- In a neighboring country to
Intifada al-Aqsa-When I am not frantically busy trying to
serve the needs of my family, I spend the winter months
huddled next to a fire. Though we have a central heating
system, it is quite expensive to keep running what with
exorbitant oil prices. I have decided that I can do without
the luxury I was born into where central heating was part of a
way of life then taken for granted. Anyway, the walls in my
stone house tend to sweat with such a system and thus, are an
invitation for mold.
-
- Though we seldom use our
centralized heating, it has become a daily routine to open
windows to air out the rooms and in the afternoons, light a
kerosene or gas heater to warm up the room where my family and
I sit. There are days here that take on the appearance of
spring and then there are days that the brittle cold
penetrates though the warmest of clothing and penetrates
through to the bones.
-
- All during Intifada al-Aqsa, I
have been concerned about the welfare and safety of the
Palestinians within the Occupied Territories. As of February
5, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed and over 21,000
have been injured. Of the Palestinians killed, 150 were
children under the age of 18. More than half of the
Palestinians presently detained in Israeli prisons are also
under the age of 18.
-
- A few days ago, while most
people were warm and safe in their dwellings, the Israeli army
destroyed 6 homes in the Gaza strip. Just before dawn, Israeli
bulldozers, backed by tanks and soldiers, moved in and razed
the houses along with 2 gas stations and a workshop.
-
- The occupants, 64 in all,
including women, children and the elderly, were forced out of
their homes. The Israelis were kind enough to throw some of
the furniture out into the rain before the demolitions took
place.
-
- What especially bothered me was
the scene of an elderly Palestinian man staring at the remains
of his house after it was destroyed along with the 5 others.
Can this man ever forgive my self-pity when now he has nothing
and must sleep on the streets of his city? I wonder when it is
cold, will what is left of his hope keep him warm? I couldn’t
live without my phone, but he does not even have a home. When
it thunders, where will he hide from the storm?
-
- The plight of this poor old man
and the others who lost their homes is but another example of
the countless ruthless and brutal atrocities committed by the
Israelis. Yet, every chance the Israeli leaders get, whoever
they may be, they cry wolf, distort the truth and in the end
make themselves the victims of their own evil doings. They
have succeeded in convincing the majority of the Western world
that they are telling the truth and that the Palestinians, who
are for the most part, unarmed and fighting for their lives
and their freedom, are against peace and are terrorists. But
remember too that Hitler succeeded in doing much of the same
for a while until the world woke up to his crimes against
humanity.
-
- The homelessness of this old
man, the loss of a place to sleep, a place to provide him
shelter from the elements of nature, and his utter despair is
the fault of all who remain silent. The death of Palestinian
children, the torture of Palestinian prisoners, half of who
are children, the slaughter and the injuring of waves upon
waves of Palestinian freedom fighters is the fault of us all.
It is time that we come to realize that all men are equal and
all are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. Until there is justice for everyone, there will
never be peace in the Middle East. Even a cat when cornered
will strike back.
-
- Remember, God is not dead nor
doth He sleep. Every crime against a fellow human is a crime
against God Himself.
