Israel's terror tactics in Gaza continue
After my last post, I tried in vain to go to sleep after taking a benadryl. I brought Yousuf to sleep with me (who now, if asked what sound a plane makes, says "BOOM!"). Exactly at fajir call to prayer, it started again. Two more insane sonic booms. I cry now when I think of them. I can't get the near windows, I'm too afraid to be alone...
I have been face to face with Israeli helicopter gunships on rooftops in Jabaliya; I have been fired at by sniper towers in Rafah and Dair al-Balah; I have been tear gassed and even exposed to stun grenades in Ramallah protests; I lived through the daily and constant shelling of Beit Hanun and Jabaliya, the daily thuds which could be heard clearly from the main road where we live. But none of those things compares to what I heard yesterday. IT wasn't just "bombing"-I've been under bombing before, many many times. These "shock waves" generated from supersonic flights are disorienting and nervewracking and torturous. ITs like being in the middle of an earthquake and a being under heavy bombardment all at once. ITs like being shaken in simulator; like being slammed against a wall.
As I searched online today for more information on sonic booms-to make sure I wasn't crazy, I wasn' overeacting, I found this description by someone who has also experienced them: "You never get used to it if you're not prepared for the flypast. It's the scream of a thousand banshees which come immediately before the crash that unnerves. If you believe the aircraft is gonna attack, you're completely disorientated."
In fact, last month, miscarriages increased sharply and children were driven to panic by Israeli jets systematically breaking the sound barrier over Gaza, according to a petition filed in the High Court by the Palestinain Centre for Human Rights and Israel's PHysicians for Human Rights, with a medical opinion from renowned psychiatrist Dr. Eyad Sarraj.
Would the Israeli Army have ever dared to use such tactics when their precious settlers occupying Gaza? I don't think so. Which makes me afraid for what the future mind hold.
I also found that Israel is the ONLY country to have used sonic booms, deliberately, as a weapon of war against a civlian population. When I spoke to the Israeli Army's spokesperson today for an investigative piece I have decided to write on the matter, he explained that the intent is to harm the Palestinain population in Gaza, so they may put pressure on the fighters to stop firing rockets. Asked whether this wasn't collecive punishment, he bluntly said "we don't consider it so."
Article 33 of the Geneva Convention: "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited... Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited."
posted by Laila @ Friday, December 16, 2005
34 Comments:
May Allaah give you strength and ease the situation .
Many duaas
You seem to have taken offense to my adivse to Imaan. No offense meant, I'm on your side.
You are not a protected person under Article 33 of the Geneva convention. Legalities count.
You may thank Umakill for the suggestion.
We ask Allah Subnahu wa Ta`alaa to ease your burden and of those who continue to suffer, and to reward you here and in the Hereafter for your patience.
May He raise from among us His most devoted slaves, who strive in His path, and showww the non-Muslims the right path, and free the Ummah from the yoke of slavery an occupation.
Aameen
The way legalities count in this is the same way Janet Jackson's super bowl wardrobe malfunction counts in the Americans going to war. Both came after the fact.
Dear Laila, I am extremely sad for the kind of punishment you and other Palestinian parents and their children are having to go through. Is it fair? Absolutely not, I don't look for justice from the Israeli government, the masters of terror tactics in the world. But we do look for justice from God. And I ask God to help you and be with you all.
Talk about state sponsored terrorism!
I am Israeli and I am sorry for what you go through. I am against it and vote accordingly. Still it would nice to hear you condemn the people in Gaza who are firing missiles at Israeli civilian centers, alongside your condemnation of Israel's reaction. Deliberately firing missiles at civilian populations is also a breach of international law.
i have nothing but solidarity and sympathy to offer. God be with you.
I too am Israeli and by no means do I endorse such treatment, nor do I think it is acceptable. Neither is the murder of inncoent civilians, such as the Friday's incident that killed a friend of a friend.
