By Stuart Littlewood – London
Sderot, the Israeli township on which Hamas rockets have been ‘raining down’, is the main plank of the Israelis’ attempt to justify the bloodshed they have inflicted on the people of Gaza.
They use it ad nauseam to brainwash the media and their own people. They have studiously counted and broadcast the number of erratic, home-made Qassam rockets coming into Israel, without ever admitting to the huge number of missiles, bombs and shells that Israel’s high-tech military fires into Gaza with much more deadly effect.
Those sympathetic to Israel – can there really be any who still wish to be associated with such appalling crimes? – will be mortified to know that Sderot has no business being where it is. It is built on the lands of a Palestinian village called Najd, which was ethnically cleansed by Jewish terrorists in May 1948, before Israel was declared a state and before any Arab armies entered Palestine. The 600+ villagers, were forced to flee for their lives. Britain was on watch as the mandated government, while this and many other atrocities were committed by terrorists.
Palestinian Arabs owned over 90 percent of the land in Najd and, according to UN Resolution 194 and also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they have a right to return home.
But as we have come to expect, Israel refuses to recognise the rights of others and will not allow them back. Anyway, what is there for them to return to?
The 82 homes there were bulldozed. Najd was one of 418 Palestinian villages and towns ethnically cleansed and wiped off the map by Zionists. Its inhabitants, presumably, became refugees in Gaza and their families are probably still living in camps there. The sweet irony is that some of them were probably manning the rocket launchers; well, wouldn’t you?
Several months ago when Barak Obama visited Sderot (he didn’t have the gumption to call in on Gaza) he spouted the well-worn mantra backing Israel’s right to protect its citizens from rocket attacks. "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing." Well said, Obama. But presumably you wouldn’t be so arrogant as to live on land stolen from your neighbour at the point of a gun.
Find yourself some new advisers, Obama, ones that are savvy enough to brief you on the facts about Sderot and everything else about the Palestinians’ plight. Relying on Israeli propaganda lies will only make you look like another mindless Zionist tool.
As the slaughter goes off the dial, what pearls of wisdom are we getting from the EU?
The Czech EU presidency spokesman defended Israel, saying: "We understand this step as a defensive, not offensive, action." Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, currently leading a EU delegation to the region, said Israel had the right to defend itself, clearly reading off Israeli notes and forgetting that the Palestinians have an equal right to self defence. "Let us realize one thing: Hamas increased steeply the number of rockets fired at Israel since the ceasefire ended on Dec.19,"
This staunch ally of Washington understands nothing, as demonstrated when he went on to say that Hamas had excluded itself from serious political debate due to its rocket attacks on Israel. "Why am I one of the few that have expressed understanding for Israel? … I am enjoying the luxury of telling the truth," said Schwarzenberg. This would have been achingly funny if ignorance at such a senior level weren’t so dangerous! Those silly words earned him a cringe-making thank-you from none other than American Jewish Committee. Thus”
Dear Minister Schwarzenberg:
“On behalf of the American Jewish Committee, we write to thank you for your unwavering public recognition of Israel’s right to self-defense against repeated rocket and mortar attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza. Your recent comments once again demonstrated the courage and moral clarity of your support for a fellow democracy, Israel, in the face of an unrelenting terrorist threat. We applaud your principled leadership and your commitment to, in your words, “telling the truth.” We will continue to rely upon both as the Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the European Union…”
Respectfully,
Richard J. Sideman
David A. Harris
30 December 2008
This is what happens when a juggernaut like the EU finds itself ‘led’ by a nobody in an hour of crisis. Back in the 1940s the Czechs supplied Jewish terrorists with weapons to be used against the British. How dare you, Schwarzenberg, make us Brits accomplices in Israel’s crimes? Taint yourself if you wish, but DON’T TAINT US!
Sarkozy of France told the Lebanese press that the Hamas ”bears major responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, because it decided to break the truce and begin launching rockets again into Israel.” Another one who doesn’t do his homework before opening his mouth.
And where is Blair our wonder peace-envoy in all this? Still trying to find the balls to go see Hamas. He says: "We are doing everything we possibly can to bring about an end to a situation of immense suffering and deprivation. I know over next few days there are going to be intensive diplomatic efforts. We will increase our efforts to bring about a resolution to this situation."
So why haven’t there been intensive efforts before now? How many must die or be maimed before you pull your finger out? Tell you what, Tony, if the Israelis won’t listen, say to them in a nice clear voice: “Ceasefire immediately or say goodbye to economic and technological co-operation.” If they still act deaf, you could add: “Say goodbye to your London embassy also. You loons are not taking us Brits down with you.”
Meantime Livni reiterated her country’s position, that it was Hamas and not the Palestinian people that were the targets: "This is a war against terror… we have nothing against the Palestinians." Great. So why does your illegal occupation continue? Why are you still making their lives a misery? Why slaughter their kids? Why trash their infrastructure and public institutions?
Today, I think the last (and most chilling) word goes to Dr Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a co-founder of Hamas. He warned: "They [the Israelis] have legitimised the murder of their own children by killing the children of Palestine. They have legitimised the destruction of their synagogues and their schools by hitting our mosques and our schools."
Al-Zahar knows all about a father’s grief. He has been the target of assassination attempts. His two sons were killed and his daughter injured in Israeli raids.
-Stuart Littlewood is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. For further information please visit www.radiofreepalestine.co.uk. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.
