The Politics and Lies of Choosing Death

Currently, 1,580 Palestinian prisoners have decided to go on a hunger strike because they want…well, honestly,  I don’t care what they want and I won’t give them this blog as a platform. What I will tell you is that of this large amount, only 6 have yet to be charged with crimes.

Of the remaining 1,574 – all were tried and convicted of crimes. One of the hunger strikers is Abdullah Barghouti. It is his fact that appears in the media as one of the poor starving prisoners. I know his name. I know his history and I know he deserves no compassion, no regret. If Israel had a death penalty, his name would be listed high among those deserving death for what he has done.

Years ago, I was working on a project and was asked to edit a long list of his crimes. It was a project to document what various convicted criminals/terrorists had done. Each article made me angry; each victim named made me sad. Abdullah Barghouti’s article made me sick. By the end of the article, my stomach was in knots and I had to stop for a while. I remember going into Aliza’s room and picking her up and holding her while she slept. I needed her purity after touching the filth that is Abdullah Barghouti’s life.

He was convicted and sentenced to 67 life terms for his crimes. He is the one who made the bomb that was hidden in a guitar and taken by a young Arab couple to a lovely pizzeria in Jerusalem on a sunny day in August, 2001. Fifteen people died that day – eight of them children.

Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri, the “man” who carried the bomb, died in the explosion. When you hear of this attack, the number of dead varies. Some say 15; some say 16. The difference is the terrorist bomber who chose death. I will say 15 people died that day because whatever he was, that man that chose to murder and maim, he was not a person.

A woman who was his cover. Ahlam Tamimi escorted  al-Masri to the pizzeria as a distraction to the soldiers and others. It worked. Her “boyfriend” got the chance to murder while she calmly walked away. She was eventually captured and tried, convicted of murder, sentenced, and recently released as one of the prisoners in the Gilad Shalit deal. She was asked about the children she murdered – watch her smile and see the definition of evil.

The man who made the bomb that Tamimi and her murdering f is still in jail. He was convicted and sentenced to 67 life terms for his crimes. Do you really care if he starves himself to death?

Obama and the UN have expressed concern for the health of the hunger strikers. If I were to tell you that Charles Manson was on a hunger strike – would you insist he be released? Would you care? If I told you Timothy Mcveigh, who murdered 168 people in the Oklahoma City bombing was on a hunger strike would you  expect the UN to step in?

Before you jump on the wagon of sympathy – please know the facts. There are only six out of more than 1,580 prisoners who have not been charged. Each of these six cases is being or has been evaluated by legal authorities. Two of them – the ones who started this whole nonsense, are leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the court has rejected their demands because they present a clear danger to Israel and Israelis. They are not innocent people leading innocent lives. If they had the chance, more Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masris and Ahlam Tamimis would walk into more Sbarros and murder more Malki Roths. This is their life’s mission and one they are willing to die for.

Each of these 1,580 prisoners has a choice to eat and live or starve himself to death. That choice, to live or die, is more than they gave their victims.

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See The Ongoing War to learn more about one of the victims of these prisoners – and an article by her parents about the hunger strikers. Their beautiful 15-year-old daughter was never given a choice. She would have chosen life. See http://www.kerenmalki.org/ to see how loving parents turn tragedy into a true memorial.

13 Comments

  1. 15 people were not killed, they were Murdered.

    People have a tendency to use the word killed when in fact the proper word to use is MURDERED.

    When doing that, their crimes become very clear.

  2. Paula, the uncertainty about whether fifteen were killed that day ten years ago at Sbarro, or sixteen stems from the fact that a young mother named Chana, who came there with her two year old daughter, was left brain damaged and has remained in a vegetative state since August 9, 2001. Another “victory” for Abdullah Barghouti and those many thousands of protestors who want his ‘dignity’ and freedom restored.

    Arnold.

  3. Anyone agitating for the freedom of these psychopaths wants more dead Jews, simple as that. The murderers do not build society. They destroy as much of it as they can. They do the dirty work of people unwilling to look at gory scenes or the eyes of horrified people with indescribably emotional and/or physical pain.

  4. Excellent comments on this post, Paula, and an excellent post.

    When I think about these people — the terrorists — I know that many of my colleagues see them as “freedom fighters” carrying on a noble cause. My liberal friends want to equate the Palestinians with the American Indians (sorry, the politically correct name is now Native Americans).

    In the liberals’ mind, the Jews came into the Holy Land and stole it from the Palestinians living there and the Jews are systematically imprisoning them and using forced removal to “new homes” (much like Indian reservations in the U.S.). The Left feels sorry for the Palestinians and they see the terrorists as “misguided individuals”. In the liberals’ mind, love and compassion will result in peace and equality among all humans.

    Rubbish.

    I have no doubt that there are terrorists who regret what they’ve done. There are probably some who’ve switched sides. But to think that love and compassion will change a murderer is naive, at best. Many of the terrorists are driven by fanatical religious believes. Others are more political in nature — I think Yasser Arafat was the classic “political terrorist”. In the beginning, he may have been motivated by religion or nationalism, but in the end he was motivated by power and control — but whatever the motivation, they are not willing to change. Love and compassion are not going to impress them.

