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Tart's clever, but rather oblique, reference to Godwin's Law in the 'Fuck Off' comments inspired this post. So I thought I would go for the all-out comparison between the massive ghetto that is Gaza (bombing schools now? Way to go Israel!) and the infamous Warsaw ghetto of WW2.
7 comments:
I always thought that Gaza resembled an indian reservation in the US (with the only exception that their not bombing them).
It's nice to have a standard where one side can never do right and the other side can't do wrong, no matter how barbaric, undemocratic and nihilistic the "victims" are. Oh wait, "root causes", "nuance", "shades of gray" and "fight the REAL power".
Ah, you saw that parallel too hun?
It really does resemble a ghetto, complete with an almost impermeable border wherein healthcare necessities and basic utilities to maintain basic standards of living are not allowed inside. International forces are calling for aid to the Palestinians -- for medical supplies, electricity, etc.. anonymous 2. So yes, it's difficult for us to see how the ghettoized can be blamed for striking out against their colonizers.
As Howard Zinn always says, the most revolutionary thing that exists is a memory of history (horribly misquoted by me). Look back and learn how many years the Gaza strip has been dealing with Israeli bulldozers (made in my own home state of IL by Caterpillar), encroaching numbers of settlers that have been programmatically sent into their territory (territory granted via treaty in 1967), as well as insanely inhumane border practices. Then judge who's doing what wrong and when.
@ anon 1 - I'm hoping that the US govt at least lets food, medical supplies, electricity, etc into (what is left of) the Indian reservations ;)
@ anon 2 - I may have misinterpreted your comment but I am assuming your critisizing my stance.
If you read my 'Fuck Off' post then you'll notice that includes terrorists. I am not going to condone the indiscriminate launching of missiles, by Hamas, into Israel - ever.
But the figures speak for themselves - 19 Israelis dead due to rockets since 2002 compared with 683 Palestinians dead in the last 12 days. That, to me, is disproportionate. And, as Tart says, that does not even begin to account for the overall long-term Israeli attitude to Gaza - food shortages, power cuts, medical supplies withheld, illegal settlements, etc.
If I saw my child killed by an Israeli air strike it would take me approximately 2 seconds to decide to take up arms for Hamas. So, in that sense, the IDF is the best terrorist recruitment organisation operating in Gaza at present.
Finally, who is to judge who is "barbaric"? And "nihilists" tend not to believe in a higher power or creator so that kind of rules out any Muslims, don't you think? In addition, Hamas have been "democratically" elected in Gaza through numerous public votes. Your language is dangerously close to referring to Palestinians as "untermenschen" and we all know where that leads.
My concerns lie with working class Israelis and Palestinians who want to get on with their lives free from turmoil and religious or political violence.
@ tart - Just thanks.
The other voice was that of Marek Edelman, who was deputy commander of the historic Warsaw ghetto uprising of the Jews against the Nazis in 1943. Now in his 80s, Mr Edelman wrote a letter early this month to Palestinian leaders. Though the letter criticised the suicide bombers, its tone infuriated the Israeli government and its press. He wrote in a spirit of solidarity from a fellow resistance fighter, as a former leader of a Jewish uprising not dissimilar in desperation to the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories. He addressed his letter to "commanders of the Palestinian military, paramilitary and partisan operations - to all the soldiers of the Palestinian fighting organisations".
from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/aug/21/comment.israelandthepalestinians
Thanks for the link anonymous - it says something when Israel can't even listen to, or even acknowledge, the criticism from their own people. Especially somebody like Marek Edelman.
Aaah! the irony/hypocracy of the whole western concentration camp guilt thing and letting Israel do the same fucking thing! Wankers the lot of 'em.
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