Dear IFyouwillit and Anonymous: The majority of people in Gaza are also against firing rockets at civilian populations, suicide bombings that target malls and parites, etc. (noting they do not consider settlers non-civlian, but that's a whole other story), which is why there is no major public outcry if those who fire the rocket are assasinated-no one really cares that much. However exposing 1.5 million people to tortuous sonic booms is simply unacceptable as a response; in fact if anything, it will make people who aare against rocket attacks apathetic at best, sympathetic at worst. IT becomes a tit-for-tat situation, nothing that many of the armed groups here consider civilian targets "collateral damage". Thei reasoning: "Israel targets/has targetted innocent civlians consistently, even while it has the superior technology to be able to discriminate; so why shouldn't we, who have no technology, be able to retaliate against civlian or be judged when civlians die as collateral damage." That is their reasoning. Again, people here DO condemn it, not just in words on the media, but on the street, but attacking them with sonic booms isn't going to exactly give them incentive to continue to do so.
Is there any Israeli politician who speaks out against these things? I'm wondering who anonymous votes for?
I'm Israeli. Your words make me very sad. Obviously most Palestinians are not terrorists and do not deserve to be punished this way.
I admit I usually don't have much sympathy for the Palestinians. I believe that the actions of the Israeli government are necessary ONLY because of the actions of Palestinian terrorists. Stop the terrorism, and the Israelis will have no need to take these measures. These sonic booms inflicted on innocents can't be any worse than the damage a suicide bomber inflicts on innocents.
But still, I am not a monster- I have a child and would not want her to go through what your son has to go through. I honestly feel for you and am sorry this has to happen. Please don't think that any of us "on the other side" take any pleasure in your pain.
I sincerely hope that one day your people elect a brave, fair-minded leader who once and for all eradicates terrorism so that all of this can end. I would like nothing better than a world in which you can easily cross the border because there is no longer a fear of terrorism. I pray for that.
Jamie
Laila,
Thanks for your response. Honestly, I was not aware that most Gazans condemn actions against civilian Israeli populations. I certainly hope that is the case. Years ago I read several polls that suggested otherwise, but I'm hoping the (somewhat) calmer situation has changed things.
As for considering settlers as non-civilian, I see your point of view. I will not travel to the West Bank (even though I have close family there) since I refuse to put myself in a situation where I would empathize with someone who killed me.
Nonetheless there is no legal validity to classifying settlers as a military target. What about settler children, who are often victims of attacks? While some settlers do behave militaristically, as we've already agreed, collective punishment is illegal under international law.
Dear Jamie-
thank you for your response.
Briefly: If Bush and Sharon, with all their military might and sophistication couldn't do it, what makes you think a leader of a non-sovereign, non-state entity whose skies, borders, and seas are controlled by an occupying power, can? You might have good intentions, but its not about electing "a brave, fair-minded leader who once and for all eradicates terrorism". I think we both know there is more to it than that.
I don't understand how "Jamie" can read the descriptions of the sonic booms and Gaza and think that the Israeli military "has" to do this type of thing or that it accomplishes anything positive or defeats terrorism. I sometimes think there is a type of willful ignorance or deliberate stupidity that Israelis engage in. To ignore the expanding Israeli settlements in the W. Bank that steal land and water and violate international law, to ignore the continuing imprisonment of Gaza, and the deliberate attempts to destroy the Palestinian economy, and then talk about the violent responses to these atrocities as if they are occuring in a vacuum, as if they are not in response to anything, is really shameful. Stop pretending you don't know what's going on, Jamie.
Laila - I would just like to add my voice to the other Israelis (although I don't live there) who denounce collective punishment. It is not fair, not acceptable and no, I don't believe that it helps the security situation one iota. It is unfortunate that members of the military establishment who want to use it manage to get their way, hopefully the current lawsuits moving through the Israeli supreme court will put an end to them. It is interesting that few people are against targeted killings. I'm curious - how do YOU think Israel should deal with the firing of rockets in the short term? (Yes I know full peace it the real solution, but I mean as immediate measures to prevent deaths).
