- By now you must have seen the size of this gader hafradeh
("separation fence"). According to Nigel Parry on The Electronic
Intifada: "Israel's Separation Barrier, dubbed the "Apartheid
Wall" or "Berlin Wall" by Palestinians, has increasingly
attracted international media attention, largely due to the hard-to-ignore
scale of the project. The most obvious historical parallel to the barrier
is the Berlin Wall, which was 96 miles long (155 kilometers). Israel's
barrier, still under construction, is expected to reach at least 403 miles
in length (650 kilometers). The average height of the Berlin Wall was 11.8
feet (3.6 metres), compared with the maximum* current height of Israel's
Wall -- 25 feet (8 metres)."
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- As most sane people already know - fences make good neighbors.
If you wonder if this parameter applies to the West Bank, think again.
Since the objective has never been to co-exist in peace and friendship,
both the Israelis and the Palestine's have established an eternal battle
zone that fosters continuous combative contact. So the apparent offensive
Sharon policy to outdo the Stasi East German secret police, might just
jump the gun. Who can deny that communities have a right to disengage themselves
from elements that seek them harm? As a principle a fence makes a sound
statement, while providing a logical function - SEPARATION.
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- However; when you examine the geographic locations and
the magnitude of the project, the inevitable conclusion drawn, beholds
a very ominous undertone. When Ran HaCohen offers his assessment, we should
take heed from this regionally educated inhabitant who teaches at Tel-Aviv
University: "Leaving the lion's share of the West Bank outside the
Wall in Israeli hands, even what looks like two contiguous Bantustans are
in fact crisscrossed by chains of Israeli settlements and roads-for-Jews-only."
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- Hey, why not admit the obvious? Apartheid is the official
policy of the Zionist State!
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- Just because the borders for the West Bank move inexorably
East - let nothing stop the exodus . . . The pretense of a democratic society
is removed with the erection of virile security. Admitting that assimilation
is a virus - heals the persistent purist. What is orthodox for one cousin
is heresy for the other. At last the notion of a "Road Map to Peace"
can be transformed into an annexation of the region. Finally, the rhetoric
can be translated into a chart that shows the plan.
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- Well, you might be surprised that the criticism is reserved
only for territory expansion. The idea of a separate society is entirely
valid. Israelis living in one place that they call their own is preferable
to many of their tribe. The ghetto of the past no longer is a prospect
to fear. Prosperity is evident so encircling the chosen land from hostile
intruders protects the communal kibbutz. Reducing the kibitz from the Palestine's,
would be enhanced from the other side of the wall . . .
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- So what's the problem. The fight over who stole the land
from whom will never be settled. Possession is ninety percent of the law,
and we all know that the rule of land is supreme! If others live in a gulag,
such camps must be their fault.
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- No matter what side you favor, if you are neutral or
simply don't care; erecting a fence can do more than increase the difficulty
in the task of terrorist. Security for individuals is always a cogent concern.
When governments equate national interest with the defense of the State,
usually they mean special protections for selected officials, under the
guise of safekeeping institutions. Despite, this reservation, any country
has a rightful duty to take preventive precautions to guard citizens against
threats to their consensual accepted society.
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- So if it is good enough for the Israelis, why not construct
our own fence along our own borders? If the danger from hated foes and
homicide bombers can be reduced by a wall of exclusion, why can't we have
one for America? The Berlin Wall was built to keep people in, while an
Apartheid Wall wants to keep people out. Don't you want to prevent the
hooligans from entering our communities? Well, such measures may seem far
too harsh for the Egalitarians; however, we are told we are at war with
terrorists. At least the Zionist State doesn't suffer from a self identity
delusion of equality. They openly avow separate is best. Too bad they still
practice segregation as a means to their final solution. Total separation
is the ultimate answer.
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- Such common ground need not accept anothers' self induced
assertions of superiority. But we should emulate the wisdom of detachment
in order to preserve the security of distinctiveness. America is not meant
to be a refugee for all of humanity. The test of applying is the infinite
discernment in the principles of individual Liberty, which is not understood
by most of mankind. Those who grasp the uniqueness of the American political
vision are welcome to pass through the gate of selection. Any who reject
or refuse to digest the established traditional standards should be expelled
before entering the door.
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- Speaking Yiddish is helpful to live in Israel. A commitment
to fluency and use of English is essential for understanding the culture
of the Founding Fathers, let alone accepting and adapting to the heritage
and values that created and sustains our land.
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- Walls are only an instrument that allows the playing
of the music entitled harmony. Once the chords are learned, the melody
can be heard, as the lyrics are written. Intentions are usually the determining
factor. If people are honest they will respect the songs that others wish
to sing. When the tunes are heard as repulsive noise, it's better to attend
different concerts. The rap with mixers is that often the party is crashed
by outsiders. Hope you will learn this lesson, before you become permanently
tone deaf.
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- SARTRE - August 6, 2003
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- "It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to
public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that
are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism,
colonialization, or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and
the expropriation of their lands."
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- Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a
meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France
Presse, November 15, 1998
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- © 2000-2003 by BATR All Rights Reserved
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- http://pages.zdnet.com/sartre65/gulag/id31.html
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