Getting Gaza Straight

http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2009/01/07/Forum/Guest.Column.Getting.Gaza.Straight-3582233.shtml

This is an article written by a Northwestern student in Chicago. I, also a Northwestern student, but in Qatar, decided to respond.

Article (Daniel Farahi):

I learned a great deal during my five months spent studying abroad in Israel. Whether it was making Israeli friends or eating authentic falafel in Israeli homes, my experience there gave me a real taste of life in the Middle East's only true democracy.

Few experiences, however, were more powerful than my visit to Sderot, an Israeli city that directly borders the Gaza strip. Since Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in 2005 in a gesture of peace, Israel has been bombarded with more than 6,300 terrorist-launched rockets and mortars. Their rockets can land anywhere and can be launched at any time. And you don't know where the rocket will strike until it hits.

The families I met in this small town spoke of the constant fears and anxiety that I, an American with friendly neighbors in Canada and Mexico, have never experienced. I saw pain in the eyes of every parent I met in Sderot. They build their days around their proximity to bomb shelters, making leaving home even for the shortest errand or playground visit a nearly impossible task. Why? Because in Sderot, you have 15 seconds. Fifteen seconds from the time the rocket warning system sounds to the moment that rocket hits the next home, school or playground. Fifteen seconds to gather your family and try to run to the nearest shelter, feeling helpless when you can't find a loved one in time. This is the painful reality for the nearly 500,000 residents of southern Israel. And with Hamas's newest technology, an estimated 900,000 Israelis are now in range of their rockets, according to the Jerusalem Post.

During an Egypt-brokered "cease-fire," Hamas periodically sent rockets into Israel and allegedly continued smuggling weapons into Gaza. The end of the cease-fire brought a declaration from an emboldened and Iran-supported Hamas that the rocket attacks would increase substantially. And unlike the cease-fire, this declaration was a promise Hamas kept. After days of deliberation and restraint, Israel was forced to retaliate and defend her citizens.

This is a defensive war-even Egypt condemned Hamas for offering Israel a reason to attack on a "silver platter"- but Israel has still gone to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, including treating injured Palestinian civilians in Israeli hospitals. As the Associated Press reported on Dec. 27, Israel even disseminated "Arabic-language cell phone messages...urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons." No civilian deaths should be celebrated. Israeli citizens (both Jewish and not) publicly condemn and mourn the deaths of Palestinian civilians-the same cannot be said for Hamas.

On the other hand, Hamas pursues a policy of using the Palestinian people as human shields, storing weapons caches and rockets in schools and mosques. It is the Hamas government that is at war with Israel, not the Palestinian civilians-yet Hamas puts the women and children of Gaza on the front lines of a war it started. Hamas' human-shield policy is directly responsible for a significant number of civilian Palestinian casualties.

While speaking with an Arab cab driver during my time in Israel he said, "It is the extremists on both sides who have killed the peace process, Hamas has hurt the Palestinians as much as the Israelis." Hamas puts hatred before peace, compromising its people, and forcing the Israelis to play their hand. No sovereign nation would stand by while its citizens were targeted, and Israel should not be expected to be the first.

Response (Omer Mohammad):

I am a student at Northwestern University in Qatar. I'm not sure how to respond to what you're saying, because you've actually seen what'd happening. But you are telling the story from the Israeli perspective.

You're saying that Sderot is hit hard by Gazan bombs all the time. They have fifteen seconds to respond to the alarm. Hamas' new technology is killing more Israelis that ever before. 900,000 potential victims. wow. Thats shocking.

But tell me this, in the past weeks (right before the attacks on Gaza began) how many Israelis were killed by the Hamas missiles? I read an early article that said 1. ONE Israeli was killed. In one day Israel killed 200 people in Gaza. What type of a ratio is that? 200:1. It's reached 700 now, and I'm very sure the Israeli death toll has not even broken 10.

Yes I agree that Hamas is wrong. But with that logic it is only right to say that Israel is too. You mentioned that Sderot has an alarm system right? Does Gaza? No. Hamas has this new "super" technology that will wreak havoc on 900,000 Israelis. Wow.

