(YellowTimes.org) – As humans, we are always taking pride in our fruitful evolution from primitive cavemen to self-proclaimed gods, but for anyone willing to open their eyes rather than squint at reality will see their pride wither in shame. Whatever shred of pride I felt towards humanity is forever buried in the ruins and rubble of the Jenin refugee camp in occupied Palestine.

In Arabic there is a saying that goes "El tareekh lem yerham" meaning that "History will not have mercy"; a saying that seems to be the only consolation for those writhing in anger from an unusually forgiving public in the wake of the attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories.

From the comfort of our homes embellished with signs of an advanced species and civilization we watched as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), accompanied with over 50 tanks, bulldozers and orders from a homicidal leader, crushed their way into the refugee camp of Jenin.

We had heard the reports of the devastation caused by the IDF in Ramallah just days before they moved into Jenin, yet the world remained silent. Silent as they arrested and blindfolded hundreds of males between the ages of 14 and 65. Silent as reports of civilians being used as human shields seeped out. Silent as the injured were left to bleed to death in the streets and denied access to ambulances that were targeted by the IDF. Silent as reporters and journalists were shot at and forced out of the "closed military zone."

Of course there are different kinds of silence: the kind of silence that we saw from the prime minister of England, Tony Blair, where not a word was uttered; and then there is the kind of silence that we saw from the United Nations, coming in their unforgiving display of frailty.

Are the Palestinian men, women, and children so worthless that they can be killed and attacked by the thousands without a word in their defense? What about the human rights organizations? To my knowledge the Palestinians are still human, although with the unbelievable and incredulous reports flooding the headlines I would not be surprised if they had been declared otherwise.

This kind of injustice and dehumanization of an entire population before our very eyes has, at the very least, brought forth an overwhelming sense of shame for the human race.

After hearing the reports that came out of Ramallah, one would think that the United Nations would have lived up to their title and sent an international peacekeeping force to protect the civilians and enforce international law, but I suppose even that would have been asking too much. So again, under the excuse of "rooting out terrorists" the IDF began their brutal assault on Jenin with tanks, Apache helicopters and 250 airstrikes daily against a few dozen Palestinian men with rifles and homemade explosives.

Again, I sat helpless in front of the television, hour after hour, day after day, listening to men and women crying out for help to a mute community, as the shelter of their existence came down and died with them. I will never forget the fear and despair in the voice of a young woman, probably 17 or 18 years old, as she called the Arab News Network just minutes before the IDF forced their way into her house. "Can you hear them?" "You wouldn’t believe what they are doing to us…" she repeated with a voice that would bring you to tears. What could anyone have said at that moment to ease her suffering?

About a minute later, I heard the sound of gunfire and shouting, then suddenly the line went dead. I wonder what happened to her. Is she still buried under the rubble of her home, dying slowly? Did she die instantaneously from the shots I heard fired?

Is this the future of humanity; a sick form of entertainment for a growing appetite for "reality TV"? A woman is murdered live on TV while millions watch all over the world and we boast over our existence as a "civilized society." None of our medical and technological advances can surpass our basic and primitive flaws that we have ignored.

It is as though we have forgotten all that history has dictated; all the massacres, all the wars, all the violations of human rights, all the injustices that we strived, or pretend to strive, to keep in the past. Sadly, it looks as though history is more than just an account of what was, but also of what will be; a window into our future.

[Mina Eltaieb is an American from Brooklyn, New York studying in the United Arab Emirates. Living on both sides of the spectrum, she realized how "just" and "free" her country really is.]

Mina Eltaieb encourages your comments: silence_is_acceptance@yahoo.com

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