Archives for June 2007

I am jammed for time so I have but a moment to respond to The Middle’s post at Jewlicious.

And I thought to myself, Middle, he’s a good man. He’s a kind man. He’s the kind of person who could be your friend.

But I was also thinking, Middle, there is no peace because this good man who understands the ugliness of this violence and seeks to stop it, does not lament in the same way and does not call out for his Palestinian brethern to stop when the violence is directed at Israeli civilians.

Imagine, just imagine, dear Middle, I kept thinking, if there were a non-violent demonstration inside Gaza, attended by hundreds of unarmed men, women and children calling out for the end of suicide bombings, sniper attacks, Qassem rockets, and the denial of Israel’s existence. Imagine such a group calling out for peaceful negotiations and a compromise solution with Israel. Aah, then, I thought sadly, then my little Middle, then we will be on the road to peace and until that day, despite my deep sympathy for this man’s plight and despite my strong desire to help him, how can I see him as anything but a man who sees far less injustice when Israeli civilians are attacked? I mean, every single day he has the opportunity to speak out against Qassem rockets being launched at Israeli civilian neighborhoods. Yes, he speaks out like this when Palestinians are killing other Palestinians but where does he speak out when Palestinians target Israelis? And where are all the other Palestinians like him? Will I ever see a demonstration for peace and reconciliation in a Palestinian area?

I appreciate your sentiment and wish that things were different. It seems so easy, so logical to put down the weapons and go a different route. I agree with most of what you wrote. It makese sense.

But the thing is that I have limited faith, if any. This quote from the Daily Telegraph sums it up for me.

“They’re firing at us, firing RPGs, firing mortars. We’re not Jews,” the brother of Jamal Abu Jediyan, a Fatah commander, pleaded during a live telephone conversation with a Palestinian radio station.

Minutes later both men were dragged into the streets and riddled with bullets.

Words fail me. You can’t make peace with people who say things like this. Look at that line and replace “We’re not Jews with this: “They’re firing at us, RPG, firing mortars. We’re not animals.”

This sort of thought provides all the explanation you need for how terrorists are able to slaughter children, women and men with reckless abandon.