They Shoot Men in Wheelchairs, Too?
Friday, March 26 2004 @ 08:25 AM EST
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If I were a Palestinian, I would be in
the streets demanding justice. Not
revenge, but justice |
"If I
were an Israeli, I would be in the streets
demanding Sharon and his cabinet step down
immediately. If I were a Palestinian, I would be
in the streets demanding justice. Not revenge,
but justice .. in the current dynamic maintained
by Israel, sometimes revenge seems to be the
only outlet, since justice has been made more
elusive than peace and less likely than death
.."
By RON JACOBS
It's hard for me to believe, even though I
consider myself pretty hardened to the murderous
acts of governments, especially the governments
of Israel and the United States, but the murder
by missile of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in the streets
of Palestine represents an escalation in
incredulity in those countries' war on the Arab
and Muslim peoples.
Not only did they kill a man in a wheelchair,
but they killed him and seven others with a
missile more restrained militaries use on whole
city blocks.
Now, I'm a secular human and consider religion
and politics to be an incredibly volatile mix.
As any reader knows, this is not a singular
opinion, nor is it inaccurate.
Indeed, the history books and the newspapers are
full of conflicts fueled by this exact mix.
Nonetheless, one is a fool if they don't
acknowledge the fundamental role Hamas plays in
the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian lands.
That being said, it is apparent to most of the
world that this murder was intentional and
designed to provoke not only an end to any kind
of "roadmap" to peace, but to create the
conditions for all-out war between the Israeli
occupiers and the Palestinian resistance.
The religious nature of Hamas and other
non-secular groups within the Palestinian
resistance is now secondary to the need for
solidarity among all resistance organizations.
Just like the US war on Iraq seems to be forming
alliances among former enemies who are all
opposed to the US occupation of their country,
Ariel Sharon's ongoing war on the Palestinians
is creating alliances amongst the various groups
in the Palestinian resistance.
Although the rest of the world is virtually
unanimous in its disapproval, Washington has
said nothing to condemn this cowardly act. Not
that I'm surprised, of course.
Despite their denials of any foreknowledge, the
lack of regret indicates that Bush and his
henchmen consider Yassin's death to be a good
thing. It also proves that there is no real
desire for peace in Washington unless that peace
comes solely on Washington's terms.
Even if the US had no prior knowledge of this
murder, it is their support of Tel Aviv's
ongoing actions in the Territories that created
the space for Sharon's military to commit this
act.
What happens next is up in the air, although it
is certain to be bloody. If I were an Israeli, I
would be in the streets demanding Sharon and his
cabinet step down immediately. If I were a
Palestinian, I would be in the streets demanding
justice. Not revenge, but justice.
Unfortunately, in the current dynamic maintained
by Israel and Washington, sometimes revenge
seems to be the only outlet, since justice has
been made more elusive than peace and less
likely than death.
Leaders of the West wonder why desperate men and
women blow themselves up along with hundreds of
others. Others around the world wonder why those
same leaders kill men in wheelchairs.
-Ron Jacobs is author of The Way the Wind
Blew: a history of the Weather Underground,
which is being republished by Verso. He can be
reached at: rjacobs@zoo.uvm.edu
Source: www.counterpunch.org
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