A note about unfairness,,,

There's a great deal of misunderstanding of the 100 years old Israeli Palestinian conflict. There's a great deal of disinformation about it in iPeace today. And there's a great deal of manipulation end exploitation of the situation, some of it very cynical.

Here's part of a message I and 45 others received yesterday:

"Israel is the attacker since centuries ago - Jews dont have a land and thats a fact. and they have made protocols and through them have prepared Everything until this very day for this to happen. it doesn't happen because of a dead Israeli or a few bombs... its a plan!!! to destroy Palestinians once and for all... its been carried out in steps and they are very clear to those following the news correctly (so not from TV) and who know... this is pure denocide and it has to stop NOW."

"no one should worry about Jews! they are wealthy and free and happy - and rich and fat with their big cars and small hearts...be assured they are taken care of.

now - can we go back to poor Palestinians who are tortured and squeezed like rats in one small hole and now killed in hundreds.... evey day! thank YOU"

Needless to say that the sender is no longer with us, but there are more like her, and they influence those who don't know.

The reason that I am writing this to you is what I read on the comment wall of Noa's blog: "a letter to my Palestinian brothers in Gaza"

If I have any credibility with you, I will tell you this: There are very few fiercer and more determined peace warriors than Noa. Not Annie Lennox, not Bono and not Yoko Ono. Period. They are just more famous than her.

Noa has dedicated her life to peace activism. She is constantly taking risks to fulfill her dream of a peaceful Middle East. Many in her country think her a traitor for that. You can read about it HERE

Even a peace warrior may speak his mind. That's all what she did, in a sensitive and compassionate fashion. She said what she believes is the truth. She said what many Arab leaders say publicly.

And she got showered with comments that she does not deserve. I think that this is not the way we should treat someone who should be our hero.

She wrote you a comment in response:

"i have read some of your comments and all make me very sad, even the compassionate ones, as they are full of sorrow. sorry i share.

to those of you who claim i do not know history, i will say, unfortunately i do. i know it well. i know israel's part in establishing organizations like hamas to counter other organizations she found to be negative, i also know that things that start one way often end another. sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

as i have said, i am a well known critic of my country. i think she has acted stupidly on countless accounts.

but i also know this: israel wants peace. israel does not want gaza. israel pulled out of gaza at great expense and dismantled its settlements there. israel wants to exist. deserves to exist.

our situation is complicated, so complicated.

once, israelis could be imprisoned for talking to the PLO. Abie Natan, founder of 'the voice of peace' radio station that we loved so much, was such a victim.

today, the PLO are as accepted as the Likud. today, everyone knows a Palestinian state will exist, it is only a matter of finalizing the deal, and all this, with MANY players with BIG interests, oil, water, power, weapons, control, religion, all the cholera you can imagine.

in the midst of all this, people die.

no, i am not comparing traumatized children to dead ones, what warped mind would assume that (chris..?)

no, i do not wish Hamas dead, i just want them to stop terrorizing gaza and israel. from my point of view, they could all go sit on the beach somewhere and have a couple of tequilas. i just want them far away from me and all peace lovers on both sides of the fence, UNLESS they choose dialogue over violence.

but most of all, MOST of all, i want us all to just STOP this madness!!

stop the killing on BOTH sides!! stop the propaganda! stop the hatred! PLEASE!!!!!!!

please...."

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Comment by roni on January 6, 2009 at 11:44pm: David, I totally agree with you about the misinformation and misunderstanding and frankly I was very surprised to hear such reactions from people who call themselves peace loving people. No one can know every thing on this subject, but there is no reason to react with such hostility towards someone who is giving her opinion with love and understanding and only trying to fight the preaching and teaching of hatred. I thought that ipeace was about peace and love.

