Paul BittickIt is truly disappointing to find any moral person defending Israel’s violation of U.N. resolutions and World Court rulings.
Are we then going to defend the expunging of millions of Palestinians from their homeland? And the hundreds of atomic warheads that Israel has? And the Palestinian homes that are destroyed daily in order to build Jewish settlements? And the illegal wall that has devastated the Palestinian economy and continues to separate Palestinian families? While some may claim that this wall minimizes suicide bombings, it actually instills resentment and hatred in peoples’ hearts against those they rightly view as the aggressors. And then we claim we want peace?
It is an old game to accuse anyone who criticizes Israel of being anti-Semitic. Jewish people aren’t the problem; Zionism is. The Muslims accused of “bashing Israel” are revealing the truths of the injustices against the Palestinians, which have continued for decades under the guise of protection.
Zionists are taking extra precautions from another Holocaust. In doing so, they are committing atrocious crimes against the Palestinians similar to the crimes committed by the Nazis against their own people.
Let me clarify that I do not condone any act of politically-motivated violence, including state-sponsored terrorism as in the case of Israel – or retaliatory violence against civilians by rebel groups often labeled as terrorists.
A shockwave hit the political world when Hamas won a sweeping victory in the Palestinian elections. It appears that a so-called ‘terrorist organization’ has risen to democratic power in the most volatile region of the world.
It is true that Hamas has claimed responsibility for over a dozen suicide bombings responsible for the killings of some innocent Israelis. It is also true that the Israeli military is responsible for hundreds of attacks upon Palestinian gunmen that often claim a much higher amount of innocent Palestinian civilians. This is primarily because Israel has a nuclear arsenal, which is funded by the U.S. The American government denounces the use of such weapons throughout the world yet makes exceptions for its ally, Israel.
Any sane person knows that propaganda plays a huge role in portraying a country’s ally as peaceful, just and innocent. Don’t we remember that President Bush referred to Ariel Sharon as a “man of peace”?
While it is true that Hamas has a militant branch responsible for resisting Israeli oppression, that is not the main reason they were elected in Palestine. Hamas builds schools, feeds the poor and provides work and security in areas of Palestine that are unattended by the Palestinian Authority and otherwise forgotten by the world.
In today’s political world it is extremely crucial for citizens of developed and often isolated, first-world countries to realize how biased the news can be.
When we allow biases to shape our views, we can easily miss horrifying truths.
While we focus on the violence of Hamas, we miss the shocking reality of one of the greatest injustices in history: Over 50 years of terrorism committed by the state of Israel against the Palestinian people, financially and militarily-supported by the United States, a country that flaunts its bravery as it plays world cop.
Yes, Hamas is responsible for some of the violence, but point me to a legitimate world government that isn’t.
Humza Chowdhry is an architectural engineering senior and Mustang Daily guest columnist