XPost: soc.culture.jewish, talk.politics.mideast
On Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:04:28 -0700 (PDT), dsharavi
<
[email protected]> wrote:
Gaza smuggling: dangers and double standards
Paul Kujawsky
March 23, 2009 11:59 AM
Israel is criticized for tightly controlling Gaza�s borders,
supervising what goes in and out. Critics assert that this control
negates Israel�s claim that it no longer �occupies� Gaza, even though
it forcibly removed all Israeli citizens from the area in 2005.
A recent story puts matters in perspective: Egypt intercepted 560
sheep, construction materials and 110 pounds of explosives headed for
Gaza through the smuggling tunnels.
First, while the sheep give a light and humorous touch to the story,
the matter is actually grimly serious. The rocketing of Israel from
Gaza has never ended. Hamas official Ahmed Yusuf recently praised the >terrorists: �They are heroes because they defend the Palestinian
people. We live under occupation and we have a legitimate right to
defend ourselves. With only negotiations you will achieve nothing � If
you don't keep your hands on the gun nobody will respect you.� Keeping >explosives out of Gaza is necessary as long as Gazans assert the right
to fire rockets at Israel. Because of Yusuf and others like him,
Israel must maintain a blockade on Gaza.
Second, Gaza shares a frontier with Egypt as well as with Israel.
Egypt also keeps a lid on Gaza smuggling (albeit not very
effectively). Yet censure of the blockade is almost entirely directed
at Israel. Criticizing only one of two responsible parties reveals a
double standard. A consistent double standard regarding Israel is a
form of anti-Semitism.
To the people of Gaza: the resolution of the problem lies in your
hands, and has for a long time. Don�t elect gangs dedicated to the >destruction of Israel; stop firing rockets intended to terrorize and
murder Jews; devote your energies to building up your own society,
instead of trying to tear down your neighbor�s�and in the blink of an
eye the blockade would end.
If �land for peace� is the formula, Gazans already have the land. Now, >whether or not there will be peace�for them as well as for Israel�is
up to them.
Paul Kujawsky�s parents once were Communists, which tends to prove
that insanity is not hereditary. Paul is an attorney and longtime
political activist who examines Middle Eastern issues from a liberal >perspective. Contact him at [email protected].
http://www.examiner.com/x-4814-LA-Middle-Eastern-Policy-Examiner~y2009m3d23-Gaza-smuggling-dangers-and-double-standards
-------------------
Deborah
Stupid cunt.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)