Bravo, Amigos! What Israel needs to learn from Spain...

[Violet_Crumble]

by Uri Avnery
March 25, 2004

A Prime Minister is waging war. The great majority of the people oppose the war. The majority vote for the Prime Minister. Absurd? Well, that was the situation in Spain. It also applies, more or less, in Israel. But here the similarity ends.

The Spanish people have thrown their Prime Minister out. The Israeli people go on supporting their Prime Minister.


<snip>

After the terrorist onslaught, the Spanish asked themselves: why did they do it? What caused this murderous attack on us? The logical answer was: the Prime Minister's policy has brought this on us. The conclusion: Let's find another one.

In Israel, such a question cannot arise. What brought the terrorist attacks on us? What sort of a question is that? The reason for terrorism is the inborn murderous character of the Arabs. It has, of course, nothing at all to do with the policy of our Prime Minister.

When a terrorist outrage happens here, logic flies out of the window. Instead of thinking and asking questions, people shout "Death to the Arabs", demand bloody revenge and gather around the Prime Minister.

Another difference: the Spaniards got angry. The Prime Minister lied to them. He exploited the outrage for his election campaign. When he already knew that all the signs pointed to Islamic fanatics, he pretended in public that the attack was perpetrated by the Basque ETA organization. He hoped to garner the votes of those Spaniards who oppose an independent Basque homeland. But the voters understood that this was a lie and did not like it. The Prime Minister is lying to us? To hell with him. In Israel, when the Prime Minister lies, the public remains apathetic. The Prime Minister has lied to us again? So what? Isn't he always lying? Nothing to get upset about.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&ItemID=5217

[smartass]

1. I guess that Sharon should just let 12 and 16 year old kids

blow up innocent Israelis. Arafat, Hamas and most of the Arab countries don't want Israel to exist and that is the rub. Arafat and Hamas have used terrorism long before Sharon was prime minister. It's very simplistic and easy to blame Sharon for all the problems in the middle east.

[bluesoul]

2. Bull

like Israelis weren't blowing up Palestinians long before Sharon or driving them out of their land...

[tinnypriv]

4. And Sharon commandered terrorist activities personally

Before the founding of the PLO.

Your point?

[Muddleoftheroad]

3. Foolish assessments

All I need to know on top of an article to know how foolish it will be is seeing two important words: "Uri Avnery." It seems like he knows less each time he writes.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jim Sagle]

6. Are you conducting an online poll?

[Violet_Crumble]

14. What was foolish about Avnery's article?

Assuming that you did read it, I'm a bit surprised that it would be found to be a foolish assessment. What's so foolish about hoping Israelis follow the path of the Spanish and get angry with the corrupt and lying fool who leads them down a path of death and never-ending violence? What's so foolish about hoping the Israelis kick out a leader who has failed them abysmally?

What's foolish about pointing that this isn't a good or healthy thing?
When a terrorist outrage happens here, logic flies out of the window. Instead of thinking and asking questions, people shout "Death to the Arabs", demand bloody revenge and gather around the Prime Minister.

Is there something bad about thinking and asking questions rather than demanding bloody revenge?

Violet...

[cloudSeven]

7. Right...the terrorists are not to blame...they have an excuse

The terrorists have no excuse or right to live after they kill innocents. I refuse to blame their murderous actions on anyone but them. Never give terrorists any slack ever.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cloudSeven]

9. You're the expert on "simplistic"

You tell me what I think.

[number6]

10. " You're the expert on "simplistic"" I am ?

:shrug: ;)

terrorism is a tactic, many states and groups use it.

states drop bombs from airplanes and political groups
send people with bombs ...

so who's the terrorist(s) ?

wouldn't dream of telling you what to think ....

[Classical_Liberal]

11. They already die because they commit suicide, the only people

who Sharon is punishing are those who neither committed terrorism or suicide, not to mention his own people. If they had given up the territories long ago none of this would be happening. The Palestinians are like blacks that can't vote before the Civil Rights act. It is even worse than that, because when they try to do an MLK and protest peacefully Sharon deports them. Sharon represents the Israelis Jim Crow constituancy.

[dudeness]

13. many innocent Iraqis and Afghans

have died at the hands of the US..does that make them terrorists?..i think you know the answer

[Violet_Crumble]

15. That was covered in the article...

"When a terrorist outrage happens here, logic flies out of the window. Instead of thinking and asking questions, people shout "Death to the Arabs", demand bloody revenge and gather around the Prime Minister."

All-round, a pretty self-destructive way to react...

Violet...

[corporatewhore]

12. hopefully the israelis will get rid of that monster