I am not trying to vilify the State of Israel by this post. Nor do I want to go into discussions about whether it should exist.
What I want at this point is the application of international law and UN resolutions.
I am trying to understand how the Israeli government and its people, can have the policies that they do.
Because when I (and many you have the same experience) was a kid and read about the holocaust (and again I am not comparing Gaza to the holocaust simply because the comparison is too easy and is not useful), I remember thinking;
‘how could that happen?’ ‘how could they do those things?’ ‘didn’t they know these were people just like them?’, ‘how could the world let it happen?’.
So I am trying to understand, now, in our day and age, how certain things can happen, and I believe it is in part because Israeli citizens are raised to be fearful of foreigners (not just Palestinians/ Arabs), of their future, of others, and to dehumanize others.
And it is great that many Israelis are speaking out against this, because they can more easily break through to their compatriots.
So we should not hate Israelis, nor spread hate against them, because that would make us equally racist.
And they are people just like us, and we should feel sorry they have been subjected to psychological abuse and trauma from their leaders and parents, but call on them to stand up to their government policies.
Here is just a small illustration of how academics and leaders instil violence and fear in the national psyche. I wish I could put the quotes in bold type.
Arnon Soffer was an adviser to Ariel Sharon, and a demographer Haifa University. He cautioned of the ‘demographic threat of the births of Palestinians’ and in a 2004 interview, especially with Gaza being closed off, he cautioned that this would lead to a “human catastrophe” and
“…if we want to remain alive, we will have to kill and kill and kill. All day, every day.”
but even HE knew that this would psychologically damage israelis: “The only thing that concerns me is how to ensure that the boys and men who are going to have to do the killing will be able to return home to their families and be normal human beings.”
Note 1: Everyday, Israel detains administratively for months dozen of Palestinian youth. A tactic to humiliate and instil fear in them
Note 2: Every day, Israel destroy homes in the occupied territory on the lame excuse of Not having permission to build that never is forthcoming. Israel demolished 60,000 homes since 1968. Yesterday, it demolished 12 homes for the 108th time in an Aqaba town
Note 3: Every day, Israel expand their settlement in occupied territory.
Note 4: Israel built the Wall of Shame to deny Israeli to see the reality in face, and mingle with Palestinians
Note 5: Israel installed hundreds of road blocks in barriers in the occupied territory to increase the feeling of indignity in the Palestinian and delay their travel and movement.
Note 6: Israel constructed parallel roads for Israeli only in order Not to cross into Palestinian towns.
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/gaza-massacre-price-jewish-state and http://www.jpost.com/Features/I-didnt-suggest-we-kill-Palestinians
Adonis Diaries 