Posted on 04/04/2002 9:29:16 AM PST by NorCoGOP
AMHERST, Mass. -- Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has learned his rhetoric quite well. Weaned at the hands of the Bush administration, he has become the alpha artist of illusion. A grand title, it awards the bearer free reign to establish true terror. Not the nationalist sentiment that we hear in our telecasts, but the ability to slaughter a defenseless people. On Sunday, as his tanks shelled Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound, Sharon displayed a mastery of propaganda to his nation via television broadcast.
"The state of Israel is in a war, a war against terrorism. This is a war that was imposed on us. It is not a war that we decided to embark upon. This is a war over our home. The state of Israel, under my direction, made all the efforts to arrive at a cease-fire. All the time, since I was elected, in the midst of a wave of Palestinian terror, we placed before us the goal of doing everything to achieve calm and arrive at political accords."
Only an ultimate wordsmith could fashion such a string of phrases. I'm glad about one thing -- however -- amidst this litany of lies: Sharon has admitted that Israel is at war with the Palestinian Authority. For the past 17 months, Israel has slaughtered countless Palestinian refugees and militants as they hedge the West Bank, but has shied from a declaration of war. The global militarism following the War in Afghanistan has mitigated its shyness.
Sharon has deceived his following with a Zionist tongue. "The state of Israel seeks peace. Our hand is and always will be extended for peace with the Palestinian people and the people of the whole region. But no one should be deluded. Our extended hand does not mean that we will give in to terrorism or to terrorists."
The state of Israel, under his direction, has embarked on a war with the Palestinians. Sharon has encouraged death, not peace. The United Nations, backed by the Arab World -- including influential Saudi Arabia -- has proposed a cease-fire in exchange for the establishment of a permanent Palestinian state. Such an arrangement would foster trade, enrich both nations and end the bloodshed. But it is not to be. Sharon's tanks are headed for East Palestine, Ramallah and the West Bank. Sharon wants Israel to annex the disputed territory into his concept of Israel's home.
"We must fight against this terrorism, fight with no compromise, pull up these wild plants by the roots, smash their infrastructure, because there is no compromise with terrorism. It is impossible to compromise with one who is prepared, like the suicide on the streets of Israel's cities and in the twin towers in the United States, to die only to kill innocent civilians, children, women and infants -- to die in order to cause fear and horror."
The phrase "War on Terrorism" has become an invisible label signifying the nationalist oppression sought by its speaker. First with the master in Washington, and now with his prized pupil, a weighty precedent for Imperialism has been established. Invoke patriotism, and support will follow for the most murderous campaigns imaginable. Sharon would never research a comparison in fatalities since 1967 caused by the militants of both nations. His "innocent civilians, children, women and infants" imagery would mystify if it were juxtaposed against the Palestinian reality. Sharon does not mention the absence of a Palestinian military. He does not suggest how else Palestinians oppose Israel's occupation of their homes. Instead, he directs his audience towards today's universal and omnipotent words, "fear" and "terror."
"This terrorism is activated, directed and initiated by one man: the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Yasir Arafat. Arafat is at the head of a coalition of terrorism. He operates a strategy of terrorism. The chairman of the Palestinian Authority is an enemy of Israel. He is the enemy of the entire free world. Everyone who seeks freedom, everyone who was brought up on the values of freedom and democracy must know that Arafat is an obstacle to peace in the Mideast. Arafat is a danger to the whole region." The Palestinian Authority and the resistance/terrorists have been unified by Sharon into one terrific enemy. Sharon has even managed to corrupt his nation's understanding of the Palestinian authority. What was a weakly supported police force whose administration is directed by Israel has been lyrically transformed into a filial state with the potential for patricide.
"The Israeli government decided at its meeting on Thursday to begin a wide-ranging operation to root out the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian territories. We will clean out the terrorist infrastructure from the foundations, because in the end we know that the only way to reach a cease-fire, negotiations, an accord, an agreement and peace is if we succeed in wiping out the terrorism infrastructure."
In other, less ivory words: we will penetrate their every defense, subjugating them to our laws. Time and time again, the Palestinians have expressed their need for a separate home. How can Israel hope to assimilate Muslims into a land of synagogues? The so-called terror attacks would not stop unless the Palestinians are wrought to bear enough suffering and slaughter that their souls crack and they lose their humanity. The only way for Sharon to wipe out the terrorism infrastructure is to agree to the United Nations proposal and let Palestine be. But Sharon would rather see a Palestinian genocide. Otherwise, why would he spend so much energy deceiving his people?
Information from the New York Times was used in this column.
What exactly did Sharon do to encourage death or provoke? Yet, Saudi Arabia mentions for the first time in over 50 years that it will recognize Israel under certain terms, and now its the great peace maker?
FReep this poll:
* Almost bad enough for antiwar.com.
* Bad enough for antiwar.com.
* Too bad even for antiwar.com.

*Would incur Justine's jealousy and he would self-destruct in an angry puff of envy.
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