Dear Foreign Minister Martin,
I'm an admirer of Ireland, a country whose charm, culture, and beauty have all captivated me. And, as a Jew, I always identified with William Butler Yeats' famous quote, "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy."
But reading your recent op-ed, "Gaza a Year Later," in the International Herald Tribune, was another story entirely.
Is it naiveté? Do you really believe that "the medieval siege conditions" you describe in Gaza are nothing more than an Israeli desire to inflict harm on another people, as if Israel were not governed by a moral code deeply embedded in its DNA?
Is it ignorance? Are you unaware of what's been going on in Gaza, including the brutal nature of Hamas rule, the smuggling of ever more sophisticated weapons, or the thousands of rocket attacks launched against Israel?
Is it fear? Are you seeking to ensure that Ireland doesn't come in the crosshairs of global jihadists?
Is it projection? Do you assume that all the people of Gaza today want nothing more than the people of Galway, namely, peace on earth and good will toward men?
Is it transference? Do you see the Gazans as the Catholics of Northern Ireland, even if Catholic nationalists never called for Britain's destruction as Hamas calls for Israel's every day?
Someone without any knowledge of the region would deduce from your article that Israel, having nothing else to do, simply decided one day to make life unbearable for neighboring Gaza.
You write of a "humanitarian crisis," "despair and hopelessness," and "a population traumatized and reduced to poverty by an unjust and completely counterproductive blockade." And you pull at heartstrings by trying to portray life in Gaza through two children, ages 15 and 10, whose "commitment to the values of human rights and respectful dialogue" shines through the otherwise unremittingly bleak landscape.
Mr. Minister, something is missing from your op-ed. It is as if you simply dropped by parachute into Gaza and described what you saw, or more precisely what you were shown, without ever asking yourself how it came to be. Your narrative recalls other instances where outside observers misread conditions in largely unfamiliar authoritarian societies. They were not able to grasp what was really going on beyond the surface.
Surely, though, more should be expected of the foreign minister of an EU member state -- even one that remained studiously neutral both in the Second World War and Cold War; apologized to the Jewish people in 2003 for a wartime "culture of muted anti-Semitism in Ireland" and a policy that "behind closed doors was antipathetic, hostile, and unfeeling toward the Jews"; and has not been known in the EU as particularly sympathetic to Israel.
The fact of the matter is that you absolve Gaza of all responsibility for its own predicament, instead placing it squarely in Israel's lap.
Hamas merits exactly one passing mention in your piece. That's the sum total. How can that be? Hamas has single-handedly ruled Gaza since 2007, when it violently ousted Fatah forces from the area. Yet you utterly fail to address this obvious fact.
Pray tell, what is Hamas -- just another political party in the Western democratic mold? What does Hamas stand for? Human rights or human wrongs? Political pluralism or pietistic purity? Mutual respect or medieval repression? Peaceful coexistence or violent conflict? Education for tolerance or hate?
As it is, despite being in a state of war, Israel permits substantial humanitarian supplies to cross its border with Gaza every day. Of course, what happens to those supplies once in Gaza is another matter. Periodic reports suggest that distribution is inadequate because much of what arrives is siphoned off for political or economic gain by officials, syndicates, or gangs.
Mr. Minister, it is in Israel's interests for Gaza to emerge as a stable, moderate, and prosperous region. What country -- be it Israel or any other -- would wish to have an Iranian-supported terrorist enclave on its borders proclaiming the joy of jihad and diverting much of its resources to weapons?
But Israel cannot act in a vacuum, as if it didn't face such a stark reality. Forgive me, but for you, it's much simpler. You come for a day or two, pronounce your views, and return to Dublin -- and to a European Union that is anchored in democratic values, protection of human dignity, and peaceful relations among its 27 members.
Sadly, that era hasn't yet dawned in Israel's rough-and-tumble neighborhood.
As long as Gaza is more intent on Israel's destruction than its own construction, as long as Hamas is in charge and pursues its Muslim Brotherhood agenda, as long as Iran stands squarely by Gaza's side, and as long as young children -- including the two you met -- are seen as grist for the martyrs' mill, then what does the future hold?
And, respectfully, as long as Western officials infantilize the people of Gaza by lifting all responsibility for their fate from their own shoulders, then they are not helping, either. It's high time to stop whitewashing, sidestepping, or rationalizing the situation, or pretending that Israel hasn't abandoned any claims on Gaza, which it did nearly five years ago. The people of Gaza have been given their first chance in history to chart their own future. What future will they choose?
If you really care about those two children, as I am sure you do and we all should, then it's high time to challenge the real hurdles they face -- beginning with the people who currently govern Gaza and the dead-end path they have opted to pursue.
