Israel Extreme Make Over: Here Is a Start

Recent elections in Israel that resulted the victory of the Israeli right wing; the high death toll of civilians during the Israeli assault on Gaza, and the admission by Israeli soldiers that they viewed Gaza as a "shooting gallery" and randomly shot innocent civilians unconcerned about the consequences; the surge of racist and discriminatory practices against Palestinians and Palestinian citizens of Israel promoted by Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a member of the incoming government; a wave of bestselling books critical of Israel; Israeli soldiers sporting t-shirts depicting the killing of Palestinians; and the democratization public opinion via non-traditional media, have all given Israel a headache. Of course it did not help that a number of Jewish foundations lost millions of dollars to Madoff and his ilk. Now Israel has a lot of work to do and I am sure they are shopping for advice from their friends who reside anywhere between Manhattan and Hollywood. I'm sure they will be generous with their advice on how to give Israel the makeover it needs in these hard times. But since Israel won't be soliciting any input from me or anyone of my kind, I've decided to offer a few ideas anyway.

Yes, I am a Palestinian from Gaza who lived under the Israeli occupation and my entire family still feels its impact twenty-four seven. Whatever decisions Israel decides to go with will surely affect me and millions like me.

I am a realist and realize that Israel has to do things a certain way, and they will not joke around with their security or any existential threats (real or perceived). For Israel's sake, causalities will occur and homes will be demolished. Progress in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations is a casualty of the old dilemma: who came first the chicken or the egg?

Palestinians want their land back, Israelis want to feel secure. Untying that knot depends on who lets go first: a Palestinian leader cannot deliver Israel security until he has a land upon which to enforce his rule, an Israeli leader cannot take the risk of giving up land, only to see it become a militant base camp. So, I've compiled a list of gestures Israel can make to improve their much troubled brand.

How about next time you go after a "bad guy," try not to kill an entire family with him. And if for reasons unknown you want to take the family with the "bad guy" leave the neighbors alone. Palestinians are never short of stories of innocent civilians who became victim to random bombing and shooting.

Perhaps when you impose a siege on Gaza as you are doing now, please allow in humanitarian supplies. In addition to banning any construction material and electronic devices, the lists also includes pasta, chick peas (no Humus or Falafel tonight) toilet paper (causing soggy bottoms and uproar in Foggy Bottom).

Next time you send a notice of demolition to an Arab in Jerusalem because he added an extra story to his home, also send another notice of eviction to that nice family of Russian Jews who are living in a settlement that violates the international conventions on occupation.

Do not open your doors to immigrants from all corners of earth while constructing walls to shut out the native inhabitants, keeping them from their families, schools and farms. Charity, as we know, begins at home.

Perhaps instead of addressing the symptom of a particular problem, the Israeli government will muster the courage to address the real cause of the problem. Launching primitive rockets on Sederot is cruel and inhuman, but can the Israelis now empathize with the innocent Palestinians who live under constant and more sophisticated firepower? I won't hold my breath.

If Israel is concerned about the demographic time bomb, research shows that education and development pushes down fertility rates. Why not allow Palestinian schools and universities to operate uninterrupted by forced closure and even invest in improving the Palestinian education system?

Instead of importing foreign labor whose wages are repatriated to their home country, hire a Palestinian who would turn around and buy Israeli goods and spend his time at home watching TV rather an hanging with his homeboys cooking up trouble.

The more settlers you send into the Occupied Territories, the more the two-state solution becomes obsolete. I anticipate the day when Palestinians start raising Israeli flags and calling for one man one vote. Democracy is a scary thing for those committed to a "Jewish" state.

About those 10,000 Palestinian prisoners you are holding in your world class prisons. Do you really want to do this? America is fighting a "global war on terror" and has not managed to sweep up 10,000 prisoner from the entire world -- but from population of only a few million you hold 10,000 Palestinians as prisoners; obviously the threshold you have to meet to get into an Israeli prisons is very low -- only for Palestinians though.

Change your military uniforms. To be honest the Israeli soldier is not what makes the soldier, the uniform does. A mean looking soldier with an intimidating uniform can be scary. Switch uniforms to more friendly ones such as clowns. It's friendly to the viewer and you know no one thinks of violence when they see a clown.

