Journal of Middle East Human Rights

SUICIDE BOMBERS 3 SEPT 2004

I am going to play devil’s advocate here. Lets for an instance put to one side any moral legal and humane issues aside on the subject of suicide bombers as they are referred to in the West and martyrs as they are described in the Arab world.
Have any of these young people who have readily given up their lives in what I can only imagine to be a horrible painful death, achieved anything by their actions either for their families, the Palestinian people or their masters whose political agenda readily encourages their martyrdom?

What have they in Palestine actually achieved? Have these acts achieved peace? One millimetre of land? A place on the negotiating table? Economic relief for the Palestinians? A state?
No.
But what the politics of these suicide bombs has been very effective in doing is taking the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian rights to a homeland back to when such aspirations were a dream, a hope, and a frustrating long hard struggle.
What the suicide bombs however, do achieve is create further evidence that Palestinians are ‘terrorists’. It perpetuates the myth and gives further ‘cards’ to Israel that a Palestinian homeland will be a breeding ground for ‘terrorists’ to destroy not only Israel but also the West.
It further gives to Israel and its present leadership further ground to gain sympathy with the power brokers, namely the United States.
Furthermore it damages comprehensively the legitimate cause and plight of the Palestinians with the public. Any sympathy or understanding that the West has with Palestinian aims and aspirations are undermined and it make it very very difficult for Western leaders to champion the cause.
That Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land is indisputable. That Israel’s use of targeted assassinations are contrary to international law is fact. That Sharon’s determination to build an illegal wall condemned by the international community to protect Israel’s security is a false premise that brings and will continue to bring more destruction to both Palestinian and Israelis is sadly inevitable. Two wrongs however, do not make a right
Targeting civilians anywhere who ever they are because of their governments policy is a heinous crime that cannot be justified whatever the merits of the cause is. This is applicable whether these acts are in Russia or Iraq. These crimes against civilians do not as those who plan them will argue, cause fear and as such a change of policy. On the contrary it will furnish those governments with more power and more ‘legitimacy’ to fight terrorism.
Palestinians and indeed Arabs and Muslims pay the daily price of discrimination, every time a bomb blows up civilians in the name of freedom and Islam.
A more efficient and persuasive method to preach your message effectively and to gain results politically is best gained by using the law, education and promoting understanding of your plight. It takes time and perseverance.
Peaceful marches, will have far more of an impact on high lightening the inequity of a plight than blowing up a civilian target. A political agenda of promoting non violence and co existence will in time erode Israel’s excuses for not arriving to a final settlement and will I believe force the United States and the West to actively engage in resolving the Palestinian Israeli conflict.

Last weeks devastation in Beersheba, and I use the word deliberately, was devastating and tragic for both the Israelis and the Palestinians and its ramifications will I fear have a very destructive repercussions for a comprehensive durable peace between the two people.
What these acts will do is further alienate the merits of the cause and give the moral high ground to Israel.
We Arabs need to speak out loudly and act against those that will insist in continuing such acts in the name of peace.

posted by monabauwens @ 10:35 AM