WHAT HAPPENS when one and a half million human beings are imprisoned in a tiny, arid territory, cut off from their compatriots and from any contact with the outside world, starved by an economic blockade and unable to feed their families?
Some months ago, I described this situation as a sociological experiment set up by Israel, the United States and the European Union. The population of the Gaza Strip as guinea pigs.
This week, the experiment showed results. They proved that human beings react exactly like other animals: when too many of them are crowded into a small area in miserable conditions, they become aggressive, and even murderous. The organizers of the experiment in Jerusalem, Washington, Berlin, Oslo, Ottawa and other capitals could rub their hands in satisfaction. The subjects of the experiment reacted as foreseen. Many of them even died in the interests of science.
But the experiment is not yet over. The scientists want to know what happens if the blockade is tightened still further.
WHAT HAS caused the present explosion in the Gaza Strip?
The timing of Hamas' decision to take over the Strip by force was not accidental. Hamas had many good reasons to avoid it. The organization is unable to feed the population. It has no interest in provoking the Egyptian regime, which is busy fighting the Muslim Brotherhood, the mother-organization of Hamas. Also, the organization has no interest in providing Israel with a pretext for tightening the blockade.
But the Hamas leaders decided that they had no alternative but to destroy the armed organizations that are tied to Fatah and take their orders from President Mahmoud Abbas. The US has ordered Israel to supply these organizations with large quantities of weapons, in order to enable them to fight Hamas. The Israeli army chiefs did not like the idea, fearing that the arms might end up in the hands of Hamas (as is actually happening now). But our government obeyed American orders, as usual.
The American aim is clear. President Bush has chosen a local leader for every Muslim country, who will rule it under American protection and follow American orders. In Iraq, in Lebanon, in Afghanistan, and also in Palestine.
Hamas believes that the man marked for this job in Gaza is Mohammed Dahlan. For years it has looked as if he was being groomed for this position. The American and Israeli media have been singing his praises, describing him as a strong, determined leader, "moderate" (i.e. obedient to American orders) and "pragmatic" (i.e. obedient to Israeli orders). And the more the Americans and Israelis lauded Dahlan, the more they undermined his standing among the Palestinians. Especially as Dahlan was away in Cairo, as if waiting for his men to receive the promised arms.
In the eyes of Hamas, the attack on the Fatah strongholds in the Gaza Strip is a preventive war. The organizations of Abbas and Dahlan melted like snow in the Palestinian sun. Hamas has easily taken over the whole Gaza Strip.
How could the American and Israeli generals miscalculate so badly? They are able to think only in strictly military terms: so-and-so many soldiers, so-and-so many machine guns. But in interior struggles in particular, quantitative calculations are secondary. The morale of the fighters and public sentiment are far more important. The members of the Fatah organizations do not know what they are fighting for. The Gaza population supports Hamas, because they believe that it is fighting the Israeli occupier. Their opponents look like collaborators of the occupation. The American statements about their intention of arming them with Israeli weapons have finally condemned them.
That is not a matter of Islamic fundamentalism. In this respect all nations are the same: they hate collaborators of a foreign occupier, whether they are Norwegian (Quisling), French (Petain) or Palestinian.
IN WASHINGTON and Jerusalem, politicians are bemoaning the "weakness of Mahmoud Abbas".
They see now that the only person who could prevent anarchy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank was Yasser Arafat. He had a natural authority. The masses adored him. Even his adversaries, like Hamas, respected him. He created several security apparatuses that competed with each other, in order to prevent any single apparatus from carrying out a coup-d'etat. Arafat was able to negotiate, sign a peace agreement and get his people to accept it.
But Arafat was pilloried by Israel as a monster, imprisoned in the Mukata'ah and, in the end, murdered. The Palestinian public elected Mahmoud Abbas as his successor, hoping that he would get from the Americans and the Israelis what they had refused to give to Arafat.
If the leaders in Washington and Jerusalem had indeed been interested in peace, they would have hastened to sign a peace agreement with Abbas, who had declared that he was ready to accept the same far-reaching compromise as Arafat. The Americans and the Israelis heaped on him all conceivable praise and rebuffed him on every concrete issue.
Uri Avnery is a longtime Israeli peace activist. Since 1948 has advocated the setting up of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. In 1974, Uri Avnery was the first Israeli to establish contact with PLO leadership. In 1982 he was the first Israeli ever to meet Yassir Arafat, after crossing the lines in besieged Beirut. He served three terms in the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), and is the founder of Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc). Visit his Website.
America supplying arms to the Palastinians was no mistake in judgement they knew exactly what would happen.With the Palastinians busy killing each other it solves 2 problems,one it gets rid of many more Palastians and two it keeps them busy so they are not planning attacks on Israel and Israel doesn"t have the pressure to actually pretend to be negotiating to solve the Palastinian problem they have created.Its a win win situation for America and the Jews.
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liberalsrock (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 108 comments)
on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 8:23:51 AM
I wonder if 'civilized' men will ever put their guns down and wake up and see what they are doing to the children.