To those who constantly question what the stance is of Israeli polititians - there are lots of polititians who speak out against collective punishment. Israel has a full range of political parties from the far left to far right and all of them receive votes. Like the States there is a pretty tenous balance between left and right, current events can cause things to swing one way or the other. In addition Israels political system of proportional representation frequently leads to a lack of a majority causing parties to form alliances with smaller less mainstream parties which are them pandered to. This is not popular in Israel and there is a lot of discussion about changing the system. Israel also has a Supreme Court that allows individuals and groups to challenge the government, of course this takes time.
If someone wants to learn about mainstream polititians on the left I suggest you start with Yossi Beilin. The right hates him so you might enjoy reading about him.
I had to laugh at your comment, Elizabeth. Your definition of "atrocities" is very, very funny. I'd love to know what word you'd attach to terrorists blowing up innocent people on buses, pizzerias, and malls. How would you describe animals who ambush a car with gunshots, run it off the road, and then shoot to death the pregnant woman and her small children sitting inside? Would these actions be considered atrocities in your eyes?
And what of Friday's shooting death of an innocent man, whose only crime was DWJ- driving while Jewish? I wonder if that would reach atrocity level in your eyes. Sadly, I doubt it.
Excuse me, you think Israel is imprisoning Gaza and destroying their economy? Since you don't live here and don't have a clue as to how things really are, you don't realize that it's Palestinian terrorism which is responsible for both of those actions.
For years, Palestinians streamed back and forth across the borders to work in Israel until the terrorists among them ruined things. It is only after every terrorist act that Israel is forced once again to tighten up the borders for the safety of its citizens (for example, roadblocks that had previously been removed were put back only after Friday's shooting). No other reason. Not to hurt the Palestinians, but, I'll say it again, for the safety of its citizens. Our own government must protect us- because nobody else will.
I'm feeling increasingly bad for the vast majority of Palestinians who are not terrorists but must suffer because of the actions of these animals among them. It would be a minor miracle if blame could be put where it belongs for once.
There may be willful ignorance and deliberate stupidity, ELIZABETH, but not by the Israelis.
Laila, I sincerely hope you and your family have a quiet night's sleep tonight. I mean that.
Jamie
Openings allows unauthorized entries. Closings stop them.
You say there were only 2? How many were left dead? Exactly how many working Palestinians are worth the death of one person?
How do you say to the family of that dead person - "they would have been alive except we kept the border open for the sake of the Palestinian people" or "Keeping Palestinians happy is more important than the life of your loved one"
If someone told me the price of my life was keeping 3 million people in misery I would say kill me now.
There's a difference between DWJ (driving while Jewish) and DWJLIISIOPC (Driving While Jewish Living In Illegal Settlement In Other People's Country).
Elizabeth! the price of your life is keeping people in misery!
(Certainly all the Israeli bloggers you terrorize and pick fights with with no intention of debating in an adult way. Learn from Laila. It is possible to be pro-Palestinian, even anti-Israeli, but be CIVIL)
Rattu: Ibrahim Av already clarified what I meant to say: it's not that Palestinian workers with visas are the problem, but rather that when the borders are open, it's easy for terrorists to sneak in.
I'm sorry the Palestinians have to be stuck behind borders and security fences- but these measures keep them from coming here and murdering us. Fact: there has been a marked decrease in suicide bombings since the construction of the security fence. What country in its right mind would desist from measures that keep its people safe?
And if the Palestinians would take just a tiny fraction of all the aid money they get and build themselves an economy of their own, this whole discussion would be moot. There is absolutely no reason for their economy to be dependent on how our government acts when they have the means to take more than adequate care of themselves.
Elizabeth: thank you for showing your true colors. You don't care about this conflict, you simply hate Jews. Thanks again for making that clear.
I'll remember from now on that it's pointless to try and have a rational discussion with you. Here's the last thing I'll ever say to you: lets pretend that I agree with you, that the murdered victim should not have been living where he was living. Does that justify him being murdered while simply driving a car? Does it justify the attempted murder of the girls in the back seat?
