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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Very disturbing that Sabra and Shatila is simply glossed over and lumped in with "past sins". So this is the idea? Vote in hardline wackos and criminals, cross your fingers, shut your eyes and hope for the best. Lucky us. Well lets get it over with and get Bibi in there.
I'm very glad Sharon took the direction he did and his strong leadership was a valuable asset but I can't help but feel we're making a deal with the devil by collectively forgetting such a great deal of sin and foolishness.
Just for the record, let's remember the sort of man Ariel Sharon really was. Prior to 1948 he was a terrorist, attacking British forces in Palestine, and participating the murder of civilians and massacre of villages. A lot of Israeli politicians from that era were. But after 1948, he kept on killing. He ran a special army group, Unit 101, which targeted civilians and conducted operations outside Israel's borders. One of these operations, Qibya, resulted in the massacre of 69 women and children, and enough outrage inside and outside Israel that the unit was formally dissolved. In 1956, it appears that during the Suez Crisis, Sharon executed 40 captured Egyptian Prisoners of War, that's a war crime. In both 67 and 73, Sharon was active in theatres where Prisoners of War were murdered, though its not clear whether he was doing it then. He helped to pioneer the Settlement Policy, which created the settlements in the occupied territories, resulting in displacement and disenfranchisement, and often outright killing of Palestinians. He was the architect of the invasion of Lebanon, itself a war crime, and therefore of the 18 year occupation. The Siege of Beirut and the Sabra and Shattilla massacres, both war crimes, can be laid at his door. His deliberate actions triggered the second intifada, and then through use of assassinations and raids on refugee camps, he ensured that the pot would keep boiling every time it seemed to be settling down. Politically, he was well served by the fear and terror brought about by the second intifada. Although he demanded that the Palestinian Authority control its territory, he undercut their ability to do so at every turn. Finally, although this must be considered the least of his sins, it appears that his recent political career involved major bribery and influence peddling, a developing scandal cut short by his stroke.
Ariel Sharon spent a lifetime murdering and brutalizing women, children, civilians, noncombatants and the helpless. He committed war crimes. Every step he took was drenched with blood.
I am not attacking Israel. This is not about Israel. This is about a man who massacred villages and refugee camps, who committed atrocities.
He was a monster, and frankly, there are too many monsters in this world to spare him pity or compassion. Monsters are not an endangered species, not even in Israel or the middle east. If he believes in God, he will have to answer to that God for his actions.
1) Israel intervened in the Lebanese civil war. They were initially,
under General Sharon's leadership, welcomed openly, especially by the
Christians who were being decimated by the Moslems. To say that Israel's intervention into this conflict constitues a war crime clearly disinguishes Mr. Valdron as someone, like many these days, who doesn't have the time or patience to crack open a history book before opening his mouth.
2) "In 1956, it appears that during the Suez Crisis, Sharon executed 40 captured Egyptian Prisoners of War, that's a war crime." Oh yeah, where's the source for this?
3) "In both 67 and 73, Sharon was active in theatres where Prisoners of War were murdered, though its not clear whether he was doing it then." Oh, you mean during the '67 war when the Arabs blocked the straits (itself a declaration of war) and prepared a full-blown onslaught to kill every Jew they could? Or how about in '73 when they slaughtered thousands during a solemn religious holiday? There are no accounts of General Sharon killing any prisoners of war during a time when the Arabs were killing as many Jews as they possibly could.
4) "He helped to pioneer the Settlement Policy, which created the settlements in the occupied territories, resulting in displacement and disenfranchisement, and often outright killing of Palestinians." Who killed these Palestinians? Where and when did these acts happen? Have you bothered to read a book instead of repeating propaganda?
5) "The Siege of Beirut and the Sabra and Shattilla massacres, both war crimes, can be laid at his door. His deliberate actions triggered the second intifada, and then through use of assassinations and raids on refugee camps, he ensured that the pot would keep boiling every time it seemed to be settling down." The Sabra and Shatilla massacres were commited by Lebanese on their own. If you want to blame the man for anything, you can blame him for not protecting people who hated him and the rest of the Israelis. His deliberate actions did not start or trigger the "second intifada". (A) The Temple Mount is supposed to allow ANY ISRAELI access. (B) Arafat had already planned his "second
intifada" long before Sharon did anything. That's common knowledge and has even been reported in Salon.com. Sharon certainly incited the situation, but it certainly highlighted something important, didn't it? Jews can't go to the Temple Mount without armed escort. Ever been there? Ever had a rock thrown at you by an Arab?
6) "Ariel Sharon spent a lifetime murdering and brutalizing women, children, civilians, noncombatants and the helpless. He committed war crimes. Every step he took was drenched with blood." When was he ever
involved in the brutalization of women? When was he every involved in hurting the helpless? What about children? I'd like your sources and the times and places of these events. They'll be hard to find since they don't exist.
This is the same kind garbage I've come to expect from people who repeat ad nauseum what they read on Hamas' website or believe in the dignity and honesty of people like Arafat. PM Sharon was a war hero,
and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
