Occupation up close
by Mark Schneider
Letter to the Editor
January 17, 2002
As a Coloradan just back from nearly a month in Palestine, an eyewitness response is in order for your recent coverage of the Middle East. In the Daily's oddly titled "Israel to destroy Gaza airport," (1/14/02) it's noted that the Palestinian airport had been repeatedly destroyed by Israel as recently as a week prior. After visiting innumerable Palestinian buildings destroyed by Israel (police stations, coast guard stations, huge blocks of apartments, University buildings, hundreds of acres of Palestinian orchards and farms) it is clear Israel is in the process of re-bombing the same targets and expanding further domination.
Further on in the article it said: "On Wednesday, after a period of relative calm in the region, a Palestinian raid killed four Israeli soldiers." In this case the "relative calm" refers only to the Palestinian side. I was in Palestine from Dec. 14th to Jan. 8th, traveling the length of the country. In that brief "calm" time over two dozen Palestinians were murdered by the Israeli military, death squads and settlers. Dozens of Israeli tanks invaded all the major Palestinian cities and dozens of Palestinian villages were militarily blockaded indefinitely.
In one example, while I was in Gaza, Israel returned the dead and mutilated bodies of three Palestinian teenagers killed by the Israeli military four days prior (their organs had been removed, replaced with cotton). I had the honor of viewing pictures of the boys' mutilated remains. And no Palestinian response is expected? For Americans I ask, are Palestinians human with real emotions and feelings?
In the same day's Daily was a letter printed that said "the PLO, Hamas, and Hezbollah are ruthless terror regimes, yet they are sacred heroes among Palestinians." Last I checked, the human rights statistics paint a radically different picture: In the last 15 months Israel has murdered over 950 Palestinians, severely injuring 20,000, illegally demolished hundreds of homes, expanded illegal settlements, used US-provided F-15s, F-16s, tanks and helicopter gunships to repeatedly bomb and Palestinians homes, schools and businesses and has imposed hundreds of illegal checkpoints and roadblocks throughout Palestine.
Yes, the desperate suicide bombings are horrible. Yet context must be provided: Israel's state-terrorism in maintaining an illegal military occupation of Palestine is the root of the problem in the Middle East. End the occupation, remove the settlements, fairly address the issue of the right of return for Palestinians and then we can start to talk of peace. Until then this is an international struggle for Palestinian freedom, justice and self-determination.
Mark Schneider
Denver, CO