Old Testament Justice?
Israel the exterminator.
Most Americans must have seen the news this past week, when the Palestinians in Gaza breached the wall which imprisons them, and hundreds poured into Egypt to purchase basic human necessities? Media referred to it as an Exodus. Egypt has been pressured to seal the people off from entering their country by rebuilding the wall.
Why does the world tolerate these injustices by Israel? How long is the world supposed to feel guilty for the horrors of the German holocaust? And thus permit Israel to repeat virtually the same atrocities imposed upon European Jews by the Nazis, now upon the Palestinians? Israel oppresses the Palestinian people who have a right to the same land Israel occupied after the war. Israel has created a ghetto for the impoverished Palestinian people and seems to be bent upon exterminating them, and yet the U.S. government and the world stands by, endorsing such aggression.
A priest in Gaza pleads for his people.
A Catholic priest in Hamas-controlled Gaza has described the situation in his parish as “almost as bad as hell” and condemned what he called “punishment until death”.
“This is not punishment for salvation. This is punishment for extermination. It is the punishment of a nation.”
The priest explained how thousands of people had escaped Palestine into Egypt when gunmen blew up part of the border wall at the Rafah crossing overnight on Tuesday. The exodus has taken place as a result of an ongoing Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip to combat rocket attacks on its territory.
Mgr Musallam explained: “People have gone to find food and employment [in Egypt]. There is no food here, no employment here. We have a lack of water and electricity.
“The situation is critical. Streets are covered with sewerage. I see the sick crying and dying.
“Our hospitals need electricity and medication but out of 3,700 parcels of supplies only nine were allowed in.”
“I see children crying in huge distress all day long. Two pupils in the school, aged nine and six, were wounded in the bombings. They are afraid and traumatised because of the bombardments and of the darkness at night.
“They cannot even go to the toilet at night. They wet their beds but there is no water to wash afterwards. People come here to ask for water and electricity because we have a generator. They come to cook and they come for a shower.” - TotalCatholic.com
This is criminal - why isn’t Israel considered a rogue nation?
Vox Nova has a good commentary on the Israeli oppression of Gaza: Collective Punishment.
[Photo credit: "Palestinian Child" - Annie's Letters Blog]
January 26th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I’m glad you mentioned this, because I’ve been wondering the same thing for quite a long time, too. I won’t pretend to understand any of the intricacies of Middle Eastern relations; we in the U.S. take for granted our “live and let live” heritage, which we are so blessed to inherit. Is it too simplistic to apply that same logic to the Middle East? I’ve been told it is, but really … why? Human is human. I simply don’t understand it.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Be Careful dude!
This is perceived axiomatically as anti-semitism…
I know it isn’t; and that by being anti-Israel’s policy against the palestinians you are being intrinsically pro the real Israel ; it doesn’t stop confused recalcitrant Jews thinking you’re out to get them and everything they stand for.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Paul - From what I understand, even Israeli citizens know their government is out of line.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:26 am
It seems that the root of Israeli policy is fear; fear that if the Palestinians had their own state that it would be used as a base to attack Israel. Problem is, fear leads people to do a lot of bad things. Israel is virtually guaranteeing a smoldering reservoir of resentment by its unjust treatment of the Palestinians. The powers that be apparently don’t see this as a worse threat to peace than a Palestinian homeland, or extending to them civil rights in Israel.
January 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Certainly !
But it doesn’t prevent more than a them maintain the opinion ‘my country right or wrong !’ - they may not like the way it does things ; but they’re quite reticent about opposing it. I say this having had a sister who lived for years in a moshav having to endure quite blatant anti-christian anti-british hostility.
January 27th, 2008 at 9:05 am
sorry meant to insert ‘a few’ in the first line
January 27th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Amen to everything you said, Terry!
Funny how we don’t see this written about much, even in blogs, huh?
May God cause the scales to fall from our eyes, particularly where the secular state of Israel is concerned.
January 29th, 2008 at 1:03 am
[...] What network news agency in this country is actively reporting upon the terror the people of Kenya are currently enduring? Or the murder of priests and nuns so often repeated throughout African and Muslim countries? Although it is old news, what do we ever hear of the ongoing genocide in Sudan? Or the continual sufferings of peoples just about anyplace you look in Africa? While NO ONE in this country ever seems willing to report on the progrom of extermination against the Palestinian people by Israel? [...]
February 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
What do you think of this samsonblinded.org/blog/israel-cannot-blockade-gaza.htm ? Shoher is arguably the most right Israeli today, but he argues Israel should talk to Hamas as Egypt will not maintain the blockade of Gaza.