Assert that you are actually "de-developing" the Gaza Strip in order to make it "greener." Cutting fuel supplies, bombing highways, along with the destruction of other major infrastructure, will turn a place greener. But, the irony is, green is Hamas' color of choice.

Allow Palestinian students, especially ones granted scholarships, to go abroad and attend the colleges of their choice. Locking down the educated Palestinians will not do Israel any good and only turns those educated ones into frustrated idealists and potential militants, and no one wants to deal with the wrath of those people.

It's wise for Israel to allow sick Palestinians to get medical care wherever offered. Palestinians need clearance from Israel to receive medical attention in Egypt, Jordan or whatever country will take them. I'm sorry, but healthy people with a positive outlook on life are Israel's best friends.

Those are few gestures Israel can make to show good will toward the Palestinian people and the world community which has grown weary of Israel's unnecessary and inhumane tactics. Obviously, these suggestions may expose Israel to some risk, but the consequences of inaction could be much worse. Ultimately any Palestinian leadership has to reciprocate kind gestures by promising to work with Israel. And, positive Israeli gestures will surely give the Palestinian leadership ammunition with which to silent their opposition, especially those opposed to peaceful coexistence. And please take my unsolicited advice as you would take the advice of your college roommate, the one you must share a space with peace.

Comments

[Chazak]

Well I think the Israeli Arab music teacher, Waffa Younis, who put together a concert of Palestinian children playing for holocaust survivors was a great event. I am surprised Huffington Post failed to report this concert. I am shocked though how angry Palestinian leaders were when they found out this took place and called the Holocaust "a political issue." In the mean time most Palestinians are ignorant of the Holocaust and fear its teaching because it may strengthen the argument for the right of a Jewish state to exist.

If you don't understand your enemy you can't make peace. If you don't realize the importance of the Holocaust in propelling the creation of a Jewish State and if you don't understand the importance of the land to the Palestinians then of course there will never be peace.

[chaos4700]

One crime doesn't justify another. The Holocaust doesn't justify a Jewish state (I thought it was a secular democracy.­..?) at the expense of Palestinian sovereignty. Huffington Post hasn't reported the number of medical emergencies, including mothers giving birth, that result in death because of military checkpoints in the West Bank. I'm not sure I've even seen ten names here out of the more than a thousand who were slain in Gaza, and yet Gilad Shalit finds his picture on the site even more often then Ashton Kustcher. So really, what are you complaining about?

[JerryLevy]

Over half of the "Jewish State" are made up of decendents of Jewish refugees forcibly expelled by the surrounding Arab Countries in 1948, not Europeans. Most of the arab countries expelled populations of Jews who had lived there for centuries but this topic is not to be discussed as it changes the storyline that Israel is just made up of decendents of Europe. Incidently, E. Jerusalem was mostly Jewish in 1948 and had been for 150 years but Jordan kicked out all the Jews on 24 hours notice in 1948 when Israel was created.

[Macready]

Great blog . . thank you for posting . . for israel:

1. tear down your Berlin-style wall . . the original one had to come down and so will yours
2. stop ghettosing the Palestinians because you don't like the fact that they voted for Hamas . . . sit down at the negotiating table with Hamas and open the border .. . now . . .
3. stop building illegal settlements . . . you aren't setting a good example . . if you can repeatedly break international law every day why can't your neighbours
4. stop crying victim when the world knows you are the oppressors and not the victim . . .

[JerryLevy]

I agree with this post:

1. Tear down the wall and let the suicide terrorists come in a kill thousands in restaurants, busses, and religious institutions.
2. Unconditionally negotiate with Hamas terrorists who lob rockets into your country and vow to fight until you are all murdered.
3. Stop building settlements even though you have tried doing this repeatedly during the Oslo process and all you got was violent attacks.
4. Stop crying victim just because the Palestinians will not adhere to any peace treaties they have signed, have rejected all final settlement offers you have made, Lebanon continues to threaten you, Syria is smuggling weapons to terrorists seeking your death, and Hamas is attacking you with rockets. You are the oppressor, they are the victims.

