Posted on 04/26/2002 9:35:29 AM PDT by SJackson
Friday afternoon, Soheila Hoshi, 47, a mother of four children ages nine to eighteen, completed her weekly shopping at Jerusalem’s colorful outdoor market known as Machane Yehuda. She was a regular at the market, picking up last minute fruits, vegetables and goodies for the family meal.
As Soheila waited for the bus, a young Palestinian who fancied herself a martyr positioned her body deep in the throng of people walking and waiting on the sidewalk and detonated a belt of explosives strapped to her waist. In blowing herself up and unleashing a combination of nails, screws and explosives that get more sophisticated with each passing attack, she also permanently tore apart six innocent shoppers and injured scores more. Soheila, who was standing close to the bomber, was so disfigured that the forensic specialists could not make a positive identification of her body until after the Jewish Sabbath, which ended at sundown the following day, using blood samples from family members.
Soheila is my husband’s first cousin. She left Iran as a young woman for Israel to fulfill a dream of living as a Jew in Israel. She immigrated alone, leaving behind parents who to this day, amazingly, still live in Iran. Soheila went on to marry and have four children. At some point after meeting my husband, I first heard her name in connection with another horror: cancer. This woman, then in her early 40s, was very sick and no one knew if she would live. Miraculously, though, she managed to lick that enemy into remission. This always-cheerful religious woman was not so lucky on Friday.
In a way, though, the details are not so important. For if she had woken up 20 minutes earlier on Friday morning or lingered at one more fruit stand in the market, this woman may well have been spared and another blown to bits in her place. Soheila was just one of tens, hundreds, thousands, who have been murdered over the past 19 months, and before that over the past nine years, and before that in 1973, 1967 and 1947 when war-loving neighbors on all sides attacked Israel. Before that, just 60 years ago, there were six million Soheilas murdered in Europe – the same ‘civilized’ place whose people were the first and thus far the most efficient in condemning Israel over the past few weeks.
Make no mistake about it, since September 28, 2000, over 450 innocent men, women, children and unborn babies (the population equivalent of some 23,000 or so Americans) have been killed by bombers and shooters for one reason: Because they were Jewish (Although, not all of the victims have been Jewish or Israeli. Friday’s bombing in Jerusalem took the life of two Chinese workers who were likely in Israel to earn some money to send to their families at home). Arafat and his henchman are not looking only to end what they call the occupation or to drive the Israeli Defense Forces out of the areas that they controlled autonomously following agreements known by names like Oslo. This isn’t about Muslims wanting to live in a neighborhood where Jews live. No, that would be too simple. This is not an uprising or a simple intifada as the news networks so neatly categorize it. Behind the violence against Israelis is a desire, one that has not been hidden or even blurred, to rid the Middle East and the country known as Israel – a name that to my knowledge is not even acknowledged or uttered in the streets of Jenin or Ramallah or Tulkarem – of its Jewish presence. In Nazi times it was known as “Judenrein,” or free from Jews; today, it’s called “jihad” or “holy war,” and it just isn’t any different.
Why should any American care about any of this, especially if they didn’t know Soheila, or if they’re not Jewish or if they don’t consider themselves a supporter of Israel? Because the moment Americans hesitate before going to a mall or their children’s birthday parties or the local pizza place, the moment these hideous excuses for “freedom fighters” infiltrate nice, free, quiet lives and blow themselves up on Main Street, USA – and they will - the moment Americans see the wreckage of body parts, groceries that will never make it to the table and abandoned cell phones that ring incessantly because their owners were just blown apart at our bus stops and meeting places, then this will become something that we will want to destroy and eradicate without nuance and without delay. Maybe then we will thank the Israelis for doing much of the world’s dirty work, the job that not one other nation in the world – including the United States – has yet dared to undertake. Maybe then, and only then, we will pay honor and respect to the memory of Soheila and all the others in the only way befitting these innocent souls who are no more.
They have used force before and it did not work. It is not working now (more Arabs are dying than Jews). They have already brought violence here (9-11). This article is part of the problem not a path to the solution. Innocent people are being blown apart on both sides. Hate is being expressed on both sides. The problem is that the leaders on both sides are leading in the wrong direction and there are plenty of willing followers.
I encourage everyone to follow the golden rule.
No, friend, the hate is almost exclusively concentrated on the terrorist side.
If the Israelis had hate, they would have demolished the "refugee" camps from the air. Or sent nuclear weapons into the capitals of some aggressive, hate-filled Arab neighbors. Or sent bomb-wielding children into Arab pizza parlors, markets, and formal dinners. The Israelis did none of these things, instead going after terrorists and their infrastructure. Contrary to hate, they have turned down an opportunity to kill many, many terrorists holed up in a church (a church that, I believe, means little or nothing to the Jewish people), because of their compassion for the innocents in the church and because of what the church means to so many Christians.
Call me when Muslims rally in the streets protesting the killing of innocents in pizza parlors, discos, etc. Seems like this should be a no brainer for a peaceful religion.
Maybe you can explain. How do you cut a deal with a "leader" that wants it all and will not compromise? They could have had the Barak Peace Plan, but opted for War instead.
So explain, Ms. Simplemind. If one side hates and will not reason, whats the other side to do? Can you think beyond stupid cliches?
Be careful with the "war-loving" label. Why would people who keep loosing wars love them? There could be a strong case made that the U.S. is a "war-loving" nation (we usually win and just look at most of our war movies). Also, we have the most effective and massive war machine in the history of civilization - we are the war leader of mankind; the world is trying to follow our example.
What do you mean that terrorism "did not work"? The terrorist war against Israel is not yet over. The majority of the world seems to have turned against Israel and have embraced the Palestinian cause. The Israelis could still lose in the end. If they do, our enemies around the world will conclude (quote rightly) that terrorism works.
This article is part of the problem not a path to the solution. Innocent people are being blown apart on both sides. Hate is being expressed on both sides. The problem is that the leaders on both sides are leading in the wrong direction and there are plenty of willing followers.
Nonsense. There is no moral equivalence between the two sides. The Israelis have not been the agressors in the conflict; nor have they deliberately targeted innocents as the PLO does. Indeed, the Israelis have shown more restraint toward Palestinian civilians than the PLO does. (Consider how suspected "collaborators" are dealt with.)
Tell you what. We'll be careful with the "war loving" label, if you're careful not to dodge and avoid questions you don't know how or care to answer. Okay?
This is what civilization is faced with.
How will we answer?
donations?, - not to the United Way (NO MATTER WHAT, NO WAY!!!!!!), and not to the Red Cross -
Prayer.
Basic nonviolent protest, alliance with Israel, Too soft! Get real! fight Fight FIGHT!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.