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there won't be any cease fire until Israel stops its extra-judicial assassinations and pissing off the resistance groups, and until it stops demolishing homes and imposing collective punishment and stops its aggression against the people.
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| Originally posted by Palestinian there won't be any cease fire until Israel stops its extra-judicial assassinations and pissing off the resistance groups, and until it stops demolishing homes and imposing collective punishment and stops its aggression against the people. |
civilians are still being killed and israel just assassinated an islamic jihad leader.
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| Originally posted by Palestinian civilians are still being killed |
and a much higher number of palestinians were killed during those three months.
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| Originally posted by imokruok Yes, they are. 5:57pm (UK) Three Killed in Israel Bus Stop Bombing A Palestinian suicide bombing at a bus stop outside Tel Aviv tonight killed three people and injured 16 others in the first such attack in nearly three months, rescue workers said. |
Excellent Article
For The Sake of Its Own Virtue, Palestinian Resistance Must Spare Civilians
Wednesday, December 31 2003
"It is amiss, for the occupied to utilize the unmerited ways of the occupier"
By RAMZY BAROUD
The Palestine Chronicle
Palestinian resistance factions must stop targeting Israeli civilians, with or without an officially bargained cease-fire and regardless of what Israel and its reckless government do in response. This is imperative if the Palestinian struggle is to safeguard its historic values and maintain its morality.
For some, such reasoning may seem inconsistent, one-sided even; after all, the Israeli Army continues to target civilians unhindered, so why deny Palestinians the right to retaliate?
Palestinians have the right of self-defense, and the unequivocal right of ridding themselves of the occupation. These rights are protected in international law and require little debate or intellectual tussling. But it is wrong for the occupied � who surely have the moral edge � to use the same illegitimate means as the occupier. International law makes a clear distinction, as should the Palestinian resistance, between occupying military forces and civilians. If Palestinians waver from this crucial line of reasoning, their historically virtuous struggle risks being tainted with moral corruption.
The Palestinian revolution was born in the orchards of Jenin as early as the 1920s. It was and remains a freedom struggle, a cry for justice. Typically, the overall methods used by the ongoing uprising in the occupied territories contrasts with the ghastly practices of the Israeli government and army. In fact, since their early days of combating the occupation forces, Palestinians aspired to be inclusive because they longed for equality and insisted on the universal applicability of human rights.
These values must remain intact.
But every nation � and Palestinians are no exception � has a breaking point. That is only human that, following decades of suffering, violence and dispossession, the determination to gain freedom can give way to desperation and a raw desire for vengeance. To those living in the occupied territories, suicide bombings are part of the reality into which Palestinians are born. Yet if Palestinians allow Israeli tactics to influence their resistance strategy, then the authenticity of the entire struggle is compromised. But what if Palestinian factions overcome their sense of despair and unilaterally halt attacks on Israeli civilians, permanently and unreservedly?
Alas, even then, the perception held of Palestinians and their struggle is unlikely to change, at least not in the United States, where political propaganda, not actuality, governs public opinion.
The Palestinian struggle was equally and abrasively condemned in much of the Western Hemisphere before the first suicide bombing against Israeli civilians ever happened, less than ten years ago. This flawed perspective continues, in defiance of logic.
After all, the conquest of historic Palestine, with all the massacres it entailed, preceded any truly collective Palestinian struggle, violent or otherwise.
The mainstream media, most notability in the United States, is silent about this fact. As far as Israel (and thus pro-Israeli media and governments) is concerned, the version of history that counts is the one that highlights Palestinian violence. Violence in the Middle East is largely defined by Palestinian attacks; �calm� and �lull� are words that describe intervals between Palestinian, not Israeli, violence. The occupied territories may be drowning in Israeli violence; but so long as no Israeli casualties are reported, much of the world media report quiet.
The suicide bombing of Oct. 4 and Dec. 25 are a case in point.