Would Dr. Harris like to name other European countries who protected Jews by including recognition of them in their constitutions ?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125707699
There are so many tunnels that many goods are now selling as what npr called too cheaply. Some people did complain about difficulty getting coffee. Nothing said about caviar, though.
I hope they come forward with recognazing the state of Isr. and renouncing violence and incitement and changing their charter to reflect necessity in full comprehensive peace (not a 10years hudna) and establishing diplomatic relationship and economic cooperation and intelligence and law enforcement cooperation in order to curb the lunatics on both sides. And as a gesture of a good will they'll offer to exchange G. Shalit for M. Baghroutti, one on one. If they do not like status quo, why not to put Israel to the test? Do all above see what's going to happen.
Then no need for tunnels
we are all aware of the depth of NPR's love of the Palestinians.
If Martin really cared about Palestinian kids, he'd be helping them to overthrow their own dictatorial government.
When did people who consider themselves leftists start making excuses for right-wing dictatorial regimes?
Prisoners often get hands and arms broken.
They use cluster bombs and phosphorus upon civilians.
Just for starters.
The greatest crime is they seem to be able to maintain a sense of moral superority all the while.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
"10 years, Hundreds of Complaints, No Investigations"
http://www.stoptorture.org.il/en/publications
But to genuinely answer your question, Israel probably doesn't know where the Hamas leadership is exactly, otherwise they might go after them.
Future investigators might conclude that the insane meandering of this boundary was the result of very detailed negotiations, or the most extreme example of political gerrymandering. No kit is the imposition of unopposed power where every minor asset that this poor land can offer is looped to the Israeli side with a cry of "ours!!". It is a physical manifestation of the moral corruption of a country.
The Berlin wall was a straight line drawn by bureaucrats; the Palestine wall reflects the psychology of a spoiled and indulged child who cannot play well with others.
The author states: "Is it naivité?...Is it ignorance?...Is it projection?”…that makes Mr. Martin arrive at the conclusion he outlined in my opinion so compassionately and convincingly in his painfully realistic account of this god-forsaken city, whose people are barely surviving this brutal siege on their humanity?
It’s none of those! It’s something Harris himself cannot fathom: genuine human-kindness devoid of ULTERIOR agendas.
“...EU member state -- even one that remained studiously neutral both in the Second World War ….. and has not been known in the EU as particularly sympathetic to Israel.”
Oh my, even after he admits there was an apology on the "WWII" issue, did he have to go there to discredit Martin's judgment?
There's also this: “as long as Western officials infantilize the people of Gaza”...for God’s sakes man! 50-60% of the population of Gaza are CHILDREN!!
Martin’s piece was forthright but not demeaning, but this piece? Not a shred of simplicity…just artifice loaded with biased talking points (most of which I won't even bother with) and an obvious "agenda".
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=four+groups+in+gaza&itemNo=1161096
What will you do when your Hamas argument falls apart?
Just as everyone who will read your post will remember all the other posts you wrote in response to Mr. Harris blogs, and will notice how bias, opinionated and naive you are when it comes to the"poor Palestinias".
You are so indoctrinated that you will not see the thruth if it hits you in the face.
I feel sorry for you.
Was the irish PM as gracious and as fair minded as you are?
GIVE US A BREAK.
do you even know the meaning of the word "horror"?
If you really knew the maning of this word, then you would use it to describe what Hamas does to the palestinians and to the Fatah members who do not agree with them. (see torture, killing etc etc)
What Israel does is only to defend itself from brainwashed suicide bombers/sexually frustrated/brainwashed young people who are ready to kill themselves for a wrong cause and so that naive people like you can admire them from your ivory tower somewhere in our blessed democratic west . WAKE UP.
The Palestinians don't want Israelis there. The UN doesn't want Israelis there. The International Court of Justice doesn't want Israelis there. Almost 100% of the worlds governemnts don't want Israel there, as recounted in their annual UN votes on the peaceful settlement of Palestine.
And you expect sympathy when the oppressed indigenous fight back? Please.
Israel has been extraordinarily kind to the Palestinians given the circumstances. What happens when a couple of suicide bombers blow themselves up in Moscow? Russia promises to use the "cruelest" methods to destroy the people responsible. What happens when 10,000 rockets fall on Israel? They issue complaints to the UNSC that go unanswered, and when they are tired of being ignored, that take action to protect their citizens. Is that so wrong?
Collective punishment is a war crime.
You see, it doesn't matter who is in their way. Jews (then) and Israelis (now) have murdered and have commited all manner of terrorism if it (1) helps establish the state of Israel, or (2) expands the territory of the state of Israel.
I have seen nothing that indicates that mindset has altered one whit insofar as present-day Israel is concerned.
Who cares if the Irishmen considered the British their fellows??
You either don't understand what's being discussed here or you ran out of arguments and you are trying to distract us.
P.S: You fell off your CHEER???? I hope it was a cheerful fall!