Where are these bombs made? In their homes! Where are the Israeli bombs made? In America!! Who has the upper hand? Pssh! no question! Gaza!! Hamas!! of course!! Homemade bombs are totally better!!

This is your logic.

Another point, you're use of the word Hamas makes it seem like they are some sort of hardcore militia. They're not! They know a bit about explosives, whatever they could find, but other than that they are as normal as you and me. Of course at some level, there are highly trained people in Hamas, but the people firing these rockets are not highly trained soldiers. On the other side of the border though, its a different story. Israel uses very highly trained soldiers in battle. Firing rockets, in their tanks, on the ground. These men are so disciplined in face that they forced paramedics to get out of their ambulance, walk 2km to a damaged building to rescue men, and walk 2km back to the ambulance to give them aid. Wow. Now THAT is hardcore!

But of course, Hamas is the bad guy.

Israel is merely defending itself right? right... Gaza is starving, thats defense. a weeks worth of bombs, followed by a ground assault, defense. children scattered on the ground, defense. Whats the limit of defense? When does defense turn into offense?

Now I can guess what you will say, its all Hamas' fault. ok, yes it is. But you also have to consider that Israel got themselves into this mess. This town Sderot is on land that used to belong to Palestine! You act like Israelis are such heroes, but you fail to consider all of the facts in the situation.

Now I'll be the last person to defend Hamas. I'm an advocate for humanity, no matter who it is. But saying that Israel is right to be attacking Gaza in this way is heinous!

There has been an 18 month blockade on Gaza, which continues to this day! Don't act like Gaza is an oppressor. There was a ceasefire that ended recently. Hamas stuck to the rules of that ceasefire, whether you want to admit it or not. Hamas might have launched a few bombs after the ceasefire ended, but Israel attacked first. Launching bombs and attacking are two very different things.

When you have the means (f-16's and guided missiles) thats an attack. When you have homemade bombs, thats nothing. Its like David vs. Goliath, and David doesn't have his slingshot.

So you say that you saw fear in the eyes of the citizens of Sderot, well atleast they have that privilege. Gaza is being bombed. The citizens have no time to be scared, they have no time to find courage. They have no time.

lord forgive em...

wait.. how does that line go?

"Lord forgive him
He got them dark forces in him
But he also got a righteous cause for sinnin'"
- Jay-Z

and that's where we are right now. or i am atleast. where are you omer? let me tell you....

i'm wondering how this is right. in what sphere is any of this correct? where have you been, what have you seen, who have you known to.... to think that this is right?

a righteous cause for sinning. that's what it is. everything comes down to morals. but i'm battling with myself right now over how one person, much less a majority of people, can think that this is right. damn

i wrote a statement today (ok i co-wrote, i was typing though).... a statement addressed to the world ok. this is a statement calling for some sort of action for whats happening. (and don't think i'm kidding here, i am involved in some heavy shit ok) so we wrote this statement, but before we wrote it we were brainstorming about what we wanted to include. this list is giant. i don't remember what was on it, but believe me, we came up with some hardcore stuff.

how is this right? i can't see it. if you think it's right, please, by all means, show me. guide me towards the light. show me in what way this is right... it's not. if you think it is... wow. misinformed much?

bah! i'm salty... but who isn't? in a world full of salt, how are we supposed to get a decent meal? its not possible.

in a world where (some) rappers are making more sense than politicians, who isn't just a bit salty?

or am i just talking...

- January 07, 2009

and i'm still alive

yes. i am still here. still living. still breathing. living another day. yes indeed.

i am still here and about 150 are dead. and that is the way of the world isnt it? thats what it has come down to. in order to protect ourselves we have to endanger the lives of others.

fight the battle so that your own people can live.

its sad... obviously its sad. if it wasnt sad i wouldnt be writing this now would i?

its sad. i dont know what else to say. im sitting here with my shorts on, my phone beside me, my laptop in the bag... comfortable. to think that there are people who dont have that, any of it. screw the accessories, they're dead now.

dead. death. killed. murdered. casualties. reduced to statistics. 150 more added to the few hundred that died in 2008. how many will die in 2009? more? less? how much more outraged will we be if more people die? how much less outraged will we be in less die?

think about that. will you think its fine at the end of 2009 if less people end up dead than in 2008? would you compare the numbers.

