Don’t Shoot the Messenger.
The latest chapter of the conflict between Israel and Palestine began when Israeli forces abducted two civilians, a doctor and his brother, from Gaza. An incident scarcely reported anywhere, except in the Turkish press. The following day the Palestinians took an Israeli soldier prisoner - and proposed a negotiated exchange against prisoners taken by the Israelis - there are approximately 10,000 in Israeli jails.
That this “kidnapping” was considered an outrage, whereas the illegal military occupation of the West Bank and the systematic appropriation of its natural resources - most particularly that of water - by the Israeli Defense (!) Forces is considered a regrettable but realistic fact of life, is typical of the double standards repeatedly employed by the West in face of what has befallen the Palestinians, on the land allotted to them by international agreements, during the last seventy years.
Today outrage follows outrage; makeshift missiles cross sophisticated ones. The latter usually find their target situated where the disinherited and crowded poor live, waiting for what was once called Justice. Both categories of missile rip bodies apart horribly - who but field commanders can forget this for a moment?
Each provocation and counter-provocation is contested and preached over. But the subsequent arguments, accusations and vows, all serve as a distraction in order to divert world attention from a long-term military, economic and geographic practice whose political aim is nothing less than the liquidation of the Palestinian nation.
This has to be said loud and clear for the practice, only half declared and often covert, is advancing fast these days, and, in our opinion, it must be unceasingly and eternally recognized for what it is and resisted.
John Berger
Noam Chomsky
Harold Pinter
José Saramago
Tariq Ali
Eduardo Galeano
Naomi Klein
Arundhati Roy
Giuliana Sgrena
Howard Zinn
I do not know whether that claimed kidnapping of two palestinians took place, but in any way; it is absolutely shocking to see the common reactions to this letter, which was distributed to many major newspapers on July 19.
Apparently, criticising Israel in any way makes you an antisemitist, and in Chomsky's case it also makes you no less than a self-hating jew, considering this is his religion. It cannot be stated often enough: Being against human right violations is a final matter, whether they are carried out by jews, nazis, hezbollah or the US. Being against them even when they are carried out by "your own", is straight down admirable.
It goes for the Germans who dared to oppose the Nazis, and it goes for the Jews who oppose current Israeli acts such as kidnapping Palestinian ministers, attacking civilian targets in Gaza and Lebanon (ofcourse, Hezbollah's tactics with hiding in refugee camps and villages deserves no more credit), and even attacking UN headquarters on Lebanese grounds. Yes, Holocaust was a dreadful act that under no circumstance should occur again; but that does not give Jews a special position to act as they will. There is no such thing as a chosen people. That simple.
That this “kidnapping” was considered an outrage, whereas the illegal military occupation of the West Bank and the systematic appropriation of its natural resources - most particularly that of water - by the Israeli Defense (!) Forces is considered a regrettable but realistic fact of life, is typical of the double standards repeatedly employed by the West in face of what has befallen the Palestinians, on the land allotted to them by international agreements, during the last seventy years.
Today outrage follows outrage; makeshift missiles cross sophisticated ones. The latter usually find their target situated where the disinherited and crowded poor live, waiting for what was once called Justice. Both categories of missile rip bodies apart horribly - who but field commanders can forget this for a moment?
Each provocation and counter-provocation is contested and preached over. But the subsequent arguments, accusations and vows, all serve as a distraction in order to divert world attention from a long-term military, economic and geographic practice whose political aim is nothing less than the liquidation of the Palestinian nation.
This has to be said loud and clear for the practice, only half declared and often covert, is advancing fast these days, and, in our opinion, it must be unceasingly and eternally recognized for what it is and resisted.
John Berger
Noam Chomsky
Harold Pinter
José Saramago
Tariq Ali
Eduardo Galeano
Naomi Klein
Arundhati Roy
Giuliana Sgrena
Howard Zinn
I do not know whether that claimed kidnapping of two palestinians took place, but in any way; it is absolutely shocking to see the common reactions to this letter, which was distributed to many major newspapers on July 19.
Apparently, criticising Israel in any way makes you an antisemitist, and in Chomsky's case it also makes you no less than a self-hating jew, considering this is his religion. It cannot be stated often enough: Being against human right violations is a final matter, whether they are carried out by jews, nazis, hezbollah or the US. Being against them even when they are carried out by "your own", is straight down admirable.
It goes for the Germans who dared to oppose the Nazis, and it goes for the Jews who oppose current Israeli acts such as kidnapping Palestinian ministers, attacking civilian targets in Gaza and Lebanon (ofcourse, Hezbollah's tactics with hiding in refugee camps and villages deserves no more credit), and even attacking UN headquarters on Lebanese grounds. Yes, Holocaust was a dreadful act that under no circumstance should occur again; but that does not give Jews a special position to act as they will. There is no such thing as a chosen people. That simple.
posted by maren at 3:38 PM
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