Resistance is called ‘terrorism’
By Linda S. Heard
Online Journal Contributing Writer


Jan 21, 2009, 00:22


Enshrined in the I****li narrative is the “terrorist” designation of its enemies. For most ordinary people “terrorist” is a highly emotive label and when it’s prefixed with “Islamist,” it evokes images of hooded, anti-Western extremists lopping off heads or planting bombs in five-star hotels to fulfill the demands of a warped ideology masquerading as religion.

For I****l, the ‘war on terror’ has been a gift to its propaganda merchants. After all, what reasonable person can blame a country under ‘terrorist attack’ for extending its power to protect its citizens from crazed evildoers? Sadly, public perception isn’t generally nuanced enough to take account of a crucial fundamental: I****l is the occupier and the Palestinians its victims.

Conversely, genuine resistance groups struggling against the yoke of occupation have been hobbled by George W. Bush’s black-and-white rhetoric, as they have been tarred with the same brush as Al Qaida and its franchises. Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband slammed the ‘war on terror’ during a recent visit to Mumbai, calling it a “misleading and mistaken” doctrine inviting “invidious comparisons” between diverse organisations.

It just so happens that all resistance groups in the Arab world have been grouped under the umbrella of terrorism, which devalues their just causes. As far as the US and Britain were concerned, Iraqis who objected to their country being bombed, invaded and occupied and who took up arms were all “terrorists.”

Those Iraqi patriots who fought against the illegal invasion in the same way that the French resistance fought against the Nazis and their Vichy regime during the Second World War, should never have been called “terrorists.” Similarly, the Shiite Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, which was founded during 1982 in response to I****l’s invasion of Lebanon, is officially deemed “terrorist” as is Hamas, the Sunni Palestinian faction which I****l initially welcomed as opposition to the “terrorist” Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Notwithstanding, both Hezbollah and Hamas are political organisations with massive popular support among their own people. Both are credited for implementing welfare programmes, including assisting the needy, constructing schools and maintaining hospitals. Both have military wings dedicated to pursuing freedom from occupation.

It seems, therefore, that any Arab who uses violent means to oust American, British or I****li troops from his land is automatically labelled as “a terrorist.” How convenient! When wielded effectively, the term gets the aggressor off the hook and slanders the victim.

As the president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, recently pointed out, during a special emergency meeting last week, the UN Charter encompasses the right of all peoples to self-determination. Moreover, the Nuremberg Tribunal established in 1945 set a precedent for the right of resistance under International Law as it confirmed that the anti-Nazi underground acted legitimately.

There is, however, no law that sanctions attacks on civilians. Furthermore, collective punishment is illegal under the Geneva Conventions. So it is undeniable that Hamas, for instance, has acted outside the law by launching rockets unable to discriminate between civilian and military targets. But here it gets murky because if we are to call Hamas “terrorist” then following the same logic, so is I****l.

For over three weeks, I****l has bombarded the most densely populated part of the world with a diverse arsenal. I****li spokespeople invariably say Israel does not target civilians and uses surgical precision when striking just as it maintained in 2006 when Israel murdered 1,200 Lebanese civilians.

This would be laughable if the results weren’t so tragic. In Gaza, homes, schools, universities, hospitals, ambulances, a media centre and a UN warehouse, housing desperately needed food and medicines, have all been incinerated. More than 1,300 slaughtered; over 5,000 wounded. Almost half are women and children.

How can anyone in his right mind believe this massive death toll was accidental? This is as heinous as the actions of those who strap themselves with bombs before blowing themselves up in a crowded marketplace. I****l’s Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai, who warned last year that Gaza faces an Israeli-inflicted shoah (holocaust) stuck to his word.

Terrorism, which robs innocents of their lives, is an abomination but so is the death and devastation wrought by states that misuse their military prowess. Television anchors may talk about the war in Gaza but this is a misnomer. It’s a massacre perpetrated to restore the myth of I****li deterrence, cynically timed prior to an election. If I****l truly wants a war it should allow Hamas to be supplied with F16s, Apache helicopters, missiles and tanks& then go for it!

During the last throes of the Bush presidency, I****l and the US have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding designed to strip Hamas and other resistance groups of their rearmament capability. Just as they wanted to destroy Hezbollah so they want to terminate Hamas; not because they are Islamist but because they resist their diktats and thwart their goal of cracking this region under their booted heel. In short, the enemies of the US and Israel are all “terrorists.”

