Jewish group asks pope to lead anti-bomber campaign

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01615384.htm

ROME, Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Jewish leaders on Monday urged Pope John Paul to lead what they called an international moral campaign to demand that the United Nations make suicide bombings formally punishable as crimes against humanity.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, made the request during a meeting with the 83-year-old pope to give the pontiff the center's 2003 humanitarian award.

"A deliberately planned suicide bombing that inflicts mass murders should be deemed a crime against humanity," he told a news conference afterwards.

"And not only should the suicide bombers be held culpable but also their agents. They should all be brought to the bar of justice."

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[pdove]

1. pope should condem illegal occupation

and death to occupiers.

[Gimel]

15. He has condemned

Israel's "occupation". "Death to occupiers" is, however, a radical request.

[Entente]

2. Why

Is a suicidal bombing worst than a homicidal bombing?


This does not make sense. Kiling is killing is killing.

[BlackFrancis]

3. it's not..

but you can't jump right out and say that bombs that kill Jews are bad and bombs that kill Muslims are self-defence so... :shrug:

[Wwagsthedog]

4. How does he propose that the pope should condemn suicide bombers?

In absentia, of course.

[durutti]

5. My Feelings

Yes, suicide bombers should be condemned. Attacking civilians under any circumstance should be considered a crime against humanity.

However, the occupation should also be condemned, as well as Israel's denial of the right of return, assassinations, collective punishments, and deliberate targeting of civilians.

Why they're petitioning the Pope is beyond me. The Vatican has sided with the Palestinians on any number of things in the past.

[BlackFrancis]

6. to try and paint him as Pius IX

It's a cheap gimmick.

[Zhade]

7. Okay, I am NOT advocating violence, but here's a question.

Why don't Palestinian resistance fighters target the Israeli army?

Now, please, before I get flamed by anyone, understand that I am strictly speaking of this from a logical standpoint. I do not wish for the deaths of anyone.

Attacking Israeli civilians is just as reprehensible as attacking Palestinian civilians. An unarmed noncombatant is an unarmed noncombatant, regardless of race, creed, religion, or whatever.

Your average person does not support Israeli civilians being murdered. Where they are aware of it, they also condemn the murder of Palestinian civilians. By targeting Israeli civilians, I feel the Palestinians are hurting their cause maybe even as much as Sharon and the Likudniks are.

If resistance to the occupation were targeted at Israeli soldiers who commit violence against Palestinian civilians, people - Americans included - would lose one of the most influential arguments against the Palestinian people and in favor of the Israeli government's actions.

Ironically, by not attacking civilians, the Palestinians militants may lose the international spotlight, or at least suffer a period of lessened media attention on their plight. But this is no reason to continue killing civilians.

Killing Israeli soldiers involved in crushing the Palestinians under an illegal occupation would be a loss for the Israeli people, and a tragedy - but according to international law, resistance against an invading army is legal. By attacking the soldiers, and not the Israeli public that has been lied to by Sharon and others, the Palestinian cause would gain larger support, and less people worldwide could argue that the Palestinian resistance is immoral.

Again - not a fan of violence. But I have wondered about this question for a while. Does anyone have any ideas why this route isn't pursued by the militants?

[BlackFrancis]

8. They do..

They do it rather often as a matter of fact.

[Zhade]

9. Ahhhh. So, we just don't hear about it?

That makes quite a lot of sense, actually. No surprise that such news would be censored here.

[Gimel]

16. At least as often

as perhaps 05% of the time.

[durutti]

10. A Few Things

Many Palestinian resistance fighters *do* target only Israeli military targets -- soldiers and paramilitary settlers. That's the official policy of Fatah, the Palestinian People's Party, the Palestine Democratic Union, the Palestine Revolutionary Communist Party, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Until recently, it was also the policy of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Even groups like Hamas have said that they only target civilians in retaliation for killings of Palestinian civilians (not that it makes them any more justified).

In fact, *most* Palestinian resistance takes the form of nonviolent protest and/or violence directed against military targets. They just don't get the attention of suicide bombings.

There are a few reasons why terrorist attacks persist. One, as I mentioned above, is the fact that Palestinians feel the need to retaliate. Another is the fact that the Palestinians are severely outgunned. Consequently, many of them resort to attacking "soft targets".

In any case, complete nonviolence hasn't worked. The Oslo years were nonviolent, yet during that time, Israel built a record number of settlements.

[dai]

14. Which group...

...blew up the "invincible" Merkavas?

A fairly conservative Israeli friend of mine is always taunting me because Israeli tanks are better than American tanks...as if this were the source of my national pride.

[The Magistrate]

12. Well Said, Sir

It would be very much to the advantage of the cause of Arab Palestine if the various militant bodies aimed their attacks against members of the Israeli military services. as a matter of unfortunate fact, they generally do otherwise. Only about one fifth of the Israelis killed by the various Arab Palestinian irregular bodies are soldiers. Nearly three fifths of the Arab Palestinians killed by Israeli military forces are acknowledged members of the various armed irregular bodies.

[loudnclear]

11. I need help with this, please!

Suicide bombers...aren't they dead at the end of the bombing?
What did I miss here?

Also, will the Pope ask that target assassinations that kill innocent people be made a crime against humanity?

[Lithos]

13. Let me take a stab for you

I think the issue is not about those who serve as a weapon carrier, but rather towards those who recruit, organize, train and oversee the use of such human weapons.

There is an obvious campaign to actively recruit people into what has been called "The Cult of the Suicide Bomber". It is a very apropriate title too as the recruiters often employ the same techniques used by cults in their recruitment and induction of vulnerable people.

L-