Marwan, I wish you could understand what it's like to live with the knowledge that the people around you hate you, that if they had a chance, they would kill you simply for being who you are. The educational system in the Arab world (not just in Gaza) teaches Jew-hatred, not Israel hatred. And the results? There are stories of Jews who have taken a wrong turn, ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and were horribly, brutally murdered. Of an Israeli businessman who went for a meeting in Gaza and never came back alive. Of a three year old girl who was set on fire in front of her parents while the perpetrators laughed. Of the Palestinian teenager who murdered his Jewish girlfriend just to "prove himself" loyal. Of a teenage boy named Kobi who went spelunking and ended up dead and mutilated.
I remember vividly visiting Israel in 1992 -- I was there for a year studying. This was between the two Intifidas, and things were relatively peaceful. I was going to a remote Jewish town for an interview, possibly to switch schools. I ended up at a bus stop and stopped to ask a man for directions. I spoke in Hebrew and I had no idea who I was asking, or how to tell who was an Arab and who was a Jew. The man wouldn't answer and was looking at me strangely. An older Jewish woman came over to me and said, "Don't talk to him." "Why?" I asked. She said, "He is an Arab. It's not safe." Why am I telling you this story? Because even then, there was a lot of tension and hatred between the Jews and the Arabs. I could feel it when this man looked at me -- the hostility. And this was in a relatively peaceful time. It was the year after the first Gulf War, and there was nothing bad coming down the pike. (Then again, maybe he didn't understand the language?) The analogy you make about "Who blinks first" doesn't take into account the cost of that blink if something should go wrong. The Palestinians have many Arab countries around them for support. The Jews in Israel -- Who do they have? Where can they run to? The more land they give up, the slimmer their "safety zone" if things get bad. And always they live in the shadow of so many past massacres: The mass graves of the Holocaust in Europe, when there was no sovereign state of Israel to run to and when Jews were locked out of most of the "civilized" world, the massacre of the Jews of Hebron in 1929, where an entire town who had been living peacefully with their Arab neighbors were brutally murdered. I'm telling you all this to try to give you a context, a feeling of what concerns Israel has. So maybe then you'll understand better why Israel goes on the attack when another terrorist attack or bomb occurs, and the perpetrators hide in the shadow of Gaza. Like you, I desperately want to see peace in the region, but I am afraid for the safety of people like my brother and his wife, who are living out their dreams of raising a Jewish family in the Holy land, and for the safety of my three beautiful nieces. I am afraid that if we do set up a sovereign Palestinian state, that land will be used as a base for further attacks against my people. Why should we give back more than we have when the terrorists still have a free hand in Gaza? I could go on about this more, but I have work to do -- my kids are going to camp tomorrow. Judith > >You have confirmed my own position, perhaps unwittingly. Here you condemn > >someone for hitting innocents, but nowhere in your conversation do you condemn > >the killing of innocents by the Palestinians. > > Actually, no. I did mention that when the Israeli Army hits terrorists on their way > to attack, as they have done on numerous occasions, that is not only their right but > their responsibility as the defenders of their nation. > > If in any way I sounded as if I condone or support the actions of the terrorist > organizations, that was my fault for not being completely clear. I do not believe > that ANY innocent life is worthless. I will also admit that there are those in the > militant groups who are basedly evil. I do not want to be associated with them in > any way. > > As you pointed out, most of the Palestinian / Arab population does live in peace > within the borders of Israel. Most would, I guarantee, agree that the violence has > gone on for far too long, they just want to live. However, please make sure that you > understand some of the conditions that they are asked to "live" under... > > Did you know that Israel allots 85% of the water resources for Jews, and > the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the territories? For > example in Hebron, 85% of the water is set aside for about 400 Jewish > settlers, while the remaining 15% is distributed among Hebron's 120, 000 > Palestinians? > > Did you know that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that > refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international > inspections from its sites? > > Did you know that Israel blew up an American diplomatic facility in Egypt > and attacked a US warship in international waters (the USS Liberty), killing > 33 and wounding 177 American sailors and the US did nothing about it? > > One of the justifications that shrub gave for the Iraqi war was Iraq's defiance of a > UN Security Resolution, yet Israel stands in defiance of 69 United Nations Security > Council Resolutions. And that does not count the ones that the US used their veto > power on. > > All I ask is that those who would wish to have an opinion on this matter at least > have an educated one. > > Respectfully, > > Marwan Saidi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
