It has taken me 10 days and 3 years to break a silence which I now must break. I do not know where to begin, so I guess the best place is in my heart.
Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting at the reception desk at the hotel, checking various news websites. When I read about the Israeli missile attack on Gaza which killed 6 Palestinian children in a building, I started crying. Right there, at the desk. I am heartbroken, tormented and shattered over what's been going on in the Middle-East and how many people are dying each day. But that moment was truly heartbreaking.... How has it comes to this???? Following the tragic events of the past ten days, as well as recent remarks, posts, private messages and certain 'group invitations' have forced me to speak up about something I feel very strongly about: Peace.
True, I have posted a small number of articles myself, which I believe reflect a more balanced view of the reality on the ground. I did this against my better judgment, because as a person living outside Israel, I am many times forced to bite my tongue and be the bigger person - in the face of distorted facts and 'two cent' peace proposals, offered to me at smoking areas.
I am very political person. Any person from Israel is such, but I especially have an interest in global politics, issues and justice. I have studied, experienced and reported the middle-east conflict for many years, be it at school the army or college, and I have a few things I need to say.
For starters, everyone has the right to their own opinion. God knows I do! But it is important that if one is to bring up a topic, discuss it or offer advice, one should know the background, context and complexity of the matter. News reports from Ireland are sadly, extremely one sided. They did not mention the years of rocket attacks on Israel, and only broke out in widespread coverage once Israel could no longer suffer at the hands of terrorists. For this reason, I understand why many people do not understand both sides of the story. I blame the media, of which I am part of (in a way).
Secondly, I encourage each and every person who has an opinion, question or comment regarding the situation to first put themselves in the shoes of both sides. It's been a while since a bus exploded in downtown Dublin, and too many people have forgotten what its like to live with the constant threat of terror attacks. People's short memories piss me off. My family back home have to check the bus when they board it for 'anyone with a big coat', they must avoid big gatherings as they fear it would be 'an easy target', fear going to the mall and some must constantly run to shelter when an alarm goes off in the case of a missile attack.
Also, I ask that if people insist on debating this highly contentious issue, they do so with the knowledge and acceptance that they have a right to their opinion, but not to lecture anyone who has actually lived through it. If people insist on sending me articles, comments and stuff of that nature, I ask they first read up about the subject (try the Wikipedia clippings I posted) so they actually know who rules the Gaza strip, how Israel doesn't occupy it anymore, and how Israel did in fact offer the Palestinians a 2000 deal which could have ended this mess.
Having said that, I wish to stress one important opinion which I have: Israel is obviously pissed off, and is demonstrating its force. Too strongly. There are too many Palestinian casualties. 1 is too many in my book. Lives are lost, families torn apart. Its heartbreaking. But my heart also breaks for Israelis dying, and living in constant fear of missiles.
I also happen to know (Through my army experience) that many Hammas terrorists use kids playgrounds as missile launching sites, and hospitals to store weapon stockpiles. There is no need to contest this, as I have personally witnessed it. I also know that for years, Hammas has spent money not in rebuilding the Gaza infrastructure, but instead in carving out underground tunnels and traps, further deepening their terrorist operations. International aid rarely reaches the Palestinian people. This isnt because Israel doesnt allow it in. Yes, that is true at times because many 'aid' ships often harbor guns and ammo. It is because hammas steal if and then sell it to their own people for a jacked up price.
So if you wanna talk about the Middle-East, please do. But read up on it first, and then come back to me with an INFORMED OPINION. Get the facts. Anything else is, as my lecturer Barry Finnegan says: 'a rant'.
One more thing...
For the record: I have always voted left-wing and in support of a Palestinian state.
I'm from the Middle-East. Anyone who isn't from there, really has no business acting all superior claiming to know the solution to a century of war. No one knows better than the Palestinians or the Israelis, when it comes to the Middle-East conflict and the high cost of war.
So in the words of Steve Jobs:
"So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this."
Guy
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For more information on how the international news coverage is framed and set to showcase a particular angle of a story, I encourage all to explore the topic of "Media Effects Research: The Event As Event And The Event As News" and have a read of:
Noelle-Neumann, Elisabeth & Rainer Mathes, 1987. "The 'Event As Event' and the 'Event As News': the Significance of 'Consonance' for Media Effects Research", in, European Journal of Communicaitons, Vol. 2, 391-414.
-Alon
3 comments:
Hi Alon,
The article by your friends reflect that there are no winners in a war.
Lets hope that some sense prevail among the war mongers and it stops.
