Sharon's War on Palestinian Kids

[bluesoul]

By GIDEON LEVY
Ha'aretz

Why was Asma Abu al-Haija arrested? Why did she have to spend nine months in prison, sleeping on the floor of her cell? Why was a woman arrested, not interrogated, not accused of anything and then released nine very difficult months later, without any explanation? Just because she is a Palestinian, so anything can be done to her? Was she really arrested solely in order to put pressure on her husband, the Hamas spokesman in Jenin, who is also in Israeli prison? Is this legal? Moral? Could there be any other reason? If so, why wasn't she brought to trial for it? Forget justice, but what about a drop of compassion for a sick woman with a brain tumor, who is going blind, has undergone brain surgery twice, who has five children left alone at home in the refugee camp, without a mother, without a father, without their older brother?

All these questions continue to hover in the attractive home in the heart of the Jenin refugee camp, the home to which Asma Abu al-Haija finally returned a few weeks ago. She returned to her five free children and to a house that had been refurbished, and of course, there was much happiness.

Asma says the children became very independent when she was away. One after the other, they returned from school one afternoon this week, kissed their mother and tossed down their bookbags, as if nothing unusual had happened. Only 7-year-old Sajida still gets up sometimes in the middle of the night, frightened by the sound of tanks or jeeps in the street, and leaps into her mother's bed to hold her tight. Sajida has not forgotten that cold, dark night in February when the soldiers came and took her mother away. She won't ever forget it.

<snip>

Source: http://www.counterpunch.org/levy12172003.html

[Jim Sagle]

1. At least she wasn't blown to bits by a suicide bomber.

[bluesoul]

2. My oh my

your comments are so full of compassion for Palestinian victims...

[Tempest]

3. If things like the article describes didn't happen

Maybe there would be no need for suicide bombers.

[Gimel]

4. Or if Arafat had agreed

to a 2-State solution in August of 2000. If they lost a few dunams of land, or got less than their big eyes wanted, so what? They needn't have started a suicide bombing assult. Then lots of people on both sides would still be alive today Something like 3,000.

[Resistance]

5. Barak walked out on the talks

Everyone knows that. (at least everyone here does)

[Gimel]

13. Of course you are

referring to the Taba talks following, not the Peace talks. Taba never concluded. You are stating a distortion of facts.

[dfong63]

6. look at the separation wall and tell us who has the "big eyes"

[Gimel]

14. A total of 39 sq mi

Of the 150 km fence so far completed, more than half is on the Green Line. Look at the separation wall, and you'll see a successful peace plan. The PA wants every milimeter of land to the East of the Green Line, and they want the re-settle the rest of Israel. Doesn't make a bit of sense. They plain don't want peace. The wall is the only successful implementation of peace.

[Tempest]

10. Common response

Yours is a common response when (1) you don't know what actually happened at the talks and (2) when you don't know the actual terms of the so-called land solution.

[Blitz]

7. Are you saying that there is currently a need for suicide bombers?

EOM.

[Resistance]

8. how about questioning Sharon's war on kids

instead of trying to trap other DUers with word games

[Tempest]

9. If I were a Palestinian

And watched as old women and children were killed in haphazard and ill-advised raids by Israeli gunships, then my answer would have to be yes.

[Resistance]

11. well

do you really think that just because the Israeli military murders thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians provides justification for murdering their civilians?

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jack Rabbit]

15. A classic red herring

Given that no one has discussed the article after 14 posts, a very effective one, too.

[GabysPoppy]

17. Or could it be because

people are a bit tired of the unbiased(?) viewpoints of counterpunch which adds nothing objective to any discussion.
The "red herring" begins with anything posted from that source.

Given the assignment, counterpunch would have a writer do a story that the hole in the bagel is a hidden Israeli conspiracy to deprive the Palestinian people of nourishment.

[Resistance]

18. so Sharon's war on kids doesn't bother you

it's Counterpunch reprinting a Haaretz article that does.

[bluesoul]

20. I guess Haaretz is not good enough

for some, so Jpost is the prefered option...

[meti57b]

22. CounterPunch cherrypicks around for ....

single incidents that fit their own particular anti-Israel bias, and presents those incidents as the general case.

[bluesoul]

23. Who doesn't cherrypick?

Jpost maybe?

[Jack Rabbit]

24. Ah, thank you

That at least raises a legitimate question. Without denying that what happened to Asma is an outrage, the objection is raised that there is nothing in the story to suggest that this is a common practice.

[bluesoul]

25. Hey as long as

Counterpunch is bashed and Jpost idolized, everything is fine and dandy here...

[GabysPoppy]

26. Jack, here you are right - except

There are no shortage of posters to insist that it is common and there in lays the problem.

[Jack Rabbit]

27. I don't doubt that

Hey, I used to moderate this forum. I know what posters do here.

It wouldn't surprise me, either, if there are posters who aren't going to admit that what happened to Asma is at all outrageous and that any mistreatment of Palestinians is justifed by security concerns and ask why we should care what Israelis do to Palestinians because so many of them support suicide bombing. And no, I'm not going to name anybody or cite specific examples.

But let's get beyond those people. Those of us on both sides willing to discuss the matter rationally shouldn't let them stop us.

This is a story of a mother whose children were left to fend for themselves for a lengthy period of time. She was taken into detention for questioning. She could have been released within hours, but was held for nine months. No one knew exactly how long she would be held. In addition, the woman has health concerns that need attention. Being detained indefinitely was detremental to her receiving that care.

At the very least, we should be asking what the Israeli authorities could have done differently to accommodate this woman's special needs. There's no reason for the pro-Israeli posters to get defensive about this. The lady could have been accommodated without compromising Israel's security concerns. The point is that her relatives should have been notified if she was to be detained for more than a day in order to make arrangements for the care of the children.

Then we can ask whether his case is an anomoly or common.

[bluesoul]

19. I could say the same for

Jpost, Fox&Corkum and all those RW sources posted here. Are THEY objective? Please don't make me laugh...

[Jack Rabbit]

21. It's a red herring

The logical fallacy called a red herring from the practice of escaped prisoners dumping the contents of jars of pickled herring on the ground to throw the bloodhounds off his scent.

It is an argument designed to divert attention from the matter at hand.

Suicide bombings have been discussed on other threads, but they have little to do with this one. It is doubtful that holding the lady for nine months while her children fended for themselves had any direct effect one way or the other on the violence that took place in the meantime.

Post number 1 is a red herring. Not only is the poster guilty, but so are those who fell into his trap.

[Jack Rabbit]

16. This story tells of an outrage

The lady is taken in for questioning and held without charges for the better part of a year, while her children must fend for themselves.

Israel has legitimate security concerns, but the welfare of those children is a matter of concern, too. It seems as though in this case, it was not.

Couldn't the Israelis have taken care of whatever business they had with the lady more expeditiously? Couldn't they have notified someone how long she would be detained so that arrangements could be made for the children?