Cowards

Excerpts from: 'We Are Very Violent': Israeli War Crimes Mount

By Jonathan Cook, AlterNet. Posted January 10, 2009.

Amnesty International accused Israeli soldiers of using Palestinian civilians as human shields -- a charge Israel has repeatedly levelled against Hamas.

A further petition has been launched by eight Israeli human rights groups, demanding that Israel's Supreme Court ban the army from targeting ambulances and medical personnel.

The petition cites a large number of cases in which Israel has fired on ambulances, arguing that as a result medics have been unable to treat the wounded or transport them to hospital

Four children were found close to starvation alongside 15 bodies, including those of their mothers. Many other civilians were found dead in the area, and others are believed still to be in hiding. Israeli tanks were stationed nearby the destroyed buildings and continued their brutal attack during the whole period.

Al Haq, a Palestinian legal rights group, warned that 80 per cent of the more than 750 Palestinians killed in the fighting so far have been civilians. According to figures cited by the World Health Organisation, at least 40 per cent have been children. Another 3,000 Gazans have been wounded. Israeli casualties are in the low double digits.

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Cowards of the worst most violent kind...is that how Israeli Jews want to be remembered? Is that the legacy they are seeking? There is no justification for this conflict. None. It is time to replace anger with ambivalence if not compassion. It is time to replace failure with a plan for success. It is time to stop thriving in the pain of the past and start living in the hope of the present and the promise of a peaceful future.

Easy to express. Impossible to legislate. I agree with Naomi Klein, that our contribution to ending this conflict should be first to cut off all financial aid, (currently $3billion to Israel from the U.S.). Allow only highly regulated humanitarian aid. Ban imports from the entire region. Heavily sanction. Then, after a time of isolation - engage in conversation. Powerful conversation that refuses to succumb to emotional accusations or prior atrocities. It must be rigidly focused on territory definitions, independent states, peaceful coexistence and collaboration. A negotiation that is focused on similarities Vs differences. Committed to identifying and acknowledging common desires and universal rights of the conflicting parties. When negotiations veer from these goals, we stand up and walk out.

My intent is not to over simplify this situation, by suggesting that there is only one way to solve it. But it is often useful to break conflicts down to bite sized pieces so that they feel less insurmountable. It helps to set priorities and identify potential compromises. Generally it brings clarity,to a complex, multi tiered entity. But it requires commitment and patience. There are many Israeli Jews, in the region that are passionately committed to a resolution. They could masterfully guide this process, along with fellow scholars and diplomats, equally committed and passionate, in Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, U.S., Europe...All are neighbors, wanting a better, peaceful and prosperous life. More important, there are people in these regions who are capable of laying a foundation to materially improve conditions in a peaceful environment. The point,is that it is not just those looking in from the outside, that see the futility of these conflicts. The brutal dismissal of human rights for a chronically unworthy cause...there are thousands within the war zone that see this, as well. They are vocal. But their ability to organize effectively and forcefully is not yet as strong as the military might. Our "highly regulated" humanitarian aid should find these organizations and funnel money to them.

This is a time for "tough love". Although not always successful, this practice usually associated with addicts and their personal nucleus is highly effective and always instructive. The concept of tough love is to be unwavering in your support, only as long as the addict shows a personal commitment to change his/her behavior. And the process of change is sincere, measurable and permanent. It requires the surrounding influences to stop enabling. The terms of the deal are non-negotiable. Both sides have to do their part, aggressively and deliberately. When this fails old behaviors return, destruction ensues and recovery is lost. When it works, the nucleus strengthens, significantly, the addict actively recovers and behavior changes. Life starts to work again. Positive things begin to happen. Recovery is perpetuated.

This process, though obvious, is gut wrenchingly hard. In the Middle East there are a host of things that the people in each region must face. It is not a simple addiction, it is a cross generational journey that must be stopped, crushed and redirected. It is admitting that the suffering and killing is futile, the aftermath is gratuitously devastating and the victory is meaningless. There must be a way to open the hearts and minds of these fighters. They must be able to forgive themselves as well as their aggressors. They must restore their individual honor and believe that they deserve a better life. The burden of shame needs to be destroyed, a feeling of pride must be restored. These aspirations are psychological rather than tactical, they are felt in the heart Vs on the fist. But if you look at all of the significant progress people have made historically in their communities around the world, you will learn that shear will, perseverance and mutual respect for human beings delivered the victory. The achievements have been permanent, unambiguous and inarguable.

We are enabling this conflict, as we denounce it. That makes us complicit in its outcome. Shame on us. We are aiding and abetting, not supporting. This region needs to feel isolated and forced to choose extinction or resolution. We as outsiders cannot manufacture their desires. If they are left alone they will have to dig deep to discover how they want to survive. They will have to choose an enduring path to growth, acceptance and prosperity or a short delusional and painful path to self destruction. It is really not much different than the choice of an addict. He knows that his current way of life is no life at all. At some point he faces his fears, discards his shame and works toward a better life or he dies, never knowing who he really was or what he could have become.