Between these two incidents, Palestinian losses mounted. Reportedly, 117 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians, including 23 children; several thousand Palestinians were made homeless as nearly 500 homes and apartments were destroyed by Israeli explosives or bulldozers, primarily in the already overcrowded and poverty-stricken Gaza Strip. But according to Palestinian-American media critic Ali Abunimah, the corporate media in the US (and in Britain, to a lesser extent) brimmed with regret over the squandered opportunity for peace that the December bombing yielded (keeping in mind that the latter targeted Israeli soldiers, not civilians).
The Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and CNN dealt a blow to any journalistic integrity when they chose such statements to mark the day of the Palestinian attack: �12-Week lull in Mideast ends�, �Mideast quiet shattered�, �Attacks broke a lull that had lasted more than two months and raised fears of a slide into violence�, �There has been a relative calm since the Haifa bombing (last October) � and so on.
Pro-Israeli pundits in the American media and government, and influential lobby groups and think tanks find Israel�s justifications for its senseless violence and occupation of Palestinian land compelling. But even with that in mind, injustice must not be an invitation to respond with equally morally degrading acts. Sharon and his henchmen, of all people, should not, in any way, determine the nature and magnitude of Palestinian resistance.
To maintain its moral edge, the Palestinian revolution must not be tainted by the crimes of the occupier; it must not fall into the trap of fury, racial and religious exclusivity and vengefulness against civilians.
True, the US media will hardly give the Palestinians credit. But should we remain confined by media partiality and desperate for the validating words of some government spokesman? Were these the values that inspired and sparked the current uprising and the uprisings of the past?
Suicide bombings against civilians estrange us from the principles of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. These values must remain untainted so that the will of the people may some day prevail over tyranny and oppression.
About the author: Ramzy Baroud is a Palestinian-American journalist, editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle online newspaper. Contact him at: [email protected]
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| Originally posted by Cyrus King the media shoves it down our throats....calling it a time of "RELATIVE CALM" before this attack!!!!!!!!! RELATIVE CALM MY ASS... Makes me sick |
or 
... I don't know which smiley looks more constipated like 
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| Originally posted by Palestinian For The Sake of Its Own Virtue, Palestinian Resistance Must Spare Civilians Wednesday, December 31 2003 By RAMZY BAROUD The Palestine Chronicle Palestinian resistance factions must stop targeting Israeli civilians, with or without an officially bargained cease-fire and regardless of what Israel and its reckless government do in response. This is imperative if the Palestinian struggle is to safeguard its historic values and maintain its morality. |
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| Originally posted by Yoepus What "morality" do the Palestinians have to maintain? |
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| Originally posted by Yoepus I agree... no mention of the over two dozen sucidie bombers that were prevetned from perpurtating just such attacks over this period of "relative calm". It makes me sick too or ... I don't know which smiley looks more constipated like |
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| Originally posted by Cyrus King Im comparing LIVES with LIVES, but the difference is that they are two races. Western media values Israeli loss of life more than the Palestinian life. |
Checkpoints: Breeding grounds for hatred
This piece, published in the Ha'aretz today, was not written by a pacifist,
peace activist or a Palestinian. It was written by a retired Major General
of the Israeli military.
w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m
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Last update - 01:47 05/01/2004
Breeding grounds for hatred
By Shlomo Lahat
Two weeks ago, together with my friend Brigadier General (res.) Yitzhak Elron, I visited 13 Israel Defense Forces checkpoints in Judea and Samaria, near the cities of Nablus, Tul Karm and Qalqilyah.
The visit was conducted at the initiative of B'Tselem, and I must point out that the two people from B'Tselem who accompanied us throughout the visit did not try to influence us in any way. We saw and we formed impressions. And the impressions were very harsh.
The Palestinians arrive at one checkpoint by car, and there they have
to get out in order to cross over by foot to the next checkpoint on the road. The distances are not small, sometimes several kilometers.
At one checkpoint we met four mothers with eight blind children aged 4-5 who were walking to Nablus for medical treatment. It was a hair-raising sight to see the little blind children marching along led by the women.
