Could you ever imagine living everyday of your life with the worry of whether you would see the light of another day? Imagine having to watch over your back wherever you went, and whatever you did. Imagine a life where you appear to live in a box, as if you were an animal caged up; as if it were your inaccuracy that crimes against humanity are occurring. Imagine a life where you had no say as to how people treat you. This is not a life; it is a prison though it is reality. The truth is that these things are going on. Palestinians are being discriminated against because of their religion, ethnicity, or nationality. It is discrimination and a disrespect to human kind. Innocent people are being cold-bloodedly killed, but why would the Jewish society and government allow this injustice to occur to the Palestinians? Is it merely for of the sake of oppression or is it for the sake of a homeland? Maybe it is for the sake of power. Regardless of the reason, too many innocent people are being unnecessarily killed.
For the last three months, the Israeli army has held up its bloody repression of unarmed Palestinian protesters greatly hoping to set free their people from the restraints of the Israeli occupation. Over 300 innocent, unarmed Palestinians have been pronounced dead since the beginning of this uprising, and over 4,200 Palestinians have been injured, though the injury is not caused by rubber bullets alone. In actuality, injury in Palestine is a cold, slow death. The deadly artillery used by the Israeli soldiers against the unarmed Palestinians-which is illegal in most of the countries in the world-is a type of “bomb like” bullet that is activated to explode when it enters the body. Many young Palestinians have lost their lives to this deadly machine and its bullets.
A shocking case would be the 12-year-old boy who was brutally murdered while in the desperate arms of his petrified father. He was intentionally aimed and shot at for almost a half an hour by the Israeli soldiers, until they shot him: not once or twice, but seven times in his chest.
Another example of a heartbreaking case is the 18-month-old Palestinian baby, Sarah, who was cruelly shot ten times while sitting in the back seat of her father’s car. There are countless other tragic stories, although the media “conveniently” decides not to publicize it; nevertheless it is the truth.
Because of what is happening, a curfew has been mandated on more than 20,000 Palestinians living in Hebron. The curfew means that everybody, including women and children, must stay indoors, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If for some reason a Palestinian citizen steps out, even for an emergency, he or she could be shot dead on the spot “for violating the curfew” and “obstructing the function of the Israeli Defense Force.” Several Palestinians, including children, have been shot dead only because they stepped out of the house during curfew. “I've heard many tragic stories of Jewish children being shot by soldiers during the Holocaust. I fail to see any difference between a Jewish child being shot and a Palestinian child being shot. I fail to see any difference in the children. I fail to see any difference in the soldiers.”*
The people of Hebron are no strangers to the Israeli curfews, or to the Israeli brutality. In 1994 a Jewish-American settler, known as Baruch Goldstein, carried out the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. 29 Palestinian worshipers were horribly murdered while praying at the Mosque at dawn. The Palestinians did not harm the Israelis, though still the Israelis came in and killed the innocent Palestinians. As a result of what horrifying act the Jews did, the Israeli occupation authorities actually punished the victims (the people of Hebron) by placing a 60-day curfew.
Regardless of who is right or wrong, or whose land it is, a human life is a precious thing to waste, and more so for innocent children who have not yet experienced life as adults have experienced it. It is a universal crime to aim, shoot, and kill an innocent child. Many Israelis’ understand this but deliberately ignore it then find a “convenient” excuse to repeat it. Through this essay I hope to gain the awareness of several people of what is occurring in Palestine at this moment. The injustice is occurring to the innocent Palestinians: children, women, and men. “Americans who fail to speak out against these crimes being committed against the Palestinians with our money and with our government blocking any relief by the United Nations are accessories to the crimes. Remember: There is a God. And, sooner or later, there is always justice.”** This is the truth of the matter, and only through public notification can the truth be told. If peace is ever to occur, this inequality towards the Palestinians must stop. Please consider this as an open reminder to every conscious human being in the world, especially the leaders. If no one takes the first step, there will be no changes made. So for the sake of God, please spread the word.
Source: Orlando Sentinel - 11/16/00