it. I am sure he has been told worse things than that. Maybe He can teach you something.
Agree, but where did that come from. Is anyone suggesting it? Not I, but you can trust Paul too, not just Jesus.
I like it!
Of course, I find that there is a great term in need of allocation - from the British foxhunt - that being Tally-ho. But that might be seen as implying something...like, their canine ancestry....or maybe something else that rhymes with "ho".
Your figures are way off. Here is a breakdown (taken from HDIP) by circumstances at time of death, of Palestinians killed from 9/29/00 to 9/13/01:
Total killed: 684
281 (41.1%) were killed in clashes with Israeli occupation soldiers. Of those, 246 (36%) were killed in civilian demonstrations and 35 (5.1%) were killed in armed clashes.
403 (58.9%) were killed when there were no clashes. 40 (5.8%) of those were simply killed. 193 (28.2%) were killed after being captured by soldiers/police or shot at from very close range without justification (no clashes in area at all). 39 (5.7%) were killed in attacks by settlers or Israeli citizens. 57 (8.3%) were assassinated, of which 37 were targets and 20 were bystanders. 23 (3.4%) were killed by prevention of medical treatment. 50 (7.3%) were killed in misc. other ways.
While not all Muslims might be terrorists, you can't deny that all the terrorists were Muslims. And this is true about every terrorist attack against America for the past 20 years. These repeated attacks against American interests across the world and now here in our own country have all come from the holy warriors of Allah. In religion one has to ponder...where does moderation end and extremism begin? We in America abhor a religious war. We separate religion from our politics and wish all nations would do the same. But the truth is that in most predominant Muslim countries the religious leaders have as much if not more political power than the politicians. Iran showed us that. As far as aiding Israel with 5 billion a year? In a 360 billion dollar defense budget that amount is a drop in the bucket. Cheap insurance against a murderous Islamic religion hostile to America and Christianity. Every Muslim may not be a religious jihad warrior but every Muslim has the potential to be one. It is ingrained in his religion through his holy book. Americans ignore this reality at their own peril.
There are many here on FR who don't really give a d*mn about America or Americans save only as they serve Israeli interests. That much is clear.
When you point this out, you're called "anti-semitic."
Which is the point at which, of course, they have lost the argument.
I think people like bin laden and Arafat engender a great deal of resentment in the Arab world. Propaganda works in many ways and it seems to be working on you. BTW, too much exposure to propaganda has been linked to mental illness. Jauntybeesting should get therapy before he calls the FBI and the Gestapo police or somebody else on everybody.
Possibly, but this is not a given. I am not convinced that "most" Arabs hate us. And I think that most that do, do so because of our support for Israel.
Netanyahu is much like other spokesmen for other nations everywhere: He will serve his own interests. He feels it is his job to convince America that ISRAEL'S enemies are OUR enemies.
But I note that India is doing the same, exact thing w/r/t Pakistan. "Look here, America, the Pak are who you should be going after!"
They know that we have been wounded and are capable of fierce retaliation. They'd love to focus our retaliation on THEIR enemies.
It's a very transparent gambit that I trust our leaders are far too savvy to fall for.
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