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Dear Sir,
Thank you for your question.
When I was doing my postgraduate studies in a course on torture and human rights, I came across the notion of "the culture of denial". This is to describe a reaction similar to yours, some people and cultures take vis a vis horrendous violations of basic human rights or acts of torture and genocide. Statements such as "who can really tell the truth" and… "who knows" hide the shock, agony and fear any human should feel, facing such crimes against humanity.
Well... do you really expect us - for example - to confirm you the following: These are all false pictures and the international news agencies that sold us the pictures are all paid by us to make these photos up… And, this is because we simply rule the world! It would then turn out that all of the reports are written by Palestinian terrorists, who killed their own children, shot their pictures and sold them to the news agencies for money!!!
Should we then “confess” that - of course - the poor helpless Israelis did not do this… nor did they take the lands of Palestinians… nor did they build settlements after bombing and ruining villages of Palestinians for the last 70 years?! This is even before the declaration of their "independence" of the state of Israel?!
Such a response can be taken to the extreme to say that even all the massacres committed towards Palestinian civilians did not take place… So, there was no Deyr Yassin… no Sabra and Shatela… and - of course - no Qana… nor Jenin!!
Well… I personally – surely - was not there. I surely was not anywhere! Nor was I in the Church of Nativity that did not celebrate Eastern this year, for the Israelis were not putting it under siege with no food allowed inside. Let us say that the fact is probably that the kind Israeli soldiers supplied the priests with cans of Pepsi and bars of chocolates!
You refer to Jenin, well… we had an exclusive report from there at the time in April, written by a fellow citizen of yourself: Can the West Ignore the Cry of Jenin?
And what's more… she has got an e-mail, so you can simply write to her. Of course… she might not be that courageous British woman with an MA in Middle East politics… she might be some Palestinian… sitting in Ramallah, making up stories and we are publishing his/her lies!!
We just had an example of how atrocities can be ignored, till people insist on knowing the truth. You can read about that: UK Demands Israel Probe Killing of U.N. Worker Israel Admits Killing British U.N. Worker
Frankly speaking, I am afraid this logic would lead a discussion to nowhere.
To test the credibility of the news we post one should ask few questions:
- Do we fake these pictures or are they from press agencies like AFP and Reuters?
- Do the Israelis "hide" the pictures of their "victims" or are they on CNN and other news services?? So how shouldn’t the Arab Islamic media resort to posting such pictures to make the global public opinion aware of the crimes?
- Are we a sit for photos or are we also posting articles, analysis, maps, facts and news along a bunch of pictures?
Pictures were used by Americans against Saddam, and by Japanese against American atrocities of the WW2… etc.
As for your question on lasting peace, I firmly believe it can only be based on justice. A friend from NY asked me: "What is Justice?" Well… I am sure no reply would be good enough!! If we say that Israelis would go back where they belong - aLL Israelis have a country of origin and at least 50% 2nd and 3rd generation would be eligible to citizenship - this would be called anti-Semitic.
If then we call for a democratic resolution: one country one vote, Zionist fundamentalist would protest. If I say, well then how about giving back the land taken 1967, stop bringing in, so the Russian and other immigrants of whom many were actually not Jews - which is a big debate within Israel between the secularists and the fundamentalists - and allow the immigrant Palestinians of 1948 and their families to come back home, have a one country, one vote state, it would be said: No way! This means Israelis will be 20% of the total population!! So… what!
If we then suggest two states, two citizenships, then how on earth is there going to be a Palestinian state with Ghaza on one side and the occupied territories of the West bank on the other?! And, Israeli territories in between?!
What is really important here, Sir, is actually not what you or I think. It is what Israel accepts! And, if Israel is still refusing to abide by all the UN resolutions, while possessing the most powerful Arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region, then how much change in the situation we would expect?
Another friend from California once sent a brief question:
If one has to choose, what would you prefer: mercy or justice?
My reply was clear: mercy AFTER justice, so as to avoid revenge acts against innocent people.
Requesting or expecting mercy from a party, while being killed and thrown out of your home is not the best scenario for many people. It simply means more victims and more violence, as the criminal party is never a subject of deterrence, nor retaliation.
Salam Sir, i.e. peace.
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