Some of the drivers of trucks or taxis commit crimes such as the attempt to bypass a route or a path. They are punished by the commander of the checkpoint, some 18-year-old soldier, who decides for how long to delay the vehicle. The wait can continue from four to 24 hours, or more. It's up to the checkpoint commander.
We came across a convoy of 10 trucks driven by Israeli Arabs, who were bringing food to Nablus. A few kilometers before Nablus they were suddenly stopped, and told that entry into the city was forbidden. From the opposite direction came 10 trucks from Nablus in order to receive the food. They were stopped about 200 meters from the convoy coming from Israel. The local
commander prohibited the transfer of the food. How long would the two convoys remain there - unknown.
One of the drivers told us that he had been waiting near the checkpoint for over 24 hours. The situation repeated itself with the taxi drivers. Suddenly, without any explanation, they were forbidden to continue on their way, and were not told when they would be allowed to do so. In addition, they were forbidden to park in the place where they had been stopped, and were instructed to leave, without any explanation.
At most of the checkpoints there are no Arabic-speaking soldiers. As we know, a substantial percentage of Palestinians don't speak Hebrew, and of course the lack of communication creates problems. The connection between our soldiers and the population is expressed mainly in the giving of orders. There is no personal and human relationship, the soldiers don't talk to them and of course don't smile.
We must change the treatment of the Palestinian population. We must invest as much as possible in briefing the soldiers. They also look sloppy, dressed in overalls without insignia and wearing shoes that haven't been polished for a long time.
At the same time, I had the impression that the soldiers have no protection in the area of the checkpoint. Although they wear flak jackets, they can be fired on without being able to defend themselves. The checkpoints are dominated by the surrounding hills, which are not held by IDF soldiers.
I have no doubt that our soldiers are wonderful young people and excellent fighters. However, I am convinced that we are doing them an injustice by placing them in a difficult and sometimes impossible situation. They are liable to be discharged from their military service with difficult emotional baggage that may affect their personality development in the
future.
In summary: I am doubtful whether the checkpoints have in fact prevented the passage of a terrorist or of weapons. Every checkpoint can be bypassed. I have the impression that the only purpose of the checkpoints is to make things hard for the Palestinian population. I am convinced that the checkpoints constitute a breeding ground for hatred for Israel, and harm an innocent population in an inhumane manner.
During the course of our tour of the checkpoints, we also saw the separation fence. In principle, I am in favor of a fence within the boundaries of the Green Line. The present route, which cuts Palestinian villages in half, is causing an additional injustice to the population and is intensifying the hatred towards us.
All in all, for the sake of the Palestinians, but mainly for our own sake, the faster we end the occupation and leave the territories, the better for us. I am writing this because it is impossible to stand by and remain silent.
The writer was a major general in the IDF and a mayor of Tel Aviv.
Who Are the Palestinians?
Yashiko Sagamori
A rebuttal:
If you are so sure that "Palestine, the country, goes back through most of recorded history", I expect you to be able to answer a few basic questions about that country of "Palestine":
1. When was it founded and by whom?
2. What were its borders?
3. What was its capital?
4. What were its major cities?
5. What constituted the basis of its economy?
6. What was its form of government?
7. Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat?
8. Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation?
9. What was the language of the country of Palestine?
10. What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine?
11. What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and try and find the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, British pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date.
12. Have the Palestinians left any artifacts behind?
13. Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967?
14. And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur?
If you are lamenting the "low sinking" of "once proud" nation, then please tell me, when exactly was that "nation" proud and what was it so proud of?
And here is the least sarcastic question of all: If the people you mistakenly call "Palestinians" are anything but generic Arabs collected from all over - or thrown out of - the Arab world, if they really have a genuine ethnic identity that gives them right for self-determination, why did they never try to become independent until Arabs suffered their devastating defeat by Israel in the 1967Six Day War?
I hope you avoid the temptation to trace the modern day "Palestinians" to the Biblical Philistines: substituting etymology for history won�t work here.
