-Professor: "Has anyone been keeping up with what's going on with Gaza these days?"
-general nods all around and a few feeble "yah"s
-Professor: "Well, there's going to be a war; you might as well know why and what's going on."
This is how this evening's From Che Guevara to Osama bin Laden: The International Maze of Terrorism and Guerilla Warfare (got all that?) seminar started off tonight.
Coincidentally, my friend e-mailed me this article this morning about Mubarak's lack of action against the Israeli siege on Gaza.
My professor explained that Hamas has been shooting rockets from Gaza into neighboring Israeli neighborhoods like Sderot even during the so-called truce. He said that everyone was just waiting for that "strategic missile" that will end up killing 10 or more Israelis (he's quite blunt-he said "we're just waiting for one to hit a nursery school.") Then, the process of gradual escalation will have begun, and soon, there will be a full-scale attack by the IDF into Gaza. According to him, this will (finally) be the elimination of Hamas leadership in Gaza.
Maybe you can eliminate the leaders, but the ideas will remain. If not Hamas, won't it be someone else?
He told us that 45 rockets had been launched into southern Israel in the last 48 hours.
"We are living in an insane reality. Enough is enough."
He angrily asked us, "What other country would tolerate missiles aimed at its cities?". He likened the scenario to Mexico shooting rockets to American border cities. He asked, "What would America do if this happened to you?" The answer is obvious.
He lamented that the Israeli government had let Hamas get as powerful as it is in Gaza right now, and compared the situation in Gaza to the one in Afghanistan.
However, he said he would never support an attack on Gaza without a solid and clear exit policy. No more Iraqs or Vietnams. He proposed that the Saudis invest in Gaza or that there be an international economic aid plan, though this will be difficult especially with the world economy slowly crumbling right now.
While he was saying all this, I was furiously writing away in my planner with little quotes of his with plans to write about it later, and he told me that he felt like he was being watched by Human Rights Watch-I wondered how he knew what my politics were anyway? I guess he realized this because he tempered this later by calling me the C.I.A.
His spiel reminded me of something else that is quite interesting: my Palestinian history professor has been telling us for quite some time that this coming January elections for the Palestinian Authority are going to be an extremely tense and volatile period; Mahmoud Abbas (current President of the PA) was/will be re-elected by Fatah, but Hamas in Gaza does not recognize his re-election. Hamas is threatening to elect separate leadership for Gaza thereby splitting the Palestinian people both physically and ideologically.
This professor has also been telling us all along that the time is ripe for a third Intifada-if not a civil war, and , and these January elections will act as the catalyst. This Intifada won't be against Israelis in actuality, but against them in practicality just to unite the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank together against a common cause.
But now, in the light of recent events, I wonder how this will affect the January elections?
4 comments:
A great irony here — among many in the state-worshiping professor's spiel — is that many (if not most) of those bottle-rockets from Gaza are being fired by militants affiliated with Abbas' Fatah junta. You know: the alleged "peace partner" of Israel's. I could write a book on the dark ironies and sheer frauds comprising his seminar [sic]; but suffice it to summarize thus: when the occupying state is an indomitable regional power (in this case, Israel), there is NO — I repeat, NO — moral, legal, or practical defense for an aggressive military invasion of the territory of the occupied people. In almost every case, more innocents suffer and die than do "legitimate targets." The governments of Hamas and Fatah — and the division of Palestinian society their violent infighting creates — are the vehicles through which the Israeli government keeps the Palestinian PEOPLE (especially of Gaza) dependent on Israel and its criminal state allies (USA, Egypt, et al.) for social, economic, and political services. What's even more nefarious and unforgivable is that the international state (U.N.), which is supposed to protect the downtrodden and prevent such humanitarian atrocities, is an accomplice to the inhumanity. Can you imagine being occupied, bombed, and starved; denied imports and exports; having tax revenue stolen by the occupier; having your only power plant bombed; having the world's superpower subsidize the inhumanity; AND having the U.N. approve of it all? In the face of 60+ UNSC Resolutions?
You'll never get a fundamental, contextual reality from the New York Times, most university professors, or politicians. Indeed, they have all the incentive to promote the state's enrichment and expansion through neverending war and conquest. The U.S. Department of Education doesn't provide curricula to teachers in order for those same teachers to criticize the state and refute its self-serving propaganda. Think about that. The Israeli military establishment doesn't allow the Associated Press to operate in W. Jerusalem in order for Steve Gutkin, Josef Federman, et al., to tell the truth about Israeli colonizaion, international law, and Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli terrorists — ahem, I mean settlers — in the West Bank. Let that sink in for awhile, then read this little essay on exactly what "the State" is and why it does what it does. In general, read between the mainstream, nationalistic lines being drawn by establishment officials, press, and "educators." It took me until well-past my college years to see beyond the state-worshiping BS; don't let them brainwash you and your friends like they did to me and mine. That said, don't take my words for Gospel either; decide for yourself. Most of all, do not be afraid to speak up and disagree with the establishment spiel. If they curse you or throw tomatoes, then you may have already won! Best of wishes, and Merry Christmas and Happy Channukah.
