- The year 2008 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Nakba
in Palestine. Nakba means Catastrophe or Tragedy in Arabic,
both of which are deserving of a capital C or T. It is an ongoing
Holocaust unlike any other the world has known. Sixty years
ago, come May, a brand new "state" announced itself within Palestine. It
named itself "Israel." It was a well-equipped war
state since the very beginning of its Zionist-planned inception, and its
military was ready to roll. Since 1948, Israel has
ethnically cleansed much of Palestine of its Palestinian landowners
and inhabitants with force, turning the majority of Palestinians into an
unrecognized nation of refugees. Israel then declared this
stolen property to be the new homeland for "the Jewish only"
state. Not a day of peace has been known for 60 years in what
was once the Holy Land. At this time, over 5.3 million
ill-treated Palestinians continue to suffer under the barbaric apartheid
of what is now a minority Jewish population in their land. (1)
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- The world is expected to look the other way as imperialist Israel (partnered
with the US) continues its savage insult upon the Holy Land and
her refugees. In 2007 alone, the 59th year of Israel's
military occupation of Palestine, the Israeli military forces murdered
373 Palestinians, one-third of whom were unarmed civilians including women
and children. The other deaths are regularly shrugged off by
mainstream media as "terrorists" or "resistance fighters"
or other accusatory labels suggesting that those who resist the Israeli
advances deserve to die. These labels are used for those who
dare to protest the barbaric, imperialist treatment doled out by Israel,
and for those who have died trying to defend their families, homes, and
lands against the invading Israeli military. The total number
of Israelis killed during that same year was 13. (2)
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- The reason for such a disparity in the number of casualties
in this "war" becomes apparent when one realizes that only the
Israeli imperialists are armed with tanks, armored vehicles, planes, drones,
helicopters, blimps, nuclear weapons, and gunboats. This is
not a war at all. It is an imperialist attack by a military
against a largely unarmed civilian population. The Palestinians,
for the most part, throw rocks. Some have used old guns. Since
2001 they have fired primitive, homemade qassam rockets toward Israeli
settlement areas in retaliation of Israeli's ongoing bulldozing of Palestinian
homes, uprooting of ancient groves and orchards, Israel's ongoing
murder of civilians including children, and Israel's utter destruction
of the Holy Land.
-
- The qassam rockets rarely hit anything other than sand
as was noted by Israeli Defense Minister, Yaakov Toran, who is quoted as
saying, "we need to remember that Qassams are more a psychological
than physical threat. Statistically they cause the fewest losses"
And yet, the Zionist-biased media continue to portray the Palestinian refugees
as "terrorists," while portraying the offensive Israeli imperialist
army, navy, and air force, as an innocent army, navy, and air force, acting
only in meek and modest defense of "their country" - a
country that does not belong to them, but belongs to the Palestinians they
have been tormenting for 60 years. (3)
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- The Encyclopedia Britannica defines "Imperialism"
as: "state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power
and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining
political and economic control of other areas. Because it always involves
the use of power, whether military force or some subtler form, imperialism
has often been considered morally reprehensible" (4)
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- As we begin a new year, one might wonder when the imperialism
of Zionism will finally be recognized for the malignancy that it is. The
Zionist imperialists are holding 1.4 million Palestinians captive in the
Gaza Strip at this time. The people of Gaza cannot
escape. After closing all of Gaza's borders, the Zionist
Israeli imperialists have cut off much of Gaza's food and fuel, they
have stopped mail delivery, and with US approval, they have closed
down Western Union and blocked the ability of others to send simple food
money to the innocent who are starving, thirsting, and suffering in Gaza.
-
- While the film "Charlie Wilson's War" enjoys
some approval at this time, one might also wonder when someone in the US
Congress will finally notice the suffering of the Palestinians at the hands
of the imperialist, invading, apartheid military known as Israel. For
60 years, the unarmed Palestinian civilians have been asking for the world
to please help them.
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- It is my prayer that in 2008, the world will finally
hear the pleas of the Palestinians, and that many compassionate people
will come forward and help the oppressed. This is my prayer.
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- ---------------------------
- mary sparrowdancer is the author of a bestselling book,
and an independent journalist. www.sparrowdancer.com
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- 1. U.S. State Department, "Israel and
the Occupied Territories," 2005. (1/1/2008)
- http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41723.htm
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- 2. B'tslem, Year End Report for 2007. (1/1/2008)
- http://www.btselem.org/english/Press_Releases/20071231.asp
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- 3. Yaakov Toran, Defense Ministry, statement about qassams.
"03.01.06" (1/1/2008)
- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3222783,00.html
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- 4. Encyclopedia Britannica, "Imperialism." (1/1/2008)
- http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9042213/imperialism
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