You're saying that because a person (Jew)lives somewhere he has no right to live (your feelings, not mine), he deserves to be gunned down, just like that.
That says even more frightening things about you than your hatred of Jews.
Jamie
Really, why is it that anytime you can't fend off criticism with rational arguments you resort to the always reliable "Jew hater"? I hardly think Elizabeth hates Jews or is being uncivil/sick/racist (anythign else you want to throw at her??)-she just hates injustice. And please don't make it seem like I somehow agree with you lot. There is a central point missing in the debate here: Israel is OCCUPYING the West Bank, and yes, it is still considering to be occupying Gaza as well by all world bodies. The issue isn't about hearing people condemn this or condemn that (azmi bishari, in a scene from the satire Reel Bad Arabs, clips together 20 interviews in which the first question he is asked is, in different intonations, "do you condemn suicide bombings?")
The main problem with Sonic Boom Atacks (SBA) is that they are, in every meaning of the word, a form of collective punishment. This is not "collateral damage". This is not a "targetted killing." This is exposing 1.5 million people to a brutal, deafening, by every international standard, illegal, supersonic shock waves. It is not a "benign alternative"; it is not "humane".
Everyone knows there is more to the wall and to borders and to checkpoints that "security rationale". IT is political, and you need look no fruther for your own Israeli government for proof-they said so themselves; it does not correlate with the armistice lines; and they do not only close after "Terrorist attacks". They are used deliberately oftentimes to make the population suffer-to put pressure on the civlian population, the same wiay as with sonic boom attacks, to stop attacks. COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT.
Finally, use our aid to build our own economy? Are you people for real??? WHAT ECONOMY? How do you build an economy when you are walled in from all four sides; when you don't control access to anything or anywhere, when 60% of your produce is left to rot while fickle young soldiers decide if they'd like to let it through today; when your fishermen get shot, your airport is non-functional, and you are a non-state, non-sovereign entity disconnected from your other occupied non-state, non-sovereing entity? I am missing something here??? Please, if you dont' have something constructive to say, don't say anything at all. Ibraham: why don't you just stick to your lovely blog, "Umkahlil Lies" (for those not familiar with his hate-spewing, check it out).
I do not whip out the "Jew-hater" label lightly. But this woman said it was OK for a Jew to be shot dead while driving in his car, simply because she did not agree with his choice of residence. Would she make the same statement about any other race of people? I doubt it. When you say "Kill him- he commited the crime of driving while being a Jewish settler" or similar bunk, then lady, I say that person hates Jews. How much do you want to bet that she would protest vociferously against the death penalty for a mass murderer, but insists that Jewish settlers deserve to be murdered? I stand by my statement.
And why do we keep asking Arabs and Palestinians if they condemn suicide bombings? Please think about it for one moment. You're an intelligent woman, I'm sure you know it's because we NEVER hear those condemnations from your side (though I admit I may have heard one from you in the past) unless it's couched in the "it's not good for our cause" rationale. Never because it's simply monstrous and wrong to turn yourself into a human bomb and murder innocent people.
I cannot argue with you regarding the Sonic Booms. They sound horrific and I hope the government comes up with a better alternative.
By the way, it is after every terrorist attack that the government tightens the borders. And the security fence, if possessing politcal rammifications, started out purely as a response to years of terror attacks in which terrorists murdered our people with abandon. That fence was not built with the birth of Israel- it was only a few years ago, after we finally decided we had to protect ourselves.
I maintain that today you could have a wonderful, thriving economy if not for the terrorists among you. You have had the chance to have a state many times over the years but have always refused to negotiate with the Israelis- and then when that little bastard Arafat finally did "negotiate" he incredibly turned down an offer that would have given you almost all the land you wanted. If he had accepted, by now you could have a thriving economy, with help from the huge amounts of international aid, with the airport you once had (til again, terrorist screwed that up)- and thanks to the peace that would have resulted, the border situation would undoubtedly have improved drastically for the Palestinians.
