 Because the observer and witness
status of the international solidarity movement has
provided the true evidence of the zionist strategies in
palestine and the middle east this issue is dedicated to
the extraordinarily brave people of the movement who now
face the additional threat of Israeli violence undercover
of the invasion of iraq by u.s. and u.k.troops......
Israeli Soldiers Attack Children in Bethlehem
Author: Kristen Ess
29 March, 2003
Over 3,000 children, aged roughly between 8 and 12
years old, gathered today in Manger Square in front of
Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity to demonstrate in
support of the Iraqi people.
The kids were holding hand-made signs and banners.
Manger Square is not near an Israeli imposed checkpoint,
nor is it near an illegal Israeli settlement. It is the center
of an Area A Palestinian town under Palestinian Authority
control (before Israel’s invasion). According to numerous
eye-witnesses, two Israeli jeeps drove up and began
throwing sound bombs, firing tear gas at the children,
and shooting into the air.
These kids came from the Bethlehem area, from Beit Jala
and Beit Sahour, from Azzeh, Aida, and Deheisha
Refugee Camps. The Israeli soliders injured three of the
children who are now in the hospital.
One of the directors of Aida Camp's Lajee Center says,
"The children were crying, you know, because they were
scared. Some threw up from the gas."
011.972.67.341.268
011.972.59.357.526
Rachel - By Ghassan Andoni
This is the first time in which I could sit behind the computer and write about the tragic
murder of Rachel. What adds to my sadness and grief is
being the one who received and had reviewed previously
almost all of what was written about Rachel's tragedy.
For after the April 1st , 2001 ISM demonstration in Beit
Jala, we had many discussions about the possibility of
losing lives through the work of ISM activists in
Palestine. At that peaceful demonstration an Israeli tank
- and without a reason or a warning - showered us
randomly with high speed bullets. As a result 8 ISMers
were injured, luckily enough no one was killed.
With Rachel's tragedy this is no more a discussion of
possibilities, it is for real and it feels very
different. While so many commentators were interested in
the incidents and issues related, we the Palestinian and
International friends of Rachel, were going through a
painful process of evaluating "what is worth
what" is protecting a life worth
loosing one? We did feel a huge sense of responsibility
and still do. This might sound strange in the middle of a
crisis that is wasting the lives of so many on daily
bases, but we do not hide it Rachel's murder felt very
different.
What was killed with the murder of Rachel was the very
basic faith we had in humanity and humans. Without this
faith that each of us, regardless of what he believes in
or at what side he/she stand, has a little human inside
that we can appeal to, link with, and address. We
understood that even our opponents, in this case Israeli
soldiers and settlers, with all of the fears, ideologies,
and doctrine education; still has the little human
inside. We trusted that our acts, appearance, skills, and
training are sufficient to make the link.
We thought that when we present no threat to the opponent
and treat him with respect and love, even when we face
his hostility and anger, it will be impossible for a
human to kill. While investigating this tragic murder we
have no doubts that Rachel and her friends worked hard to
love, respect, and communicate with soldiers and the
Bulldozer driver.
Peace activists do not lack determination. Rachel was a
great example. They fight with love to all who are around
them including their opponents but they do not freak out.
It is precisely due to the unlimited faith they have in
humans and humanity that they stand for the challenge and
spread love to all.
When ISM activists stand in front of soldiers armed to
their teeth, if they had no faith in humans it can be the
most stupid thing to do. What stops a solider from
shooting an activists standing in his way of
"executing his orders" is the love hidden
behind the tough appearance, the human inside him that
sets the limits to how brutal and how exploiting to the
power he enjoys he can be. If that is not there then we
rather not live in this jungle in which the one who has
sharper claws kill and eat the others.
If this faith is lost, peace loses all of its meanings.
It is why we all believe that all humans are good in
nature even when they do ugly things. The minute you lose
this faith, war and power becomes the
only way.
I should admit that this particular Bulldozer driver and
quite few Israeli soldiers and settlers had practiced
repeatedly to convince us differently. I would like to
urge Israelis to check carefully what education and
ideologies can bring a human to brutally crush a sweet
person like Rachel to death. So many already told us that
certain people do not understand anything but the
language of power and force. Evidently they lost their
belief in humanity and the good nature of mankind. We did
not.
Deep inside both Palestinians and Israelis are full of
fear, anger, and hatred towards each other. Both feel
isolated and standing alone. Rachel tried to open a
window of hope, to spread love to all, to bridge, to
establish the link. She stood for the powerless but not
against the powerful. She tried to help the Bulldozer
driver to recognize his human limits. His power of
destruction, his heavy machine, blinded him and crushed
the human inside him just before he crushed that little
and beautiful person with his huge blade.
Without people like Rachel I doubt I would be willing to
continue living in the world that worriers prepared for
us... The ones who dared to send hateful letters accusing
ISM and Rachel with hurting words are still blinded by
the same things that led the Bulldozer driver to lower
down his blade to crush peace, love, and Rachel.
FROM
A LETTER rACHEL cORRIE SENT TO HER mom
Anyway, I'm rambling.
Just want to write to my Mom and tell her that
I'm witnessing this chronic, insidious genocide and I'm
really
scared, and questioning my fundamental belief in the
goodness of
human nature. This has to stop. I think it is a good idea
for us all
to drop everything and devote our lives to making this
stop. I don't
think it's an extremist thing to do anymore. I still
really want to
dance around to Pat Benatar and have boyfriends and make
comics for
my coworkers. But I also want this to stop. Disbelief and
horror is
what I feel. Disappointment. I am disappointed that this
is the base
reality of our world and that we, in fact, participate in
it. This is
not at all what I asked for when I came into this world.
This is not
at all what the people here asked for when they came into
this world.
This is not the world you and Dad wanted me to come into
when you
decided to have me. This is not what I meant when I
looked at Capital
Lake and said: "This is the wide world and I'm
coming to it." I did
not mean that I was coming into a world where I could
live a
comfortable life and possibly, with no effort at all,
exist in
complete unawareness of my participation in genocide.
More big
explosions somewhere in the distance outside.
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