Posted on 06/03/2002 2:27:01 PM PDT by Seti 1
ISRAEL'S STATE TERRORISM
By Lev Grinberg*
What is the difference between State terrorism and individual terrorist acts? If we understand this difference we'll understand also the evilness of the US policies in the Middle East and the forthcoming disasters. When Yassir Arafat was put under siege in his offices and kept hostage by the Israeli occupation forces, he was constantly pressed into condemning terror and combatting terrorism. Israel's state terrorism is defined by US officials as "self-defense", while individual suicide bombers are called terrorists.
The only 'small' difference is that Israeli aggression is the direct responsibility of Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, Shimon Peres and Shaul Mofaz, while the individual terrorist acts are done by individuals in despair, usually against Arafat's will. One hour after Arafat declared his support of a cease fire and wished the Jews a Happy Passover feast, a suicide bomber exploded himself in an hotel in Netanya, killing 22 innocent Jews celebrating Passover. Arafat was blamed as responsible for this act, and the present IDF offensive has been justified through this accusation.
At the same time, Sharon's responsibility for Israeli war crimes is being completely ignored. Who should be arrested for the targeted killing of almost 100 Palestinians? Who will be sent to jail for the killing of more than 120 Palestinian paramedics? Who will be sentenced for the killing of more than 1,200 Palestinians and for the collective punishment of more than 3,000,000 civilians during the last 18 months? And who will face the International Tribunal for the illegal settlement of occupied Palestinian Lands, and the disobedience of UN decisions for more than 35 years?
Suicide bombs killing innocent citizens must be unequivocally condemned; they are immoral acts, and their perpetrators should be sent to jail. But they cannot be compared to State terrorism carried out by the Israeli Government. The former are individual acts of despair of a people that sees no future, vastly ignored by an unfair and distorted international public opinion. The latter are cold and "rational" decisions of a State and a military apparatus of occupation, well equipped, financed and backed by the only superpower in the world.
Yet in the public debate, State terrorism and individual suicide bombs are not even considered as comparable cases of terrorism. The State terror and war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli Government are legitimized as "self-defense", while Arafat, even under siege, is demanded to arrest "terrorists."
I want to ask: Who will arrest Sharon, the person directly responsible for the orders to kill Palestinians? When is he going to be defined a terrorist too? How long will the world ignore the Palestinian cry that all they want is freedom and independence? When will it stop neglecting the fact that the goal of the Israeli Government is not security, but the continued occupation and subjugation of the Palestinian people?
As Israelis in the opposition, we are fighting against our government, but the international support that Sharon receives is constantly jeopardizing our struggle. The whole international public opinion must be reverted, and the UN must deploy intervention forces in order to stop the bloodshed and the imminent deterioration. Israelis and Palestinians desperately need the awakening of the international community's public opinion and a reversal in the global attitude. These are needed both in order to save our lives (literally), and preserve our hope in a better future.
* Dr. Lev Grinberg is a political sociologist, and Director of the Humphrey Institute for Social Research at Ben Gurion University
Well, then that explains it Mr. Hunter...please go here to read the truth:
Quite a parallel you draw. The Nazis also claimed the high ground after their failure to come to agreement with Chamberlain (Barak) led to his replacement by Churchill (Sharon).
You and the jihadists want to blame Israelis for the election of a hawk after they spit on the dove. Disgusting.
You posted an article on it. Something about the Jews that helped the Nazi's. Think man think.
Kapo's? Judenrat?
I don't think they will like being called little wimps! The English one is a liberal. But the Russian one is quite right-wing and a bit of a hardcase. For a woman she doesn't seem to have much compassion either. For example, she didn't have any sympathy for the victims of the Kursk disaster or for the suffering that her male counterparts have to endure thanks to conscription.
Apparently, up to 10,000 Russian conscripts died in 2001 due to murder, suicide, the Chechen war, starvation, medical incompetence etc. She told me that she was glad conscription didn't apply to her, but went on to say that "its good that men are military trained". However, I hear Russians have a romance with militarism anyway. Although, I found her double standards shocking for a well educated young woman with a PhD degree.
Well she has worked in Egypt for a few months. Although, she didn't like the Egyptians very much. Apparently the men kept making unsolicited passes at her, well I can't blame them she is an attractive blonde. However, she does speak arabic and watched Al-Jazeera regularly, so the selective reporting and the opinions of the Egyptians are likely to be the route of her anti-Israeli view.