Comment by Ayse Kalifa on January 6, 2009 at 11:39pm: ok Myron and David
i can perfectly understand where does all the hatred come...
of course in 1948 jewish population owned only 6 % of the soil
then came the expulsion of the palestinian natives from the state of balfour declaration
settlement program continues... like in Gush Kfar
Myron dont you have weapons in your house ?
What do Gaza people have really ?
the diffrence is just too big
I feel ashamed by the facts....
I feel perfectly ashamed....
Israel should not repeat expulsions like in 1948
Israel has lost its moral power
military aggression is NOT the solution
this place will be unhabitable for long time

Comment by Lynda Terry on January 6, 2009 at 11:38pm: It's so easy for us all to get pulled into the duality of us-them, right-wrong, defend-attack, past-present, etc. And then we lose our focus on the greater vision that we share: peace. May we keep returning our gaze, our hearts, our minds, our words, our energies, our love, to that greater vision. May we keep asking "how do we get there, rather than how did we get here?" With love and in peace, Lynda

Comment by Jerry Yellin on January 6, 2009 at 11:37pm: We are all responsible for our actions and always have been but not one human being from day one has ever been able to predict the result of any action taken. It is imperative for the sustenance of life as we know it that thought, consideration, understanding be the first part of any action anyone wants to take as the results most likely will not be what you expect. This current conflict in Israel began in 1948 when the British left the area and the Arabs within and without were determined to drive the Jews into the sea. Until they truly believe that the two people can live in Harmony we will see actions taken that produce unacceptable results for both sides. There are no rights and wrongs in this situation but there several musts and those musts have to be addressed by the powers that be or the entire world will explode over a piece of land, who's God is the best and everyone will lose.

Comment by john carroll on January 6, 2009 at 11:37pm

Comment by Clicia Pavan on January 6, 2009 at 11:37pm: A olga é escritora e poetisa, uma pessoa justa
Repasso para que se saiba, a verdade dos dois lados
Clicia Pavan
Somos pela Paz,
mas separo o joio do trigo.
"Nenhum país europeu toleraria fogo de foguetes sobre seus cidadãos
e devem entender que o Hamas é uma organização terrorista da pior
ordem", disse Peres, em comunicado divulgado por seu escritório após a reunião.

É de primeira importância de que conheçamos
mais um pouco sobre a história desta Guerra entre Palestinos e Israelenses.
Dentre tantos razões invocadas, podemos citar a mais recente, ou seja
-- a trégua foi quebrada pelos terroristas Palestinos; fato mais que confirmado!

Para aqueles que não sabem , ou se recusam a tomar conhecimento,
nem todos os Palestinos são terroristas,obviamente,
mas , na sua maioria , ao votarem no Partido "Hamas " deram , através de seu "alvará"
a força necessária para que agissem , usando o seu método tradicional; o terror, como meio
privilegiado para atingir suas metas, inclusive usando seus civis e suas crianças ( que
treinam desde tenra idade na " arte " de matar o semelhante) como verdadeiros escudos
humanos, com a finalidade premeditada de motivar a Piedade Internacional, como parece terem conseguido.
,
Ao contrário , Israel ensina suas crianças e o povo em geral, a se protegerem em porões e outros abrigos
quando soam os alarmes de ataques inimigos, porque sabem que é muito difícil evitar que lhes caiam em cima
mísseis, homens e mulheres-bomba e outras formas de agressão bélica, que só em 2.002 mataram quase
5 mil civis nas grandes cidades israelenses. Mas a memoria dos povos parece ser curta e já ninguém fala nisso!
Agora :
Quem é que começou esta guerra?

- E, se esta realmente é uma guerra, não se conhecem,
historicamente , belicistas que , ao exercerem os seus atos bélicos
se tenham preocupado em saber se os seus opositores tenham
viveres suficientes para se alimentarem enquanto durar o conflito.
Mesmo assim, e verdade se diga, os israelenses anunciaram previamente a invasão
da Palestina por terra, dando tempo que fossem tomadas providencias
nesse sentido.

