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Smotherly Instinct
By Ben Kurtzer |
Opinion Column |
Tevet 25, 5764
Jan 19, 2004 |
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I woke up one morning
last week as I usually do, not to the sound of an alarm clock or radio,
but to my two sons, jumping onto me as I lay blissfully immersed in
sleep. They are more reliable than an alarm clock anyway and much more
fun to cuddle. The main reason they jump into bed is not to wake me;
that’s a by-product of their main intention. They really want to snuggle
with my wife for a few minutes before they have to begin their school
day.
I thought of this morning ritual as I drove to work and heard on the
radio that a mother of two had blown herself up, killing 3 Israeli
soldiers and a civilian. Like many Americans, I may have become a little
too used to reports of homicide bombings, but this one cut right to my
heart. What kind of mother could possibly kill herself, leaving her poor
children motherless, so that she could fulfill some twisted idea of
“martyrdom”? What kind of religious leader can preach such hatred as the
“word of God” that would help a woman to decide it’s better for her
children to be without their mother, so that she can carry out an evil
plot to kill others?
The ironic part of the tragedy is that the woman claimed to have metal
pins in her leg and couldn’t walk. It was because of the Israeli’s
compassion for her that she was allowed into the building so that she
could be searched by a female soldier.
So there we have it, mothers who murder and soldiers who help disabled
Palestinians. If that picture doesn’t clearly show the tragedy and
terror that Israel faces, I don’t know what does. |
Fencing Around the
Wall
The media refer to the security fence that Israel is building as a
“wall”. But according to the website Saving Lives: Israel's Security
Fence – “despite the many pictures being shown in the international
media of a tall concrete wall, more than 97% of the planned 720 km.
(480 mile) security fence will consist of a chain-link fence system.
Less than 3% of the fence will be constructed of concrete. The short
concrete sections are intended not only to stop terrorists from
infiltrating, but also to block them from shooting at Israeli
vehicles traveling on main highways alongside the pre-June 1967
line.”
The media also focus on the “wall” dividing Arab villages and
preventing farmers from accessing their land and groves. But in fact
most Palestinians will be on the eastern side of the fence, and will
not be cut off from their businesses or cities. Special gates are
built into the fence to allow farmers access to their fields. And
the fence is being built mostly on public land. “If this is not
possible, then private land is requisitioned, not confiscated, and
it remains the property of the owner. Legal procedures allow every
owner to file an objection to the use of their land. When private
lands are used, owners are offered full compensation, in accordance
with the law; this compensation is offered both as a lump sum and
also on a monthly basis.”
So, once again, a wall of disinformation is being erected between us
and the truth. The media are buying into the lies of the fence being
a wall and that it creates an apartheid state. Well, apartheid can
only exist in a country which treats some of its own citizens as
second class. Palestinians are not citizens of Israel. The other lie
is that the fence is another Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was built
by East Germany to keep its own citizens in. The Israeli security
fence is being built to keep terrorists out and Israelis safe. There
is no comparison. |
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| Coordinates |
| Latitude: |
31° 47' |
North |
| Longitude: |
35° 13' |
East |
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