Since there is no such thing as "Palestinian territory" (Israel won those lands in a defensive war), why shouldn't their citizens set up communities on it? And why can't the Arabs live in peace with their Jewish neighbors?
Even though this violates a treaty they signed with Arafat in 1967.
What treaty did they sign with Arafat in 1967 when they were forbidden by law with even talking to this mass murderer?
Also how does killing civilians, destroying houses, schools, hospitals, Police stations and electricity/water supply infrastructre, help stop future terrorism?
It teaches these so-called "civilians" (in reality, these people are supporters of terrorists which hardly makes them "civilians") that terrorism will only bring destruction upon themselves. You see, when Rabin and Peres were in charge, Arabs could murder Jews without any sort of consequence for their action. From that they learned to escalate the violence. The retaliatory strikes (which pale in comparison to what the US did in Afghanistan) hope to teach them differently.
By the way I am not an antisemite. I have Jewish friends (not Israelis) and they are actually very critical of the methods use by Israel to defend itself.
You will have to define what you consider an anti-Semite to be. From my perspective, your "Jewish friends" have a lot to learn.
None. "Palestinian" is a propaganda term. In reality, there is no difference between the Arabs who live in the Liberated Territories and Arab citizens of Jordon and Israel. They do not have a distinct language, religion, culture or cuisine.
From what I have heard the Israeli settlers don't allow Palestinians into their areas.
This was not always the case. Perhaps the Israeli pioneers learned a new behavior after all the Arab terrorism against them?
If Palestinians in Israel stopped Israelis from coming into the areas they colonised, then wouldn't the Israelis also be angry?
That's called terrorism and, yes, the Israelis are angry that the Arabs are murdering them with impunity.
Ah....now I understand.
I wouldn't take passes by Arab men as unusual, they are the most perverted, classless, woman abusing bunch in the world....they treat their women with disdain....all true my friend...
Shocking David...her double standard is simply ridiculous and almost like a split personality.....The Muslims are taking over parts of Russia, like mad....A few years ago...there were bombings in Moscow, that killed hundreds and hundreds of people, the Muslims infiltrated Moscow and were blowing up apartment buildings....killing women and children...that is their MO my friend...they aim to take over every country...little by little, and they're succeeding my friend...Then of course, after you come after them, they start playing crybaby...and get their Public Relations Specialists out...we've seen this thousands of times...same MO over and over and over again...Europe also has a very large extremist Muslim population...take a look at France....
Tell your Russian friend...and your lib friend...to smarten up and for God's Sake, stop eating their own....Jews are sometimes their own worst enemies...
Hmmmmmmm. Me too...
Hey Seti? What planet is this guy from????
This is by far the most absolutely insane, too-stupid-for-words statement I have ever seen in my life!!!
"Maybe if we're nicer, the palestinians will like us more, and stop killing us!"
Mark
Ah....now I understand.
Being English doesn't make me anti-Israeli. My uncle was a soldier in the British army. He didn't like Israelis because of the terrorism against the British army before they withdrew from Palestine.
However, my generation is less judgemental, because we are less aware of the British conflict with Zionists. The problem we have is that, just as the American media are pro-Israel, the British media are pro-Palestinian. Without access to the Israeli side of the story its difficult to make an informed opinion. That's where forums like this come in handy of course.
The problem is that her opinion "its good that men are military trained", is shared by a large percentage of Russian women. Could this be a spiteful form of gender suppression, especially when Russian military service is so dangerous? Or is it due to state brainwashing that dates back to the Stalinist era?
I suppose given that her opinion on male conscription is so common among Russian women, when taken with her opinion about the Palestinians' situation it doesn't count as a double standard. Because she only conformed to the former viewpoint, whereas she did actively make the latter opinion by herself.
You reminded me of a strange thing she said to me, which I thought was bizarre at the time.
A while ago she told me about a dream she had in which she was captured in Southern Russia during an insurgency by Muslim fanatics. She told me in detail about the leader of the Muslims, his appearance, his politics etc and then she went on to say that he had realised she was interested in him and told her that he could not get involved with a non-muslim.
This dream sounded strange enough, especially as she explained it to me with total seriousness for the best part of 5 minutes. It seemed unbelievable to me because on many previous occasions she had said negative things about Arabs and she hates the Chechens. Perhaps she has got a split personality, either that or she's completely mad.
Until the Arab Oil revenues plumet, no one is safe on this earth.
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