I know it can ONLY happen when there is a transformation of heart and minds to see NOT stereotypes and "the other" but that ALL are sacred human beings and we must learn to share this world as equals.
I became Personally involved in the Palestinian Israeli issue the second I viewed a photo of a little boy in Bethlehem, named George of Beit Jala [west Bethlehem] who graces the WAWA Banner. http://www.wearewideawake.org
In 2000, George was 'captured' by photographer Debbie Hill, the morning after the Israeli army destroyed his bedroom in retaliation for a few hopeless militants who had infiltrated his once peaceful Christian village to snipe across the way into the illegal colony of Gilo.
The shrapnel that pierced the wall of his sanctuary read "Made in USA" and was delivered via American made Apache helicopters.
The second I saw George's eyes, my heart said "DO SOMETHING!"
What I have done is travel four times in the last two years to OPT [and I am returning for a 5th in July] to bear witness and report the facts on the ground the USA government and media ignores: THE CHILDREN!
The only way I can endure the visceral pain of being in occupied territory is because of my faith and the solidarity and good works of truth telling Israelis and NONVIOLENT Palestinians and Internationals who seek justice for the least, which is the only way to achieve security and peace for anyone.
But, it seems that FEAR has taken the upper hand, for it drives the economies of empire.
The following is excerpted from: Laboratory for a Fortressed World by Naomi Klein
"Israel has learned to turn endless war into a brand asset, pitching its uprooting, occupation and containment of the Palestinian people as a half-century head start in the "global war on terror....
"Since Israel began its policy of sealing off the occupied territories with checkpoints and walls, human rights activists have often compared Gaza and the West Bank to open-air prisons. But in researching the explosion of Israel's homeland security sector, a topic I explore in greater detail in a forthcoming book (The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism), it strikes me that they are something else too: laboratories where the terrifying tools of our security states are being field-tested. Palestinians--whether living in the West Bank or what the Israeli politicians are already calling "Hamasistan"--are no longer just targets. They are guinea pigs...
" the state of constant fear that creates a bottomless global demand for devices that watch, listen, contain and target "suspects."
As to be expected you bleeding heart progressives have picked the wrong side of the Arab/Israeli conflict.So that you to can be historically accrete you need to watch this HERE and after you see that you have been totally wrong about the conflict and in fact embodied the terrorists (as usual) you will need to accept the fact that your unable to understand the world political reality, with your cum ba la/group think, goggles on.
Ooh, this is the funniest thing I have read in weeks.Hamas and looters raid Arafat's home, steal his Nobel Peace Prize.Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, stop it your killing me!The religion of peace blows the front door off Arafat’s house and ransacks it including the peace prize.This is after spending the week tossing people off the tallest building they could find in Gaza. Dragging others to there death behind there cars.Killing all that oppose them and then when carnage seems to be slowing down, as a cake topper to show the world that yes we can sink lower, steal the peace prize.Ha, Ha, Ha!But that’s not all folks.Hamas also stated that fanatical Islam is to be practiced by all in Gaza.Any one that is gay will be shot dead; any woman that doesn’t wear the proper wraps will be killed.Any man that doesn’t wear a beard will be killed.Anyone that wants to practice a non Islamic religion will be killed.All seculars and atheists will be killed.And last but not least anyone that disagrees with Hamas will be killed.And you progressives are on there side?Your stupidity is suicidal for what you say you believe in.In closing let me say that I’m not laughing with you, I’m laughing at you.Ha, Ha, Ha!
What’s funny is that the religion of peace produces most of the active terrorists, murderers and thugs in the world mostly financed and armed by Iran.What’s funny are liberals and socialists embracing a theology that if successful will kill you all.And states in no uncertain terms that you are the enemy!What’s not funny about a religion of PEACE looting a PEACE prize? I guess its funny to me because I don’t believe the Palestinians are anything other than pawns being played by the thugdoms of the Middle East to there own ends.I don’t respect the so called Palestinians because they produce though there actions and inactions the living conditions they then bitch about continually.I have no respect for parents sending there kids out to explode or men that hide behind woman, children and masks.The Israelis are the most tolerant people on this earth putting up with 50 years of 12 Th century ignorance and terror from all that surround them. I think it’s sad that though your passivity and misplaced compassion you encourage and embolden very bad people to be even worse as played out in Gaza last week.I think it’s funny every time you have to make new excuses and exceptions to be “understanding” of the inhumanity of their fanaticism/ignorance.
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David C Beach (0 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 118 comments)
on Sunday, June 17, 2007 at 6:05:18 AM
"Prince of Peace" -- Tenth Century Crusades- what logic?
Blue Pilgrim,
Where in the world did your asinine statement, "Ask the Prince of Peace," come from? "War" never aluded to Jesus Christ! As far as you and I know, he is not a Chrisitian.
Where in the world is there any context about the "Tenth Century Crusades?" He has not mentioned Christianity in any context at all. Your illogic is amazing.
