September 15, 2001

1:08 PM

Missles hit Gaza.Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called it here. "If Sharon goes ahead and cancels [the cease-fire talks], that means he has other plans and we know those other plans -- they involve tanks, shelling and assasinations."
posted by hipstertrash (3 comments total)

Shameful that the Israelis act like this now.

Can they not suspend their terrorism, (at least for a while) to show some respect for fellow human beings.

I find it sad that the israelis seem to take advantage of every opportunity to kill Palestinians.

Why such a "heavy handed" attitude?

Is it not this attitude, and the fact that the Americans are always seen as being on the Israeli side, that has caused such bad feelings against the Americans.
posted by boffer at 3:31 PM on September 15, 2001

Boffer - I understand where you are coming from, and in many ways I'm sympathetic, but I think that it is best to be very particular in sorting through all of these threads right now.

The groups suspected of the attacks against the US, under the bin Laden umbrella, see Palestine almost as an afterthought. Their biggest grievances with the US revolve around the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia, a presence that bin Laden and his followers sees as 'defiling' the holy lands of Islam. Many people in the region have bad feelings against the US for various reasons, but in this case people need to know that the situation in Israel/Palestine is only tangential.

In fact, the only people who are trying to link the Palestinians to the current tragedies are the Israeli government and their friends in the US/world media. Sharon has made statements to the effect that Arafat is on par with bin Laden. Israeli officials have also gone to great pains to interpret statements from US officials on the burgeoning "War on Terrorism" in a way that suits their continued oppression of the Palestinians, all but saying that there is no difference between the PLO and the groups that alledgedly masterminded the attacks on Tuesday. Media coverage of Israel and the Palestinians since the attack has been as one-sided as it always is.

Yes, there are groups who are angry at the US because of their role in Israel. But to their credit, both Bush and Powell have urged Sharon to continue with the talks. Their words were disregarded. Even when the intentions are good and sympathetic, to lump feelings surrounding the situation in Israel with the sentiments that caused the attacks is to play into the hands of those who would stand to benefit from such an association.
posted by hipstertrash at 4:09 PM on September 15, 2001

Hebron Settlers have taken up unprovoked vigilantism.

''We are doing what (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon promised but has failed to do: drive these sons of Arab whores from the Land of Israel,'' said Shapiro, 42, who moved here with his wife and four children 3 years ago from Brooklyn. ''If he won't get rid of the Muslim filth, then we will.''

posted by tamim at 6:06 PM on September 15, 2001