AchtungBono
Refugee
Hi everyone,
I don't post very often in U2....even though I like the group very much and I admire Bono for his tireless efforts to promote justice for the downtrodden.
I'm reading all the posts about Israel (my country) and about the Palestinian problem and I can't keep silent about this anymore.
I apologize in advance if this post offends anyone but I really must speak my mind now and give you a little insight to this ongoing problem as someone who has been living in Israel for the past 34 years.
-----
First of all, I would like to state that I am very much a peace-lover and I welcome any true and sincere effort to end the bloody conflict between us and the Arab nations in general and the Palestinians in particular. I was full of hope when the Oslo accords were signed in 1993 and I really wanted to believe that there was a chance for the Israelis and Palestinians to sit down, work out the differences and reach a permanent solution.
I would also like to say that I am very much FOR an independant Palestinian state co-existing with Israel and I am FOR territorial compromise.
However, I need to stress the following points:
Our war is NOT with the average Palestinian in the street, meaning - the man who is doing an honest day's work to feed his children, the woman who is struggling to maintain a decent home...all these people I respect and honour.....
The animals in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad who blow themselves up in restaurants and busses for a false sense of duty and redemption MUST be dealt with viciously and decisevly(sp?). They know that Israel does not target civillians and therefore they hide themselves among the civillian population, thinking they will be safe.
Actually, if you think about it, the average Palestinian in the street is safer in Gaza than I am in Tel-Aviv because HE is not a target but I AM. I'm very aware of the fact that my next bus ride could be my last because some idiot in a bedsheet wants to have 70 virgins in heaven......but I live my life from day to day praying that the right people will come to power for BOTH parties and we can finally sit down and talk like we have to do.
There is a vicious cycle of violence - the Hamas and Islamic Jihad attack our people and we respond with our missile strikes against the nests of these vipers (which, as I mentioned, are situated among the civillian population).....then they "retaliate" against our attacks, which bring MORE retaliation and so on and so on and so on.....
My heart grieves for the innocent Palestinians who are hurt and killed but we are NOT the vicious "nazi killers" portrayed in the media. We are fighting for our lives and we are trying only to eradicate the terrorists hiding in populated areas.
The terrorists have no qualms and no conscience about standing next to a carriage with a 3-month old baby in it and then pushing the button to deliberately murder the baby and dozens of others. WE have no qualms about going after the murderers responsible....
Put yourselves in OUR place - constant threats to our safety, surrounded by enemies on all sides (except for Jordan and Egypt).....how would YOU feel? not knowing when you leave the house in the morning if you would return the same night? What kind of an existance is that???
At the same time, I'm putting myself in the average Palestinian's shoes....poverty, uncertainty. national limbo and a constant bombardment from the Israeli airforce. It must be pure HELL for them and I truly sympathize - I really do.
The Palestinians have been fed all their lives with a constant stream of HATRED towards Israel and instead of trying to reach a solution to this problem, which will lead them to a better life in the long-run, they perpetuate this hatred from generation to generation. The Palestinians are NOT our enemies....the terrorists ARE.
We will defend ourselves when we're attacked and, unfortunately, civillians will continue to be hurt and killed as long as the terrorists continue to have absolutely no regard for the lives of their people.
Besides, the hatred of the Palestinians towards us started WAY before 1967 so the issue is NOT land and occupied territories but rather a blind hatred for the very existance of the state of Israel.
And just for the record, I did NOT vote for Ariel Sharon and I don't agree with his policies.
Last, but not least, I respect the peace-loving muslims and I believe that Islam on the whole is a peaceful religion and that the terrorists who think they are reaping the rewards of heaven are actually suffering all the torments of hell.
I hope I've made myself clear.
Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the day when I'll be able to truly be free in my country and the Palestinians can be free in theirs.
XXX
Elaine
Tel-Aviv, Israel
I don't post very often in U2....even though I like the group very much and I admire Bono for his tireless efforts to promote justice for the downtrodden.
I'm reading all the posts about Israel (my country) and about the Palestinian problem and I can't keep silent about this anymore.
I apologize in advance if this post offends anyone but I really must speak my mind now and give you a little insight to this ongoing problem as someone who has been living in Israel for the past 34 years.
-----
First of all, I would like to state that I am very much a peace-lover and I welcome any true and sincere effort to end the bloody conflict between us and the Arab nations in general and the Palestinians in particular. I was full of hope when the Oslo accords were signed in 1993 and I really wanted to believe that there was a chance for the Israelis and Palestinians to sit down, work out the differences and reach a permanent solution.
I would also like to say that I am very much FOR an independant Palestinian state co-existing with Israel and I am FOR territorial compromise.
However, I need to stress the following points:
Our war is NOT with the average Palestinian in the street, meaning - the man who is doing an honest day's work to feed his children, the woman who is struggling to maintain a decent home...all these people I respect and honour.....
The animals in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad who blow themselves up in restaurants and busses for a false sense of duty and redemption MUST be dealt with viciously and decisevly(sp?). They know that Israel does not target civillians and therefore they hide themselves among the civillian population, thinking they will be safe.
Actually, if you think about it, the average Palestinian in the street is safer in Gaza than I am in Tel-Aviv because HE is not a target but I AM. I'm very aware of the fact that my next bus ride could be my last because some idiot in a bedsheet wants to have 70 virgins in heaven......but I live my life from day to day praying that the right people will come to power for BOTH parties and we can finally sit down and talk like we have to do.
There is a vicious cycle of violence - the Hamas and Islamic Jihad attack our people and we respond with our missile strikes against the nests of these vipers (which, as I mentioned, are situated among the civillian population).....then they "retaliate" against our attacks, which bring MORE retaliation and so on and so on and so on.....
My heart grieves for the innocent Palestinians who are hurt and killed but we are NOT the vicious "nazi killers" portrayed in the media. We are fighting for our lives and we are trying only to eradicate the terrorists hiding in populated areas.
The terrorists have no qualms and no conscience about standing next to a carriage with a 3-month old baby in it and then pushing the button to deliberately murder the baby and dozens of others. WE have no qualms about going after the murderers responsible....
Put yourselves in OUR place - constant threats to our safety, surrounded by enemies on all sides (except for Jordan and Egypt).....how would YOU feel? not knowing when you leave the house in the morning if you would return the same night? What kind of an existance is that???
At the same time, I'm putting myself in the average Palestinian's shoes....poverty, uncertainty. national limbo and a constant bombardment from the Israeli airforce. It must be pure HELL for them and I truly sympathize - I really do.
The Palestinians have been fed all their lives with a constant stream of HATRED towards Israel and instead of trying to reach a solution to this problem, which will lead them to a better life in the long-run, they perpetuate this hatred from generation to generation. The Palestinians are NOT our enemies....the terrorists ARE.
We will defend ourselves when we're attacked and, unfortunately, civillians will continue to be hurt and killed as long as the terrorists continue to have absolutely no regard for the lives of their people.
Besides, the hatred of the Palestinians towards us started WAY before 1967 so the issue is NOT land and occupied territories but rather a blind hatred for the very existance of the state of Israel.
And just for the record, I did NOT vote for Ariel Sharon and I don't agree with his policies.
Last, but not least, I respect the peace-loving muslims and I believe that Islam on the whole is a peaceful religion and that the terrorists who think they are reaping the rewards of heaven are actually suffering all the torments of hell.
I hope I've made myself clear.
Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the day when I'll be able to truly be free in my country and the Palestinians can be free in theirs.
XXX
Elaine
Tel-Aviv, Israel