Do you always go to such extraordinary means to attack Christianity no matter the context?
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pratliff94 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 940 comments)
on Monday, June 18, 2007 at 4:20:46 PM
Einstein,Buber,Fromm Envisaged a peaceful ONE State Solution
For all the wishful thinking and compassion of those who would like to see peace for everyone (and eventual prosperous conditions for Arab Palestinians), clarity is missing. The two state solution appears to many to be a subterfuge for postponing any sort of settlement while a 'Greater Israel' goes on forming itself. It appears this way to those who consider Israel politics to be dominated by its extreme right political faction. Apart from Uri Avnery, one does not hear many Israelis speaking in criticism of those on the far right, who are insisting that God gave a certain large territory to Jews alone. Nor does one recollect any addressing of the simple legacy of history displacing some 600,000 people and replacement them with an invited in 600,000, never mind how and why it happened, lets say it just happened. Then, perhaps cooling deal with this backdrop of history and how it might be affecting the present.
A map of the West Bank looks like Swiss cheese with the holes representing Israeli enclaves, and offers the viewer the no notion of a viable territory for making a nation. One rarely reads anything written by an Israeli person of consequence that speaks to genuine expectations for the creation of a successful nation by an extremely downtrodden, beaten, occupied for decades, largely refugee population living in great part on donations for basic necessities, albeit, having great energy and stubborn belief in themselves, situated next to a healthy, wealthy, highly educated and cosmopolitan people, sumptuously endowed by the world's superpower Rome of today.
We, who are not in Israel nor in the occupied territories, realize that Israeli citizens read newspapers and watch the images on TV. They most assuredly feel the embarrassment and anguish over the violent deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians Arabs, more often than not, people resembling closely, face by face, child by child, person by person, the thousands of Israelis killed.
And Jews can certainly appreciate, perhaps more than anyone, the Palestinian suffering of being a captive nation, and in great part removed from their land and homes. They can imagine that if a neutral observer came down from another planetary system, the first thing asked would be, "Well, who is in charge here? Which side has more control, power and influence to change things?" So all these years, any discussions of Israel's non compliance with over a hundred Security Council and U.N. Assembly resolutions, as such should include having confidence that Jews are perfectly capable of demanding intelligent self-accountability from their own Israeli government.
This ignorant writer strives to hold to the Buddhist teaching of having an empty mind, without opinions, and conceptual self-consciousness, but what keeps coming up in memory is Albert Einstein, Martin Buber, Eric Fromm, all advising against partition, anticipating violence and unhappiness.
A final settlement of unification was set to a date far into the future, both in the Hong Kong solution and now in British Ireland. Is it out of the range of imagination that in this space age of one human race awareness, that after some many decades or even a century, that a ONE state solution in Palestine would evolve, even perhaps unplanned. What if everyone converted to Judaism? or embraced some similar unifying process?
On c-span, I saw the incredibly gentle, kind and pleasantly and confidently relaxed countenances of a group of Orthodox Rabbis in full colorful traditional regalia on the stage as their statement was read out over a microphone that they deemed should not be used by themselves on the Sabbath.
Rabbi Yisroel D. Weiss and his fellow representatives of the Neturei Karta, at the March on Washington Against War and Racism.
Please do not think, that by supporting the Zionist state, you are protecting or in some way helping the Jews people. On the contrary, by helping Israel stay in existence, you are assisting in the killing of Arabs and Jews alike. You are helping the buildup of anti-Semitism universally, we plead with you, stop all support to Israel! stop all assistance! stop all aid! To our Jewish brethren, religious and not yet religious – Do not be intimidated by Zionist terror tactics!! Proclaim loudly and clearly, that only those who fully believe and practice our religion, who believe in the ethical and moral basics of our faith and who remain loyal to the Torah, may legitimately speak in the name of our people. Tell the world, loudly and clearly, that you support Palestinian statehood in the ENTIRE Holy Land, not despite your Jewish identity, but because of it!!! To our Islamic brethren – please do not judge our faith or our people, on the basis of this passing lunacy of Zionism. The Jews, ever have been and ever will be, your friends. Do not allow your understandable anger to settle, on those who are innocent of wrongdoing, regardless whether they reside in Occupied Palestine, Europe, or anywhere around the globe. Together, men of all nations, standing together, will yet be worthy, with God’s help, speedily and peacefully, without further pain and bloodshed, be it Arab or Jewish, to see the liberation of Palestine from its occupiers, the proclamation of Palestinian statehood over the entire Land, and peace and harmony amongst all of its inhabitants. And may we yet merit to see, in the very near future, the revelation of the One God, over the entire world, with all mankind in His servitude, in joyous brotherhood, AMAN A Salem aleikhum Visit us at: www.netureikarta.org – E-mail: info@netureikarta.org
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Jay Janson (68 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 86 comments)
on Sunday, June 17, 2007 at 11:40:51 AM