"oh 2009 wasn't SO bad. not as many people died yknow... it was a good year"

statistics. we all pretend we dont do it, but in the end thats what it comes down to. we cant help it. its human nature. we compare and contrast. and even though we might not say it aloud, we think it. this year was bad because _____ number of people died.

so just because 2007 had less casualties does that make it a good year? you know what i mean?

its a rhetorical question people. dont answer it. everyone will say no. i know that. you know that. the point is to make you think.

what is the value of life? does that value disappear once you die? it seems like it.

and if you have no idea what im talking about, shame on you. im being serious. get informed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7800985.stm

do some research. theres alot more to it. and god help you if you think this is right.

- December 27, 2008

strangers

its late (or early) and im lightheaded... bare with me



so think about it. why do we forge these connections? some people tend to do things completely on there own, but still they crave company. why?

im jus wondering. because there are people out there who go like "i'm good on my own". they dont want to be friends. they dont accept help when its offered. yet, when it comes down to it, when they return to their family, they embrace them so warmly.

maybe its just me, but i try to act the same around everyone. the way i am with my friends is how i am with my family. in the same way i embrace ppl the same way i would embrace family. with warmth and kindness. i ask them if they need anything. i make sure they're content. but some ppl answer rudely. why?

whats so different about me? am i not your brother too? isnt my kindness enough reason to trust me, if only for this moment?

im jus sayin tho. ive seen people shy away from strangers for no reason. slow down. dont let life pass you by...

how many conversations have you had in your lifetime? how many were with friends? family? strangers?

no one is really THAT evil. think of how much you're missing out on by not speaking to strangers.

think of their experiences. what could they teach you about life? something that you hadn't even considered. perspective.

ive spoken to taxi drivers. to americans. to buddhists. to pathans. to designers. to authors. each of them has given me perspective on life. without their words what would my life be like?

the world is not how you think it is. its not all glossy, but its not totally gloomy either. somewhere in the middle. theres a fine balance i think. you need to learn about that

so ya... talk to people. dont be so closed. open yourself up a little and you'll be surprised and what you'll discover.

hmmm so lets go back to the original connections. why do we have so many connections in life? perspective. we're born into a world where people are just connected. mother, father, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. you can't help it. theres no way to fight it. why try? just embrace those around you...

it sounds so corny, but im serious.


thats my two cents (or dirhams as it were)


into my rocketship, and away!

- December 27, 2008

guess who

ok here's the thing. there's this artist i know right. he's so good. he's so good that no matter how much i go on about his creativity and his skills, nothing i say will ever match up to it.

he's so good that if you haven't heard him you're actually not considered human.

he's so friggin awesome you were probably conceived to one of his songs.

if you don't listen to him, i don't know whats wrong with you. if you don't like him, there is something wrong with you and you should get shot, not in the head, but in the leg or something just to make you listen harder. clean out your damn ears or something.

i don't care who you are, where you're from, what you've done (backstreet boys) if you haven't heard one of his songs you have done nothing in your life.

atleast acknowledge the genius though. (its not ray charles, but that's a good guess)

even before i first heard any of his songs, i already knew a few of them, now that's respect! that's when you know you're dealing with something huge.

don't come in here talking about "is he good?", "he's too old" or "i've never heard of him". i'm shaking my head at y'all already, because i know you'll be asking that... or at least thinking it. its a sad day when the children of the world don't know who the hell he is.

i don't want to play with your minds any more, but you need to understand the immediacy behind this note. you need him in your life.

i come close to tears whenever i hear "all is fair in love". its on right now. damn.... i'm serious though....

who is it?




*hush*





STEVIE (FRIGGIN) WONDER!!!!!!!!

Dude, I totally miss you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glGjq7ZFbCc

classic.

its called guy love.