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| please help me respond to this |
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| amatullah |
| 04/06/02 at 15:24:04 |
| Bismillah and salam, Please help me respond to this email from my human rights email list. Even if it is in point form i would appreciate your hlep and may Allah write it for you as jihad. Dear *** Sorry, I must speak. I have been very busy these last few days with school and so perhaps I have not noticed the turn on this discussion list from refugee issues to Middle East politics. I am in the rather uncomfortable position of being Jewish. Jews, I believe, have a rather hard time being in a position of power -- they have not had political power for over 2000 years. In many senses Israel is still new -- this is demonstrated by Arab countries only now offering to accept Israel's existence if several pre-conditions are met -- a huge step in the path recognition of the state of Israel. I agree that Sharon is a "hawk" -- a military leader. It may be that he is not as anxious for peace as his immediate predecessor, America, Europe, Asia and so forth. It is also very likely that Arafat too has little interest in a meaningful peace. I hold on to the memory that Israelis and Palestinians were SO CLOSE to a meaningful peace. The Israeli's FELT that they were giving so much for this all-important peace. The Palestinians may well have felt the same and then... Arafat seemed to have walked away and chose an Intifada instead. To me, it almost seemed like an unprovoked attack when people were so close to peace. And ever since then it has been battle after battle without ever making it clear what Israel could do -- what more it could offer than it did before to get peace. Believe me. Israel wants peace. The Israeli people want NOTHING but peace with their Arab neighbors. For some countries, war is a way of conquesting new lands, building popularity, stimulating economy, new trade routes, new concessions. For Israel, war risks the security of that tiny country and security for Israeli children and their children. The ONLY reason why Israeli people would elect a Hawk and drop a Dove-Prime Minister is because they could see that sincere negotiations in good trust with the PLO, and the active support of a Dovish President Clinton, led to nothing but Intifada and hate. What is the alternate choice? How long can Israelis hold out their hands in peace? When is enough enough? I understand REAL concerns that Israeli forces may well abuse their power -- one must only think of Vietnam or the Korean War with American soldiers to think about what can be wrought on local communities by less that delicate armies. However, I am starting to believe that very possibly Arafat is not the leader of the PLO with whom a meaningful peace can be negotiated. Without the option of a meaningful peace, and with the daily occurance of war, what options exist? What country would willingly go to a negotiating table under threat of virtually constant threat of terrorist attack? I do not believe that Palestinians have ever been "attacked" because of a disagreement at the negotiation table. I believe that if there were a significant disagreement over a settlement at a negotating table, Israel would experience immediate attacks on their civilian population. Peace simply must come from the heart. And, perhaps, Palestinian hearts are not open to the possibilty of peace with a country that has displaced a goodly number of their population. I understand criticizing Israeli action, but Israeli action must also be put into context with their options. What options could Israel unilaterally do that would mitigate the need for a miliatary action (how could they justly create conditions that stop these attacks on Israeli civilians?) What could they try that they have not tried before? Put a peacenik in office? (tried that), offer everything but Eastern Jerusalem and a dismantling of the settlements? (tried that) I was deeply offended by that sympathetic article "Why we've become suicide bombers". Many nations have taking to suicide bombings when there are few options open to them. Japan took to "kamikaze" bombing after they ran out of bombs and enough fuel to make round trips. I'm certain many Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto resistance took to more or less killing themselves (taking on impossible missions) to accomplish a military goal. To my knowledge none of these were systematically taken against civilians. There is really no more to say except to repeat and reinforce and I'll leave it at this. I sincerely hope I have not offended anyone, but I felt a strong need to rebuke some of the e-mail that I have found in my inbox (in particular that e-mail "Why we've become suicide bombers"). If I do not have this right to publicly rebuke a public e-mail that I find rather offensive on a public list-serv..... I do not find that a just state of affairs. Once again I hope that all is well with all! This list has been very good to me, and I very much appreciate being a part of it! Sincerely, Honestly, From the heart, Personally and Openly, *** |
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