( em meu nome pessoal)
Olga Kapatti
com pesar , pelos inocentes palestinos e israelenses
AVPB
Academia Virtual Poética do Brasil
http://www.avpb.olga.kapatti.nom.br/
--------------------------------
The olga is a writer and poet, a fair person
Repasso order to know the truth on both sides
Clicia Pavan
We are for peace,
but separate the cockle.
"No European country tolerate the rocket fire on its citizens
and must understand that Hamas is a terrorist organization from the worst
order, "said Peres, in communiqué issued by his office after the meeting.
It is of first importance to know
a little more about the history of this war between Palestinians and Israelis.
Among many reasons, we can cite the most recent, or
- The truce was broken by Palestinian terrorists, a fact confirmed that more!
For those who do not know, or refuse to take note,
Not all Palestinians are terrorists, of course,
but the majority of the vote in the Party "Hamas" have, through its "charter"
the strength needed to act, using the traditional method, the terror as a means
privileged to achieve its goals, including using its civilian and their children (who
train from an early age in the "art" of killing the same) as true shields
human, with the deliberate purpose of motivating the Mercy International, which seems to have succeeded.
, In contrast, Israel teaches their children and people in general, protect themselves in basements and other shelters
sound alarms when the attacks of enemies, because they know it is very difficult to prevent them from falling on top
missiles, men and women-bomb and other forms of aggression war, only in 2002 that killed nearly
5 thousand civilians in Israeli cities. But the memory of people seem to be short and nobody talks about it!
Now:
Who started this war?
- And if this really is a war are not known,
historically, warmongering that in exercising their warlike acts
have been concerned about whether their opponents have
live enough to feed themselves for the duration of the conflict.
Even so, and truth be said, the Israelis announced before the invasion
by land of Palestine, giving time to be taken
accordingly.
(In my personal name)
Olga Kapatti
with regret, the innocent Palestinians and Israelis
AVPB
Virtual Academy Poetics of Brazil
http://www.avpb.olga.kapatti.nom.br/

Comment by john carroll on January 6, 2009 at 11:36pm: Some friends of friends are involved with a group called Global Majority check out there apeal on the link I attached...
There is no easy answer...
An eye for an eye will make the whole world Blind. ~Ghandi
.

href="http://globalmajority.org/gm/images/stories/gaza-israel%20appeal.pdf">

Comment by Marco on January 6, 2009 at 11:33pm: Dear Friends

I am an italian lawyer.
I am not a magician, so it is difficult for a citizen to find a method to solve this crisis.
I think, in this war everyone can start a proceeding for damages.
There are International Courts where everyone can defend and claim for the rights of the man, and this could be a first step to claim for damages.
In fact, there is not a war, but only people or army who are bombing other people.
Moreover, in every modern war, Iternational Courts researched resposability and persons in charge.
At last, only a process or a damages responsability, personal and not general, will stop the war.
In fact, anyone want to be processed as criminal war, and anyone wants to pay damages.
We could create a group to study this possibility.
Tell me something about.
Marco Pepe
www.marcopepe.it

Comment by tom wilson on January 6, 2009 at 11:32pm: i think if palestinian people wont peace, get rid of hamas. they voted for them ,if they don't like what is going on do some thing about them until then their will be no peace as far as the wall gos israel is trying to stop the bormers but i guess they dont get it

Comment by myron joshua on January 6, 2009 at 11:23pm: Linda, I can excuse problems of proportion..since not everything is a question of magnitude. The existential feelings of suffering people, of fearful people need not be weighed. This goes more than one way...for examples comparisons that bring to mind WWII which are also often overstated to say the list.

The question is, are these emotionally charged images here to help us identify with the suffering and move to prevent it.. or are we using them as data to develop a picture of reality that is warped. One that helps demonize the other.

I just heard the story of an Italian Jewish family, that of Nathan Cassuto who perished in Europe. It is a story about tragic times, both in Europe and during Israels War of Independence in 1948.. The son, David, told a story that was amazing..but i will not tell it, for fear that it will be harvested to be used for one side..or for the other. He apologized to a Polish Holocaust survivor who was in the audience ."since our holocaust in Italy was not as great as yours..but our story is not about remembering evil..it is about rebuilding life. Finding the strength in the faith of those who lived through such tragic times and moving ahead."