For the people of Gaza

I saw this picture today on an Arab news website, Middle East Online. Obviously, these children are not terrorists or even combatants. They are too little. The caption for the photo said: ‘While on earth stop the massacre of the people of Palestine’

Meanwhile, a UN report states the totally obvious:

UN report says Israeli occupation causes terror

Report: terrorists acts against Israel are inevitable consequence of Tel Aviv’s colonialism, apartheid, occupation.

Of course, sometimes terrorism comes from more than occupation and apartheid. Sometimes it comes from a military presence in a country that is against the wishes of the citizens of that country. Sometimes it comes as a reaction to violence and injustice from a more powerful group. And sometimes it comes because someone is evil, just plain evil.

And sometimes, terrorism happens because people are just bat-shit crazy. I imagine the parents of these little ones are now bat-shit crazy. There are lots of Iraqi people who now fall in that last category. The US occupation of Iraq has destroyed the place and destroyed the country and destroyed the lives of tens of millions of people. It has striped many people of hope or a reason to live. It has caused many of them to see death as a better alternative than live, and some of them think that they should take a few of the occupiers or their accomplices with them when they go. The occupation of Iraq has had a negative impact on people in the Middle East outside Iraq too.

But this is about Palestine, about Gaza. Right now, the Israeli government is trying to starve out the people in Gaza. They are denying them medicines and medical care (I heard they let 14 people out today for medical care, but this is the exception). They are denying them electricity and security. This is collective punishment, and I believe the stupid and short-sighted Israelis are seeing to it that the Palestinians are victims of the Nazi holocaust too.

Shame on all these adults who kill children! It is evil beyond belief. Remember These Children says that 119 Israeli children have been killed and 982 Palestinian children have been killed since 2000. This is a horror that must be stopped.

We cannot this occupation and confiscation of Palestinian land to continue. We cannot allow the Israelis to continue their very stupid policies. The Palestinians are stupid beyond stupid to respond to Israel’s violence with more violence. But it is clear to me that the Palestinians who are civilians and not combatants are the ones paying the highest price. This is a horror that must be stopped.

Poem: People of Palestine

Like a slave in the American south

They shall be liberated

Even if it means another civil war

Like a persecuted Jew

They shall survive the genocide

Even if takes another World War

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Like beloved yet betrayed Jesus

They shall be back

Even if it would be at the end of time

Like the visionless cured by Jesus

They shall regain their sight

Even if the rest of the world remains blind

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Like resurrected flesh

They shall come back to life

Even if it would be at the end of days

Like the Day of Judgement

They shall have justice

Even if it means there will be hell to raise

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It matters not on whose side is the Divine

It matters not who shall inherent the heavenly kingdom

While on earth stop the massacre of the people of Palestine

Let peace and justice reign, not Lucifer’s Pandemonium

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Mamoon Alabbasi is an editor for Middle East Online