Terror, Mideast and hypocrisy...

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The following article is from the Detroit Free Press, Sunday,

April 14, 2002, written by Mitch Albom


"Terror, Mideast and Hypocrisy"


When suicide bombers attacked America last September, nothing could stop our retaliation.

Yet, when suicide bombers attack Israel, week after week, Israel is told - even by Americans - to back off.
When we bombed Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda was organized, it was a mission to "smoke them out."


Yet when Israel attacks its hornet's nest of terror, it is accused of "occupying" and told to retreat.

When we fired on Kabul, from the safety of the air, we said innocent people would be caught in the crossfire and, sadly, this was war.

Yet when Israeli soldiers go door to door in Palestinian areas, the most dangerous yet humane way to root out terrorists, we call them "Murderers" the moment one civilian is killed.

When Osama bin Laden denied any involvement with Sept. 11, we said he was lying and vowed to get him "dead or alive."

Yet when groups tied to Yasser Arafat boldly claim responsibility for suicide attacks, Israel is told not to harm their leader.

When we struck back against extremist terror, Israel was behind us.

When Israel strikes back, we say, "Enough is enough."

You tell me. Is that hypocritical?


SYMPATHIZE AND NEGOTIATE


When we were scorned by critics who thought our treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo was inhumane - because we bound them, gagged them and blindfolded them - we bristled and said, "These are dangerous people."

Yet, when Israel demands certain Palestinians strip and stay on the ground, we say this is outrageous and must be stopped.

When a videotape emerges showing bin Laden speaking of Sept. 11, we say it proves the man is evil.

Yet when Israelis produce documents to show Arafat funds terror, they are accused of forgery.

When certain Muslims suggest we hear out bin Laden and Al Qaeda, that we understand their cause and the reasons for their anger, we grit our teeth and say those people want us dead, why should we talk to them?

Yet, when Israel says the same thing, it is told it must be sympathetic and negotiate - even with people who deny Israel's right to exist.

You tell me. Is that hypocritical?


TARGETS OF DEATH

War means death. There are innocent victims - Palestinians as well as Israelis - on all sides of this equation.

But let's be consistent. Our nearly 3,000 dead in the World Trade Center was horrific, but Israel, relative to its small population, has lost a half-dozen World Trade Centers in the last 19 months - all to suicide bombing. Every time you see five Israelis dead in an attack, it is like 250 Americans dead here. How many of those events would it take for us to lash out with all our power?

Would we pause and consider that the enemy wanted its own state? Or that its people were "desperate"?

No way. For radical groups such as Hamas and Hizballah, statehood is not a stop sign anyhow. They want Israel obliterated, state or no state, the same way Bin Laden wants

Westerners obliterated. Bin Laden had his own country. He had billions. Did land and money keep him from murder?

No. No more than desperation drives you to it. There have been desperate people in Rwanda and Bosnia, yet they never chose to blow themselves up. There have been occupied

people across the globe - even right here, with American Indians.

Would we accept if descendants of the Sioux Nation began blowing themselves up in shopping malls?


There is a difference between "desperate" and "brainwashed." Desperate people want to make their lives better. Brainwashed people think "kaboom" sends you to heaven. Innocents are being killed on both sides. The difference, is for Palestinian terrorists, those are the targets.


We can tell the Israelis to stop, but we wouldn't stop. We can tell them to negotiate, but we wouldn't negotiate. We can see their dead and say it hurts as much as ours, but we don't mean it.

Because if it were ours, we'd be doing what they're doing. And we'd damn anyone who spoke against us.

Regards

Bouncer

[mando]

has any one counted how many palestinians have died ????

both sides are wrong ...... they as a people have also suffered for many years and so have the israelis , there is no easy solution , personally i think both sides need to come to terms that the other side is also here to stay..........too too much blood has poured , may god give them all wisdom.

[Icon]

bump... because of the content...and because it's by Mitch Albom.

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Mando the international red cross and ammnestly internationals offical figures for Jenin are; IDF 29 dead. Pal 52 dead and 18 missing. The IDF's figures on the final day of the battle were; IDF 25 dead. Pal 40+ and 15 missing.