Without the unswerving determination of Palestinians to resist over the past six decades there would be no cohesive Palestinian nation; only scattered refugees with no land, no national identity and no hope. And if Hezbollah had never existed, today, Lebanon would form part of a Greater Israel. Justice is the only weapon that can truly kill resistance. The international community should try it.

__________________

Your distaste of Jew's...Has blinded an otherwise intelligent man...Im not picking on you Guido...Just an outside view of your opinion of threads with Israel/Jew content...

__________________
Matt (SD,CA)

1984 300SD.. White/Chrome Bunts..Green

1997 2500 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins 12 Valve 36 PSI of Boost = 400+hp & 800+tQ .. ..Greenspeed

2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab Cummins 5.9 H.O "596hp/1225tq" 6 spd. Man. Leather Heated seats/Loaded..Flame Red....GREENSPEED

Global warming...Doing my part, Smokin da hippies..

Fight the good fight!......

I'm glad to see you have an objective opinion on what you believe. It's a daring assessment, to assume the blindness of another individual.

What is tasteful to some, may not be tasteful to others and vice versa. It's a natural thing.

The basic idea of the post is yet another.

__________________

It's no great surprise to me that State officials use words like 'Terrorism' to justify a variety of State policies at home and abroad that would be harder to implement if citizens were not focusing on fear and self-protection. The clearest explanation of this tactic that I know of is the essay, War is the Health of the State by Randolph Bourne (http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/hist_texts/warhealthstate1918.html)

What's inexcusable is journalists repeating the propaganda without comment as if there is some objective meaning to the words.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Great article. Do you have an opinion? Is the content of the article your opinion also, or are you just looking for a reaction? I would be called a troll by B C if I posted this.

__________________
1993 300E 2.8 185k miles
2006 Mustang Convertible 4.0 Eaton Supercharged

Why is any derivation of the word "Israel" bleeped as if it's a swear word? It took me a while to understand what it's about.

At heart of this conflict is religious extremism & intolerance. Both sides have significant portions of their population who are stubborn, narrow-minded, and violent. There's no easy solution.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Classic dehumanizing of your enemy.

Its been done forever.

Makes it easier for the soldier to go out and kill.

Hitlar was a master at dehumanization.

You can see subtler aspects of this in sports fans, and political types.

__________________

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

The article's bias kind of hides it's point. The 'war on terror' and the 'with us or against us' doctrine are tools to lump in everyone one doesn't like into the same demonized group. It's a brilliant way to absolve the people of having to use their reason and intellect to actually know what the hell is going on. It takes time, effort, and reason to understand issues. All of those enemies to the last administration.

__________________
1984 300TD

I'll be damned. I'm an unthinking Nazi.

See, I think in terms of 2 classes when my country is at war. Those who are with us and I hope to protect from damage, ... and everybody else.

It's been 8 years of subversive activity on the subject of terrorism.

We had 911, no doubt about it, and ever since this nation has been pounded with nothing else, but "Terrorism Propaganda".

One of the good things though is, it all changed on a single day. I always was wondering how this nation was able to actually survive under such propaganda, emotionally, mentally, all things considered.

They really extorted the case to the fullest.

It has come to the point, where the term “terrorism” is almost meaningless. Oversaturated.

__________________

I, for my part, decided to upgrade from a "2 Class Thought System" to a "Multi Level" approach.

__________________

I bleeped it. I thought I was doing a favor to the proponents of it, but apparently not.

__________________

I****l huh?
Face it you won't be happy while there is a Jew left alive will you...

Aw forget it I am outta this thread too... No point in having the same arguments in thread after thread...

I say boycott!

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

I don't think, that you think this to be a "great article".
I already mentioned, I am trying to keep it lightly when it comes to "my personal opinion". But if you look closely enough, you will find what you are looking for.
Now, I haven't really seen the greatest results in discussing 'opinions'.

However, I am unfamiliar when it comes to your relationship with BC, but I am sure, if he finds it "flag-worthy", he will do so.

__________________

I am always amazed how easily people jump on prejudice and generalization thereof.

I makes perfect sense. If one can't produce results, it's better to quit and let other's run their business.

On the other side I am truly happy to see such a large number of apologists, ready to jump on any Muslims throat, just for the heck of it. They're all terrorists anyways!?

Same difference, pal, same difference, that's what people don't realize.

You just took a look in the mirror.

__________________