[chaos4700]

Nobody buys the self-victimization line any more. The numbers speak for themselves as to whom is really responsible for mass murder.

www.ifamericansknew.org

[Paul]

The Israeli military action in Gaza accomplished nothing for Israeli security.

1. Hamas is still in power and has more Gazan support than before.
2. The IDF invaded Gaza but could not hold and occupy the territory they siezed and ultimately had to withdraw.
3. The military action in Gaza did nothing to change the political situation there.
4. The invasion and bombing did nothing to compromise the ability of Hamas to shoot rockets into Israel.

Looks pretty much like failure to me.


But it gets worse.

Israel is now seen as a bloodthirsty agressor and is losing the support of Jews in the US. Europeans were demonstrating in the streets against the Israeli actions in Gaza.

So what can Israel do?

Why not make Gaza a showplace of cooperation and mutual prosperity? Why not an Israeli Marshall Plan for Gaza?

Give the Gazans jobs and economic hope for their children.


Then see how much influence Hamas will have.

[JerryLevy]

Great idea, but it has been tried over and over again with the Palestinians. When Oslo was signed in 1993 Israel and the EU pumped millions of dollars into the W. Bank and Gaza only to have PA steal most of it and use much of it to obtain illegal weapons to fight Israel with. They then started sending suicide terrorists into Tel Aviv so Israel had to block off the W. Bank and Palestinian workers could not get into their jobs anymore but they Palestinians still supported the terror. When Israel pulled out of Gaza there was no blockade and many in the Jewish community left farms and botanical gardens for the Palestinians to use. They burned down everything the Israelis left and went directly to work firing missiles into Israel and kidnapping their citizens. To have prosperity, both sides must want it.

[Wisdo]

Illegal weapons! oh no.

They should have bought perfectly legal tanks, helicopter gunships, heavy artillery, Fighter Jets, bombers and tactical nuclear missiles, like Israel.

[almazza98]

Who decides what is a legal weapon and what isn't a legal weapon, What is the criteria? Who the weapon is used against? Who uses the weapon? What type of weapon it is? And is this criteria used for all parties.

[batguano]

cont......­.
The unmitigated arrogance and hubris of the SP has recently, through acts against the Weak, shown depravity and utter contempt for the lives of the other group; this has brought greater scrutiny of their methods and goals. For there to be an end to this "conflict" and the agenda and goals of the SP, the world must shine a strong light on their acts so at odds with common decency and morality and end the forced removal (or ability to just live) of members of the Weak group to further expand territory for the extremist "religious" (or common thieves). The ability and power of the SP to control (mostly) what is seen of their acts of depravity and oppression against the Weak is still mostly unchallenged. This must change further for there to be a true understanding by others, how pervasive the brutal policies of expansion with no regard whatsoever for the lives of members of the WP and how they affect this "conflict". It is the basic responsibility of the SP to create the changes that will end this “conflict”, only they by definition have the ability to continue or end it, and any claim that the weak are not “partners for peace” is a deception and part of the agenda of delay and expansion.

[batguano]

In this "conflict" there is a Strong Party (Israel) and a Weak Party (the Palestinians). The SP has as its goal and agenda the removal of WP persons by any means necessary to expand territory under the control of the SP and it's colonization by elements of their own group. This is done for extremist religious belief in divine "gifting" (or common theft). The WP has few means (many at odds with western morality) to oppose the expansion of the Strong backed by all military force available on Earth. The SP also has had the ability to shape foreign opinion, especially in America (by control of our media) and foreign policy (by control of our elected representatives), this is accomplished by political pressure, wealth, campaign support, and agents (AIPAC, et al) who actively work for SP goals. All of the acts and situations mentioned by the author are intentional, and are designed to continue the expansion of territory by the SP through the continuation of the "conflict"­..........­cont.