But no, you are stuck with living the way you are forced to live because Arafat chose terror over peace. But don't blame him, it's much easier to blame the big bad Israelis.
I checked out Umkahlil LIes- it's not Ibraham's hate-spewing, he is merely quoting the filth he finds on her blog. I assume from your statement that you agree with the venomous remarks those swine (Jew-haters is really too mild a term for them) make- the Holocaust was a lie, the Jews are (*(&90*)&(*&( (every nasty name in the book). That's a shame, because I didn't get that impression of you from your blog.
Good-bye, Laila, and good luck.
Jamie
Collection punishment has been the Israeli way since 1948. Too bad the world doesnt see fit to do anything about it.
There has been an Arab - Israeli war since 1948. Collection punishment has been the Palestinian way since them. But, luckily, they are too incompitent to inflict much damage.
It does not appear that there was much if any palestinian economy from 1948 to 1967.
That the typical peaceful Palestinian suffers on behalf of his terrorist brother is a shame. But you can't expect Israel to allow the borders to stay open after an attack.
It is not Israel's responsibility to give the Palestinians a good life.
I was not planning on leaving any more comments here, but I see that Rattu missed my earlier clarification of a remark of mine he misunderstood.
So, one last time: it is not necessarily Palestinian workers who are the problem, but rather the terrorists who sneak in when the borders are wide open.
Surely you can understand that.
Jamie
"It is not Israel's responsibility to give the Palestinians a good life." Actually, under the Geneva Conventions definitions of the responsibilities of occupying powers, it is.
I meant exactly what I said when I said I would prefer to die rather than have my life depend on the suffering of others. And the reality is you are living in a fantasy world if you think making others suffer helps keep you safe.
Under standard interpritation of the geneva Convention, the palestinian territories are "disputed" territories, not "occupied" territories, and the Convention does not apply.
There is no other country which holds sovereignty over the area, unlike the Golan which is properly claimed by Syria.
So the Isralis are responsible for the Syrian Druze, but not the Palestinians living in the disputed territories.
Yes, Rattu, that's exactly my point. No suicide bombers have come from Gaza in a long time because it was so well fenced.
Channel 2 News just reported that the army is stopping the sonic booms. That's a relief.
Jamie, was this reported anywhere else, I did'nt see it in Haaretz or on the web anywhere? Did they say why or who decided to stop t hem?
Sorry, Laila, I don't know. My husband was watching the news while I was reading- he knew I was concerned about this and he suddenly said "Did you hear that? The army is going to stop the sonic booms." I think it was just a short piece.
Have they stopped?
Whenever I read excuses for Israel's collective punishments, "collateral damage," etc., I'm always reminded of the excuses abusive husbands give for beating their wives: "Well, I wouldn't have had to hit her if she hadn't...if she had only..." etc., etc, etc.
Wow, a sonic boom, how terrible, she can't sleep... Did she ever think about people who had their ear drums blown inwards, blood coming out of their ears, or people being ripped apart by suicide bombers?
Noooo, she's worried about a loud pop in the air, keeping her awake....
She's also worried about miscarriages, another blood thirsty mother robbed of a chance to grow a human bomb for a child, which can kill a few Jews instead of having a life...
Israeli army bad, make lots of noise. Palestinian gunman good, kill three children in a car because father not around, eleven bullets into 6 year old child's head to make sure he's dead...
You should stop letting murderers into your backyard, firing rockets, and strapping bombs around your children, and the sonic boom will go away...
Elizabeth:
Since you've decided not to finish your argument, may I expand on it a bit:
"Well, I wouldn't have had to hit her if she hadn't..." - Slept with colleague in our bed?
"If she had only..." - Remembered to change our son's diapers before getting drunk and dropping him on his head?
Trust me, sometimes men have no choice but to use force against women, as some women become violent, or hysterical and are unable to listen to reason.
Same as Israel has no choice but to retaliate against murderers. And people who harbor, support, and encourage those criminals should be ready to face justice. Or have the guts to stand up to the bullies who put them in the line of fire in the first place...
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