The truth should be obvious to everyone who wants to know it. Arab countries have never abandoned the dream of destroying Israel; they still cherish it today. Having time and again failed to achieve their evil goal through military means, they decided to fight Israel by proxy. For that purpose, they created a terrorist organization, cynically called it "the Palestinian people" and installed it in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. How else can you explain the refusal by Jordan and Egypt to unconditionally accept back the "West Bank" and Gaza, respectively, in the aftermath of the 1967 war?
The fact is, Arabs populating Gaza, Judea, and Samaria have much less of a claim to nationhood than the American Indian tribe that successfully emerged in Connecticut with the purpose of starting a tax-exempt casino: at least that tribe had a constructive goal that motivated them. The so-called "Palestinians" have only one motivation: the destruction of Israel. In my book that is not sufficient to consider them a "nation" -- or anything else -- except what they really are: a terrorist organization that will one day be dismantled.
In fact, there is only one way to achieve piece in the Middle East. Arab countries must acknowledge and accept their defeat in their war against Israel and, as the losing side, should pay Israel reparations for the more than 50 years of devastation they have visited upon it. The most appropriate form of such reparations would be the removal of their terrorist organization from the land of Israel and acceptance of Israel�s ancient sovereignty over Gaza, Judea, and Samaria.
That will mark the end of the Palestinian people. What are you saying again was its beginning?
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Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based Information Technology consultant.
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| Originally posted by dj_ilan_yosef Who Are the Palestinians? Yashiko Sagamori A rebuttal: If you are so sure that "Palestine, the country, goes back through most of recorded history", I expect you to be able to answer a few basic questions about that country of "Palestine": 1. When was it founded and by whom? 2. What were its borders? 3. What was its capital? 4. What were its major cities? 5. What constituted the basis of its economy? 6. What was its form of government? 7. Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat? 8. Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation? 9. What was the language of the country of Palestine? 10. What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine? 11. What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and try and find the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, British pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date. 12. Have the Palestinians left any artifacts behind? 13. Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967? 14. And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur? If you are lamenting the "low sinking" of "once proud" nation, then please tell me, when exactly was that "nation" proud and what was it so proud of? And here is the least sarcastic question of all: If the people you mistakenly call "Palestinians" are anything but generic Arabs collected from all over - or thrown out of - the Arab world, if they really have a genuine ethnic identity that gives them right for self-determination, why did they never try to become independent until Arabs suffered their devastating defeat by Israel in the 1967Six Day War? I hope you avoid the temptation to trace the modern day "Palestinians" to the Biblical Philistines: substituting etymology for history won�t work here. The truth should be obvious to everyone who wants to know it. Arab countries have never abandoned the dream of destroying Israel; they still cherish it today. Having time and again failed to achieve their evil goal through military means, they decided to fight Israel by proxy. For that purpose, they created a terrorist organization, cynically called it "the Palestinian people" and installed it in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. How else can you explain the refusal by Jordan and Egypt to unconditionally accept back the "West Bank" and Gaza, respectively, in the aftermath of the 1967 war? The fact is, Arabs populating Gaza, Judea, and Samaria have much less of a claim to nationhood than the American Indian tribe that successfully emerged in Connecticut with the purpose of starting a tax-exempt casino: at least that tribe had a constructive goal that motivated them. The so-called "Palestinians" have only one motivation: the destruction of Israel. In my book that is not sufficient to consider them a "nation" -- or anything else -- except what they really are: a terrorist organization that will one day be dismantled. In fact, there is only one way to achieve piece in the Middle East. Arab countries must acknowledge and accept their defeat in their war against Israel and, as the losing side, should pay Israel reparations for the more than 50 years of devastation they have visited upon it. The most appropriate form of such reparations would be the removal of their terrorist organization from the land of Israel and acceptance of Israel�s ancient sovereignty over Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. That will mark the end of the Palestinian people. What are you saying again was its beginning? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based Information Technology consultant. |
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