[batguano]

All of the authors comments on the actions of the IDF point to ethnic cleansing and the pre-meditated policy of continued occupation and colonization until the "Israeli state" controls all the land and water resources of the area. The intentional targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure both in Gaza and in Lebanon and the use of banned weapons and weapons with indiscriminate effects (white phosphorus, cluster bombs and “fletchet” munitions) on people is being investigated by the UN and other agencies. The intent of the continued occupation and this "conflict" is to continue to forcibly remove Palestinians from their land (or make their lives so impossible that they move) to continue to colonize and "appropriate" land for Jews (some call it common theft). The world is getting a small view of how Palestinians are treated daily by the IDF and the extremist "settlers" who steal their land, and kill them if they resist! Israel is not the victim in this “conflict”, it is the perpetrator of atrocities.

[JerryLevy]

One problem batguano, in yesterday's New York Times they debunk almost everything you say about intentional targeting of Gaza citizens. Why is it that the supporters of Palestinians always have to resort to fabrications and falshoods about Israel policies and actions to make their point? "Ethnic Cleansing, Occupation, Colonizati­on-----let­'s face it Israel tried desperately in 2000 to reach an accomodation with the Palestinians and in response, they got a war. The palestinians will not be content until Israel does not exist, that is the problem.

[almazza98]

Sing to your own choir, no one believe you anymore.

[msfsi]

Who did the "debunking"? the Israeli military? what a surprise. Again I ask you to read sources that do not just confirm your prejudice against palestinians and arabs.

[moflard]

I just took a look at the NYT website. I could find no article that "debunked" the claims, on the contrary I find an article that tried to play those claims down itself admitting that IDF "soldiers" had commited war crimes. An IDF spokesman was quoted "people shot where they shouldn’t have shot and destroyed houses where they shouldn’t have destroyed houses" - sounds like an admission to me. Further, no article even attempted to put the Palestinian side of the story, no interviews with Hamas, HRW, The Int'l Red Cross, the UN etc - only the IDF and a "religiously observant" Israeli political scientist.

Hardly what anyone would call fair and balanced journalism.

[batguano]

Unfortunately the Times is not the arbiter of truth or independence. The UN and numerous un-co-opted sources and International organizations, and Israeli soldiers of conscience have testified to the use of banned weapons, indiscriminate weapons, deliberate killings of unarmed civilian men, women and children. The firing of what are essentially bottle rockets into mostly empty areas of Israel does not equate to the use of every manner of modern guided high power weaponry against an area like Gaza. The intentional collective punishment by Israel against all the citizens of Gaza is it self a war crime.

The Israelis used the same methods against the civilians of Lebanon and fired a million cluster bomblets into south Lebanon in the last 3 days of the "conflict", after the cease-fire was signed; clearly intended to punish. What Israel is doing is not good for either Jews or Palestinians and can only have negative consequences for Israel. The right-wing and "settler" extremists have controlled Israeli actions and agenda at the expense of the majority.
Do not try to defend the indefensible. It is astonishing to me that people who "support Israel" defend the right-wing extremist view and not that which can bring real security - truth and humanity.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=SHA20061024&articleId=3595

http://www.btselem.org/english/firearms/flechette.asp

http://www.vietnewsonline.vn/News/International/MiddleEast/5554/UN-reports-say-Israel-targeted-civilians-in-Gaza.htm

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054217.html

[shotei]

They so want this colonization that they withdrew from Gaza. Yeah, right. SP, WP, we just got to have an Israeli government that is willing to stop settlement activity and a Palestinian leadership that actually accepts living side by side with Israel. It takes both SP, WP to make Peace. Let's cut this conspirational theory.

[Jordan79]

I am starting to doubt that Israel wants peace. Israel wants to kill as many Palestinians and force out as many as possible..­. the occupation does not seem to be a problem, and they continue to build illegal settlements. If Israel truly wanted peace, the two state solution would have been implemented decades ago.

[Aziat]

what are you kidding me, Israel loves war, they love it when rockets rain down on their civilians, they love being in a constant state of military readiness. Who wouldn't?

[shotei]

It seems to me that Hamas terrorists who blatantly put kids on the roof and use human shields as its main strategy are the ones more excited with rockets falling. On their side. You could just see how much Israel invests in the protection of its citizens and you wouldn't say something so stupidly far from the truth.

