| The Aggression towards Gaza and the Official European Discourse |  |  |
| Written by Nassar Ibrahim, Alternative Information Center (AIC) | |
| Monday, 05 January 2009 | |
 A Palestinian child being brought to the Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The child was wounded during Israeli military operations in Gaza, 4 January 2009. The European leaders and their supporting propaganda arms do not miss any occasion, whether important or trivial, to arrogantly demonstrate for us (and the EU-citizenry themselves) their hobby of acting as educator to us, the backwards, underdeveloped nations, and instruct us in the principles of democracy and morality. This tendency pushed us to a stage in which we, the nations who are still living the culture of apes, condemn ourselves as we failed to develop our behavior and awareness to the (expected) level of our master's desires. Suddenly, as we watched the flowing blood in Gaza, we awoke from the illusion to discover that we are nothing; we are just numbers in the calculations of those killed and wounded, numbers that have nothing to do with the principles of democracy and human rights. It is enough that Barak, Olmert, or even Livni declare that we are terrorists in order to utterly mute the European moral teachers. Suddenly, we discover that democracy has additional connotations in no apparent contradiction to the Israeli occupation. Suddenly we discover that resisting the occupation, whether by leftists or those on the Right, is a type of terrorism for which its practitioners deserve annihilation by F-16s, Apache helicopters and a variety of other destructive machinery. Suddenly we discovered that the women, men, children, and youth in Gaza are marked for death because they resist the Israeli democratic, moral, civilized, and human occupation.
We also suddenly discovered that morals, in accordance with the European political discourse, possess another meaning that has no connection to the dreams of Spartacus, to the Magna Carta, to values of the French revolution, or to the Constitution of the United States of America. Presently, the fifth strongest military in the world continues to show off its heroism by attacking 1.5 million Palestinians. Despite this, the moral masters throughout Europe and the West remain silent, attempting to delicately select the terms they use, in an effort to avoid provoking Israel, the sole party possessing the right to classify what is correct and what is incorrect for itself and others. The educators suddenly (actually not suddenly, as they were always so) lose their bravery and are transformed into mere cowards, lacking an ability to shout "Stop!" in the face of the flowing blood. Based on this same "moral" backdrop, the spokesperson of the White House disputes even the number of Palestinians killed: "You are right, Mr. President, the actual number of those killed is not, for instance, 385, but two hundred, or a hundred, or ten." It is just a meaningless number, isn't it? I sat and began imagining what would happen if a European nation faced what Palestinians are facing now (without wishing that to happen to any nation, of course); and if I would stand on a podium and blame the victim nation as it fights for its freedom; and I wondered what the world would say!. What we the Palestinians are facing now is similar (yet on a different level) to the failure of people to understand (or perhaps to choose not to understand) the motivation that compelled the brave Iraqi journalist, Muntader Zaydi, to throw his shoes at the American president. Subsequently, Western politicians continue their hobby of lecturing us, the undeveloped and uncivilized nations, about human rights and democracy. The paradox that the European leaders, the masters of morality, face today is that it is they themselves who reduce the principles of democracy and human rights—for which so many have struggled these many years—by transforming them into tools for political gain. And by doing so, they are losing their ability to affect events. Hence, the great masters of politics and morals in the "modern world" stand unable to utter a clear position in response to the crimes This is how Europe lost its active role, moral dimensions, initiative and political bravery—by deciding to stay in the back, void of any political and military depth or initiative, despite all the destruction that Israel hast brought to so many regions of our globe. Yet, there could still be a light at the end of the tunnel to help those interested in understanding how the conflict in Palestine is a struggle for freedom and life. It represents a conflict between two types of politics, morals, and choices. For sixty years already, Israel has been using the arguments of its choosing, to justify its ongoing crimes against the Palestinians, and it might claim that the purpose of the killing and destruction in Gaza is to protect its residents. Notwithstanding, nothing can change the fact that There is still hope that the conscience of the European citizenry will awaken, as they know the principles of humanity and democracy more than their politicians do. The European nations will be able to stop those who dared to violate their consciousness and provide justification for the oppression of nations struggling for freedom and dignity, following in the footsteps of the Europeans themselves who paid a high price for their freedom and dignity. |
Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez aka: Peta
Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
Key Link: http://www.NetworkAztlan.com
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