Most of all, I wanted to impart to you an appreciation of the difference between defending the individual ("Average Joe," "the people," and so on) against the state ("the establishment," the "empire," and so on), and defending the state against the individual or a group of individuals who resist the state. This goes to the most-root level of societal struggles — way beyond left v. right, Dem v. Rep, Muslim v. Jew, etc., which are peddled in the press and classrooms. True: Hamas is a state entity as well; but, Hamas' individual members are also victims of the larger imperial states. The people v. state dichotomy is the one most ignored by MSM and other statist entities because morality, legality, and truth are always on the side of the people whom the state rules over. (That said, Che Guevera was not an admirable figure in my estimation; in fact, he used the power of the state to crush other individuals who opposed the state for whom he was a mercenary. Not being at your seminar, I'd assume that this would be the only subject upon which I would have agreed with your brain-washer — ahem, I mean professor.)
wow, thank you for your response and for taking the time to write out such a response. It's obvious that you are very opinionated and passionate about this subject.
I'm definitely very aware that the Hebrew U (where I'm currently studying abroad) has an agenda. Mandatory Ulpan and Hebrew classes that take up most of my schedule and all...professors who mostly share the same point of view while others seem to censor themselves around the administration..but I'm not complaining. (Though god knows I did before.)
I wrote this post with the intention of sharing the views of someone who I think is very right-wing, has intense loyalties to the state of Israel, and who above all, I consider to be an expert on Israeli security and military issues.
Additionally, since I am abroad and am able to hear all these point of views whether I agree with them or not, I think they are all valid and need to be heard. I agree with you; there must be a clear distinction between defending the people from the state and defending the state from the people.
I understand that fundamentally, Israel is a state-Hamas is an organization; Fatah is an organization; the PA is a representative; Palestine does not yet exist-it is still just "territories". That's why I was also confused if this could be considered a war, (?) Though I had not heard that Fatah is behind the rocket firings...but it doesn't really surprise me either.
I think that both sides carry valid points. Palestinians in the West Bank are starving-last I heard, people were starting to pick through garbage; it's getting and has been for quite some time, unbearable.
Just like my professor said, it's "an insane reality. Enough is enough." Living in these conditions-truly an insane reality.
But on the other hand, it's also difficult for the people (yes, the Israelis) living near Gaza to have rockets constantly flying overhead on them. Sure, it isn't like several people are dying from them on a daily basis, but I can't even imagine the psychological toll it must be taking on them-and the kids.
That being said, I can't even begin to fathom life under occupation.
You know, my Palestinian professor often gets emotional in class. And each time he does, I don't think the students in the class quite know how to react. Either they're just not really paying attention (8:30 am for a college student is rough) or it's hard to empathize; though one can sympathize, there's always that element of lacking personal experience.
Anyway, the last time he became emotional was when he was telling us a personal anecdote of his about a checkpoint, a pregnant daughter-in-law and just the general frustration and humiliation. He apologized afterward and told us that he usually gets more emotional to his (Palestinian) students because "they are involved; you are not."
This made me sad: 1)he doesn't consider us "his" students-we are just visitors he happens to be lecturing; 2) he's right; we are not nor will we ever be as emotionally invested in the conflict as those suffering from it are or will.
Furthermore, I most definitely agree with you that an aggressive military answer will cause deaths-unnecessary, innocent deaths-mostly of course of Palestinians. There must be a diplomatic resolution, but I don't believe either side's leaders are willing to come up with another half-assed, failure of an agreement. In the end, I don't believe anything will really be solved-like I said, if not Hamas, won't it be someone else? Someone more radicalized?
Living here has been quite an experience. I've become more impassioned, more aware, more frustrated-at times, jaded.
My only hope was to share with any readers-who mostly happen to be my friends back home, the things that I learn about and hear from my experiences here because they are not here.
Again, thanks for your response-and the advice. I've got so much to learn yet.
Points well-taken. Thank you. I think you are doing well for yourself, then — accomplsihing that for which you've endeavored. It's easy for people to comment from afar, but until you've gathered evidence "from the field," as they would say in certain disciplines, you have yet to deal with the reality from either side. I commend you for doing just that and keping an open mind all the while. You take good care of yourself — your body, of course, but most importantly, your heart and mind. Keeping up this blog will go a long way toward that. -Dan
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