[marissyb29]

This article is full of one exaggeration and misrepresentation after another. Just to point one out- Israeli do in fact let in thousands of Gazans to Israel for medical treatment- despite terror attacks. Look at this article by Dr. Elihu Richter for the facts: http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=2&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=443&PID=0&IID=2649&TTL=Israeli_Approvals_for_Medical_Entry_in_the_Shadow_of_Terror_Attacks_at_the_Erez_Crossing

[jajenkins]

The Israelis started a medical clinic on the Gaza border after the bombing to treat the victims.

Isn't that sweet? First you bomb them, then you get cheap publicity with a little clinic on the border!

[ariveria]

what about a palestinian make over.

israel left gaza. the palestinians had a chance to make it a model of a palestinian state. instead they turned into a armed camp to attack israel.

the palestinian goal is not a palestinian state but the destruction of israel. if they ever succec at that there still not be a palestinian state syria will grab most of the land, jordan and egypt will split the rest.

[jajenkins]

You cannot make a "model of a state" when you are under constant bombardment from the sea and sky and when your borders are almost permanently sealed.

[JerryLevy]

No, that is true. So why would you use your land to launch rockets, smuggle in arms, kidnap Israeli citizens and then when Israel defends itself by sealing the borders you start whining about the way you are being treated. Lets face it, it does not matter what Israel does, the Palestinians want to fight to the death. They do not want a two state solution, they want to replace the state of Israel.

[chaos5701]

THEY HAVE NEVER TRIED TO DEVELOP THE INSTITUTIONS NEEDED TO BEGIN TO FORM A STATE....N­EVER!!

[zukervati]

Thank you Ariana, for making this happen - a place for divergent views to be posted, read and discussed. The history will judge you, not simply as a savvy businesswoman, but a visionary - someone who brought, and hopefully resolved/exposed, more disparate views than the United Nations did since its history! Keep up the good work.

[JerryLevy]

Palestinian Makeover: A start

-Stop launching missiles into Israel every day
-Publicly announce your support of a 2 state solution
-Have your media stop vilifying Jews, Americans and Christians
-Stop killing Palestinians who are gay and engaging in honor killings of women
-Stop teaching your kids that suicide terrorists are heros
-Teach that having 15 kids in a family is a certain route to poverty
-Adhere to the Oslo peace agreements you signed
-Stop executing Palestinians who disagree with your leadership
-Call the suicide terrorists genocidal murderers, not martyrs
-Stop putting the humanitarian aid into the swiss bank accounts of your leaders

[msfsi]

It is Israel that needs the makeover, not the palestinians. Your post is how the MSM (especially in North America) has been portraying palestinians for decades. The problem that the Israeli PR machine is facing now is how to counter the prevailing image of Israel as an occupier and brutal oppressor of Palestinians, while re-asserting the rac-ist tripe and garbage that you so elequently display in your post.

[JerryLevy]

Ahhh yes--- I am a racist. Name calling and invective is the last bastion of the individual who cannot debate the issue so they just attack on a personal level. Every point I made above is true. I left off the fact that in 2000 Israel offered to give up 98% of the West Bank, Gaza, and much of E. Jerusalem in return for peace. Everything the Palestinians "said" they wanted. So the response of the Palestinians was to launch a war in direct violation of Oslo which resulted the deaths of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. The corrupt Palestinians never miss a chance to miss a chance. What if they stopped being victims and just built their own society, ended terror and hate?

[BubbaC33]

OK,which of these allegations are false? I'm not trying to attack you or to mock you or to question your academic background (you do all of these when you reply to what I have written). I am asking a simple question. Which of these allegations is false?

[chaos5701]

No.. ISRAEL IS NOT AN OCCUPIER..­.they WON that land in wars with Arabs.. THEY WON THAT LAND!! HOW CAN YOU BE AN OCCUPIER OF LANDS YOU WON?????????

[Maysoon Zayid]

There are tons of gays in Palestine they even have dance parties so shut up! and yes i have seen them with my own two eyes.

[shotei]

Certainly not in Gaza. Perhaps in the West Bank, which is ruled by the PLO. In Gaza, a party like this would be a wall execution.