These figures are a long way away from the "slaughter in Jenin" which the UN claimed.

Btw don't let my avatar here put you off repling here, anything said won't be offensive to me. I'm not jewish, 'nor am I even in Israel. I just support an Israeli state.

Bouncer

[EXCESS]

I'm actually very surprised that Israel isn't being totally supported by the USA. And I'm not referring to any war on terror, I'm referring to money and control. Having a pro-American country in the Middle-East is good for relations with oil producing countries. Do you really think there would have been a Gulf War if Kuwait's biggest export was cotton candy? Hell no! If I may use an American phrase "Its all about the Benjamins", and thats why there will never be a recognized Palestinian state - because they have nothing to offer economically.

[mando]

lol bro don't worry i'm cool with you , it jus makes me think what drives a young man or woman to leave his /her kids and decide to blow themselves up in order to get revenge ?
anyway , like i said , may god give these ppl wisdom.
peace

[Fish]

Originally posted by EXCESS
I'm actually very surprised that Israel isn't being totally supported by the USA. And I'm not referring to any war on terror, I'm referring to money and control. Having a pro-American country in the Middle-East is good for relations with oil producing countries. Do you really think there would have been a Gulf War if Kuwait's biggest export was cotton candy? Hell no! If I may use an American phrase "Its all about the Benjamins", and thats why there will never be a recognized Palestinian state - because they have nothing to offer economically.

Yes if cotton candy was there main export there would have been a gulf war. Was it about Oil sure but not solely about oil. Was Vietnam about an export or Yugoslavia? America feels it has to police the world which pisses me off. But the rest of the world expects that from us also. I wish we would worry about our domestic issues first. Call me insensitive but I've always been about my family first. Does anyone (the rest of the world) give a shit about the happenings in U.S.? If China takes over Taiwan then so be it. If they take Hawaii then we have a problem.

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Fish speaking as an Irish man I can say that I for one care's about what happens in the USA. Indeed the day after 9/11 I waited outside the US embassey here in Dublin to sign the book of condolences for America and the victims of the WTC.

As for Yugoslavia, I think America was shamed into taking action there. The Yugoslav war went on almost unhindered for over 3 years before America stepped in. Now while I understand that the American public might feel that what happens in Europe isn't their business, but Yugoslavia came to far far after the ending of the cold war. And for over 50 years America spent billions of dollars training to defeat Russia in WWIII in central europe. So I think it was shamefull to ignore Yugoslavia. If something good came of it, it was that now Europe is developing a European rapid reaction force to step in and deal with these matters ourselves.

Bouncer

[Fish]

Bouncer, Please do not interpret my post as saying "Hail America damn everyone else". I just want to see us worry more about our domestic issues and take less action in international disputes. We are damned if we do, damned if we don't. Something is always wrong with the decision Americans make on issues. I'm sure my view is among the minority of the American public.

Euporean affairs are none of my business. But I'm all for helping a neighbor(like WWI and WWII) when they asks for it. I just do not want us to take the lead in "arresting" world wrong doers. We are not the world police. I wish we could be more like a world militia. Just fight it need be.

For the record, I support Israels right to defend themsevles. And even though I dislike Mitch Albom (his work on ESPN's Sport Reporters) I totally agree with him.

P.S. When I read this it seems to convey a anti-military message. I'm not that way at all. I'm very proud and deeply respect our military. I am just saying that when it comes to "protecting" the world we should scale down our belief in that theory.

[DC24]

There will never be peace in Israel, according to the Bible, but I'm not going to go into all of that. I do think that it is funny how it is ok for us to take out terrorists and not Israel. Seems to me they just trying to do the same thing, don't know to much politics involved with it all.

I was in the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia) in 97 on a so called peace mission, yeah right my butt. As soon as U.S. pulls out from over there they'll be right back it again. They still had riots and threats and everything when I was over there. I just don't get everybodys hatred....


That ol famous saying , can't we all just get along.