- Dec 6, 2009
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There is no doubt that killing children, any children, is wrong. The fact that their parents' or even country's deeds may be evil and criminal shouldn't make much of a difference.
However, a heavily criminal context, e.g. when the killers' own children have been murdered by the parents or countrymen of the new victims, would probably give the latter killers the right to argue "where were you when my kids were slaughtered like sheep."
A few days ago, someone (it is still uncertain if Palestinians did commit the killings) infiltrated a Jewish colony near the town of Nablus, killing five members of the same family, including three children. The colony, known as Tamar, is notorious for the thuggish and criminal behavior of its inhabitants, especially against the neighboring unprotected Palestinians. Several Palestinian civilians, including children, are known to have been murdered by suspected settlers. Some reports have hinted that the attack may have been a personal revenge for the killing by settlers of Palestinian children in the area.
No Palestinian faction has claimed responsibility for the killings at Tamar and the Israel army has failed to arrest the perpetrators.
In any normal setting, law-enforcement agencies would strive to apprehend the perpetrators, without impinging on the rights of innocent people. However, the situation in the West Bank is chronically abnormal given the Israeli military occupation and the hateful presence of pugnacious Jewish settlers who are hell-bent on killing and harming Palestinians.
Hence, the manner through which Israel deals with such nearly rare events creates more motivation for retaliation since Israel views every Palestinian as a legitimate target for Jewish violence.
Although the incident was committed by one or two people, thousands of Palestinians have been made to suffer "consequences." According to news reports, thousands of settlers have been attacking Palestinian vehicles and homes in the regions of Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus. Moreover, settlers pelted cars traveling on the Jerusalem-Hebron highway, injuring many (innocent) traffickers.
Moreover, settlers in their thousands have been given a green light by the occupation army to attack helpless Palestinian villagers, ostensibly "to vent their frustration."
Well, what is "venting frustration" is supposed to mean in these circumstances? Ask any Israeli this question, and he or she would tell you that it means allowing the settlers to assault innocent Arabs physically and destroy their property, including their farms, orchards and water sources. In the past, the settlers sought to poison Palestinian wells in order to kill as many people as possible.
As this report was being prepared, herds of Jewish settlers were assaulting Arab villagers and farmers in localities all over the West Bank, with Israeli army soldiers merely looking on.
Yes, it is morally wrong to harm children, Arab or Jewish; however, we should never forget that Israel and Israel alone is responsible for creating the context in which the perpetration of these tragic incidents occurs and becomes inevitable. After all, it was the Israeli government that brought these fanatical Jewish settlers to live on land that doesn't belong to them, with a venomous ideology based on the total denial of the "others".
Killing children is wrong, but Israel has killed thousands of children
However, a heavily criminal context, e.g. when the killers' own children have been murdered by the parents or countrymen of the new victims, would probably give the latter killers the right to argue "where were you when my kids were slaughtered like sheep."
A few days ago, someone (it is still uncertain if Palestinians did commit the killings) infiltrated a Jewish colony near the town of Nablus, killing five members of the same family, including three children. The colony, known as Tamar, is notorious for the thuggish and criminal behavior of its inhabitants, especially against the neighboring unprotected Palestinians. Several Palestinian civilians, including children, are known to have been murdered by suspected settlers. Some reports have hinted that the attack may have been a personal revenge for the killing by settlers of Palestinian children in the area.
No Palestinian faction has claimed responsibility for the killings at Tamar and the Israel army has failed to arrest the perpetrators.
In any normal setting, law-enforcement agencies would strive to apprehend the perpetrators, without impinging on the rights of innocent people. However, the situation in the West Bank is chronically abnormal given the Israeli military occupation and the hateful presence of pugnacious Jewish settlers who are hell-bent on killing and harming Palestinians.
Hence, the manner through which Israel deals with such nearly rare events creates more motivation for retaliation since Israel views every Palestinian as a legitimate target for Jewish violence.
Although the incident was committed by one or two people, thousands of Palestinians have been made to suffer "consequences." According to news reports, thousands of settlers have been attacking Palestinian vehicles and homes in the regions of Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus. Moreover, settlers pelted cars traveling on the Jerusalem-Hebron highway, injuring many (innocent) traffickers.
Moreover, settlers in their thousands have been given a green light by the occupation army to attack helpless Palestinian villagers, ostensibly "to vent their frustration."
Well, what is "venting frustration" is supposed to mean in these circumstances? Ask any Israeli this question, and he or she would tell you that it means allowing the settlers to assault innocent Arabs physically and destroy their property, including their farms, orchards and water sources. In the past, the settlers sought to poison Palestinian wells in order to kill as many people as possible.
As this report was being prepared, herds of Jewish settlers were assaulting Arab villagers and farmers in localities all over the West Bank, with Israeli army soldiers merely looking on.
Yes, it is morally wrong to harm children, Arab or Jewish; however, we should never forget that Israel and Israel alone is responsible for creating the context in which the perpetration of these tragic incidents occurs and becomes inevitable. After all, it was the Israeli government that brought these fanatical Jewish settlers to live on land that doesn't belong to them, with a venomous ideology based on the total denial of the "others".
Killing children is wrong, but Israel has killed thousands of children
