Nothing seems more frustrating than having strong opinions on a subject but
being unable to get the message to those who mean the most. In my case, it's
the subject of the Middle East and in particular, the brutal and ongoing
oppression of the Palestinian people.
This frustration is multiplied ten fold when opposition forces are free to
deliver their messages almost on a daily basis while our voices are ordered
in silence. You see, we don't have the Dianne Feinstein's, or the Tom
Lantos', or the Joseph Lieberman's or the Robert Wexler's or the Charles
Schumer's or the Richard Perle's or the Paul Wolfowitz' and so on. We don't
have these kind of representatives and political leaders who have free access
to the president, the State Department, the National Security Advisor, and
many other influential offices and officials. We don't have these kind of
people introducing new legislation and influencing decisions that determine
Middle East policy. We don't have the luxury of "political correctness" on
our side. It makes our job much more difficult and creates much more
frustration, but that's something I'm willing to put up with. That's
something that goes with the job. Someday our efforts will be rewarded.
Until then, we have to fight an uphill battle. But in the long run our
success will be that much more rewarding.
It seems that almost on a daily basis someone in Congress is introducing some
kind of legislation in condemning Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian
Authority, or another referendum in support and solidarity with Israel. Just
last month our Congress approved another $200 million increase in military
aid for Israeli weapons to be used to slaughter more innocent Palestinians
and to demolish more refugee camps while at the same time condemning the
Palestinian Authority in their attempt to secure one small shipment of arms
and weapons from Iran in order to provide a means of self defense. After
all, AK-47's are no match against F-16 fighter jets, or Apache and Cobra
gun-ships, or armored plated bulldozers, or Israeli Merkava tanks. It was like
the Palestinians committed the sin of all sins.
Our Congress is not the only pro-Israeli voices heard on the hill. Whenever
the mention of a Palestinian State is brought up, the President echoes the
same rhetoric, time after time, "I still am disappointed in Arafat's
leadership. He needs to cut off the terrorist activities and must first show
he is serious about ending the violence." What about Israeli violence Mr.
President? What about the illegal occupation and the the confiscation of
more Arab land each and every day while building more and more illegal Jewish
settlements? What about the killings of young Palestinian mothers and their
13 year-old daughters? Or what about the mother and her two young sons
killed for no other reason than for "looking suspicious?" I still haven't
figured out how 5-year-old boys can "look suspicious." What about this
violence? Is it only violence when it's against Jews? Why don't we hear
Diane Feinstein or Tom Lantos talk about this violence? Could it be that
their one-sided support that has shielded Israeli crimes for decades be the
major reason for the continued violence? Maybe that's why we haven't seen
peace in the Middle East? Maybe the real perpetrators of violence in the
Middle East are not in the Middle East after all? Maybe they're right here
in our own backyard. And maybe it's time they start answering a few
questions. Nothing would make me happier than to get an opportunity to
present some of my major concerns to all of our leading politicians form
Congress to the President, with the Secretary of State and the National
Security Advisor in between. They would be subjected with questions and
facts that journalists or news commentators would dare impose.
When the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 the Palestinians had some hope of a
Palestinian State and some hope of a lasting peace. The Oslo Accords was
supposed to halt any further expansion of illegal settlements and any further
confiscation of Arab land. On the contrary, the illegal settlements have
more than doubled, from just under 200,000 to more than 400,000 and are even
expanding at a faster rate under Ariel Sharon than ever before. When
Palestinians realized that their hopes were fading fast, they began an
uprising
in September 2000. The current violence in the Middle East is not caused
from this uprising but caused from desperation from the continued illegal and
brutal occupation and from years of human rights violations committed by the
Israeli government. Included in this list of human rights violations is a
report by Amnesty International in its 1999 annual report, one year prior to
the beginning of this latest intifada. The report states that "the Israeli
authorities have demolished at least 2,650 Palestinian homes in the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem, because they did not have a building permit.
As a result 16,700 Palestinians (including 7,300 children ) have lost their
homes." The Israeli government has always used building permits as
justification to demolish Palestinian homes but the "catch 22" element is
that the Israelis only issue building permits to Jews only. The report goes
on to say "The demolition of Palestinian homes and the denial of opportunity
to build legally are related to a policy of land confiscation from private
Palestinian ownership which is then used exclusively for Israeli development.
Discriminatory laws prevent non-Israelis from leasing confiscated land." A
follow-up Amnesty International Report also stated ""The Palestinians are
targeted for no other reason than because they are Palestinians. The
demolition of their houses is in no doubt linked with Israeli discriminatory
policy to restrict Palestinian development to existing urban areas. For
Israelis, it is a different story. They have few problems obtaining building
permits and even if they build homes without authorization, their houses are
rarely, if ever, demolished. Amnesty International believes that the policy
of house demolitions is a grave human rights violation against the
Palestinian residents of the West Bank."
Since this report was written in December 1999, the number of innocent
Palestinian homes demolished has almost doubled to 4700, causing more than
30,000 men, women, and especially children to become homeless with very
little clothing and food.
Why hasn't Congress or why hasn't the President been forced to justify these
crimes? Why is it that Representative Tom Lantos or Senator Dianne Feinstein
are never questioned about these abuses? Why are these crimes not dealt with
by our State Department or out National Security Advisor. They never
hesitate a minute to condemn the Palestinians for violence. Why is it that
our government allows Israeli authorities to demolish innocent people's
homes?
This is why I am frustrated and this is why these violations must be brought
to the attention of the American people. Would our Congress allow any other
country in this hemisphere to demolish even one Jewish home, let alone 4700
homes? Would our President stand by and do nothing if similar abuses were
performed on Jews living in other countries? Why is it that our government
ignores these crimes with such obvious intent not to irritate the "political
correct?" It's time for all good people to demand an answer. It's time to
speak out against Israeli crimes and end this silence of the lambs. Wake up
everybody!
James J. David is a retired Brigadier General and a graduate of the U.S.
Army's Command and General Staff College, and the National Security Course,
National Defense University, Washington DC. He served as a Company Commander
with the 101st Airborne Division in the Republic of Vietnam in 1969 and 1970
and also served nearly 3 years of Army active duty in and around the Middle
East from 1967-1969.
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