Hi there,
First of all I totally agree with you on this:
‘Anyone who isn't from there, really has no business acting all superior claiming to know the solution to a century of war. No one knows better than the Palestinians or the Israelis, when it comes to the Middle-East conflict and the high cost of war’
I must admit, I’m not Palestinian, I’m an Arab
BUT BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME, the Palestinians are my brothers and sisters and the Jews are my cousins, religiously anyway,
It’s the Zionists that I despise
But I just want to point out a couple of things :)
It might turn into a rant, but I’ll try not to deviate, hahahaha
And honestly, I HAVE tried to put my shoes on the Israelis side, yeah it must be pretty annoying having a dozen missiles thrown at you from HAMAS and living in ‘constant fear of missiles.’ and having houses destroyed. But, the truth is, Palestinians are suffering far worse,
What are missiles compared to the high tech weapons Israelis have?
This was on January 19th 09:
Dr Jan Brommundt, a German doctor working for Medecins du Monde in the south Gazan city of Khan Younis, described the injuries he had seen as "absolutely gruesome". Brommundt said surgeons had reported many cases where casualties had lost both legs rather than one, prompting suspicions that the Israelis were using some form of Dense Inert Metal Explosives (Dime). Brommundt also described widespread but previously unseen abdominal injuries that appear minor at first but degenerate within hours causing multi-organ failure. "Initially everything seems in order... but they will present within one to five hours with an acute abdomen which looks like appendicitis but it turns out on operation that dozens of miniature particles can be found in all of their organs," he said. "It seems to be some sort of explosive or shell that disperses tiny particles at around 1x1 or 2x1 millimetres that penetrate all organs, these miniature injuries, you are not able to attack them surgically." The doctors said many patients succumb to septicaemia and die within 24 hours.
White phosphorus was also used (White phosphorus (WP) is a flare- and smoke-producing smoke-screening agent or incendiary device agent that is made from a common allotrope of the chemical element phosphorus. It also can function as an anti-personnel weapon with the compound capable of causing serious burns or death.)
War crimes?
That really puts the missiles into perspective, there were more stuff, but I just wanted you to get a general idea.
Also, about living in constant fear, I’m sure that must have been one of the risks every Israeli had to take if they knew they were coming to Palestine? They knew that Palestinians would be there as they have been for years. I mean, the truth is, they wouldn’t have anything to fear if they knew they had done nothing wrong, don’t you think?
Please feel free to criticize anything I have said/going to say by the way :)
Now, Here comes the big question.
WHY ARE ISRAELIS STILL BUILDING SETTLEMENTS?
Its not like they are civil about it, they feel the need to bulldozer a couple of houses, destroy dozens or so olive groves and kill a few Palestinians while at it.
I’m going to give you a few facts because you like them :)
“Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and an obstacle to peace and to the economic and social development […and] have been established in breach of international law.” International court of justice ruling, July 9th, 2004
There are more basic readings of internatinal law and several united nation resolution in which the state that the settlements are illegal.
There is so much I could say like the refugees right to return and the prisoners and the wall and the west bank, but I really haven’t got the heart to go into it all right now to be honest.
I’m sorry if I have appeared to be nasty or offensive in anyway at all, feel free to add or challenge anything :)
However, I do want to ask you a few questions, what were the other people who were with you in the army like? And what were the generals like? Have you ever met a Palestinian? Have you ever been in Gaza? Or the west bank?
I saw this picture, of three Israeli soldiers, one taking the picture and the other two standing next to a Palestinian man they had shot dead, they were using him as a trophy, its sickening. And there’s the soldiers that don’t even let women give birth in a hospital but are forced to give birth at the checkpoint
I just want to know weather the majority are like that, could I haven an honest answer please?
Thanks so much :)
דעתי על הקונפליקט ישראלי - פלסטינאי
הסכמי אוסלו לימדו אותנו כי העם הפלסטינאי והעומדים בראשו אינם מוכנים/בשלים להסכם שלום עם ישראל.
במקום להתקדם לחיי שיתוף והכרה הדדית הגענו למלחמות והסלמה והתגברות הטרור
ללא חינוך מהצד הפלסטינאי לאחווה ולהכרה במדינת ישראל ונטישת השנאה לא נוכל להתקדם להסכם שלום וזאת ללא קשר לעומק הויתורים שעד היום הניבו רק מלחמות.
כולי תקווה , שהערבים יתקדמו למאה ה-21 ויבינו סוף סוף שלשנאה אין מקום בעולם הזה ועדיף לחיות בשלום ולהפנות משאבים לחינוך, בריאות וכלכלה חזקה יותר במקום להשקיע במלחמות ונשק.
אופיר טשורני
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