    It all comes back to Paula’s point: Jews and Christians (as a whole) worship life and love. The Muslim terrorists (which are still, I think, outside the norm of Islam, but it’s a growing number) worship death and hatred.

    G-d may tell us to love one another, but I don’t think He wants us to blindly succumb to evil. We must protect the innocents — on both sides of the equation — and never yield to evil. Never.

    If they don’t want to eat. Quit making them food until they ask for it. Why waste it?

  5. The Arabs are giving Israel a gift – the death penalty its craven and gutless leaders have refused to implement for decades.

    Let THEM die! Their innocent victims were never given a choice. If they wish to kill themselves, no Jew in Israel must show them compassion or human pity.

    Let’s reserve it for all the beautiful Jewish lives they cruelly extinguished. Let the food feed the orphans of their crimes. Maybe it will do some good to show mercy towards the righteous than towards the evil.

    They merit the fate they have chosen for themselves. They have no place in Israel!

  6. For an Israeli, you have a pretty weak stomach.

    I’d also point out that even the convicted prisoners weren’t exactly tried under the full fairness of the judicial process. It’s hard to get a jury of your peers when you’re extracted from your home not-yet-a-country into an antagonistic country and judged there.

    Once the Palestinians have a state, you can complain about terrorism. Until then, these guys are freedom fighters and deserve to be treated at worst as prisoners of war.

  7. Dear Anonymous #472 or is it #473…it’s so hard to keep track of those brave souls who don’t leave their names…

    Let me point out that the convicted prisoners were not “extracted” from their homes but rather caught, many in the act of a crime (quite often…murder). We also once tried Adolf Eichmann. In his case, we did extract him from his comfortable home in Argentina – where the country refused to try him for the murder of millions of Jews. So he was brought to Israel and given a most fair trial. All the evidence was presented, clearly to all, and then, oh yes, in the ONLY case of capital punishment in Israel’s history, Eichmann was hanged for crimes against humanity.

    So long as the Palestinians continue on the path of terror (and yes, terror is defined by murdering innocents, in many cases children), there will be no state. They are not freedom fighters. As for “prisoners of war” status, I believe the majority get much better than that. Compare their treatment to that of what Gilad Shalit suffered. He WAS extracted from his country; he was never tried. He was not given access to international visitors. He was barely fed. He didn’t get to go outside in the sunshine (his body proved this by his incredibly LOW level of Vitamin D … a vitamin absorbed naturally simply by being in the sun). By contrast, these murderers and terrorists with whom you sympathize so much have been tried, evidence shown, convicted, sentenced – as is our right. It is our right because they came into Israel to attack…and were just unlucky enough to be caught. And still the treatment they receive is so much better than anything Hamas or the PA would give an Israeli in the same situation. As for weak stomachs, you are correct there – it’s hard for us to look at pictures of blown up bodies and bloody body parts – aren’t you the man for having such a strong stomach. And yes, the site of this disgusting, cursed woman smiling that her actions resulted in the deaths of 8 children should make everyone sick. If you don’t have that response, I would suggest looking into yourself for the lack of humanity.

    And finally, aren’t you the hypocrite – suggesting that we don’t give “full fairness of the judicial process.” Have you ever investigated the “judicial process” in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Yemen, Iran, Iraq…gee, should I go on….

  8. @ Anonymous

    Once the Palestinians have a state, you can complain about terrorism. Until then, these guys are freedom fighters and deserve to be treated at worst as prisoners of war.

    These useful idiots (to put it mildly) cannot be called Soldiers by any means, but even if they did come under The Geneva Conventions of War, they could be taken out and shot immediately since they are not in uniform. A point that has been brought up to them every time they try to go into The International Court of Justice.

    As for being called Freedom Fighters. Those words are an oxymoron. They fight neither for Freedom (But to enslave all the peoples of the region) nor will they attack the military. They attack civilians (Under the Geneva Conventions of War totally illegal.) and have shown themselves to be total cowards. Attack the IDF directly and you might finally be called a fighter and not before.

  9. and nobody knows more about lacking humanity than `israelis and their supporters. the state of israel not only dispossessed 750,000 native inhabitants of their land and denied their existence for over 60 years, it has occupied them for over 40 years. when you occupy another people, steal their land, humiliate them with checkpoints and barriers to their freedom of movement, then yes, they will get angry and fight back. there are over 2.5 million people in the west bank that have no citizenship (the number of citizenship palestinians is actually much higher, because the inhabitants of Gaza and even within Israel also lack freedom and genuine citizenship( and no control over the future. Israel, since day one, has done everything it can to radicalize the population and draw them to violence. it is absolutely sick that anybody, particularly a Jew, can support a state that denies the rights of others to live in dignity. you want an end to palestinian “terrorism,” then end Israeli terrorism and give the Palestinians the dignity they deserve,

  10. Anonymous,

    Freedom fighters fight for justice,peace,freedom,and liberty for the oppressed. They do not premeditate and carry out the coldblooded murder of innocents, and use their so called religious beliefs as a smokescreen to justify their evil violence.

    Freedom fighters do not break into family homes late at night with murder on their mind,and hold down screaming terrified little children, see the fear and pain in their eyes, and stab them until their last breath.

    Freedom fighters don’t shoot and stab unarmed men and women who poise no threat to them. Freedom fighters don’t go back into a house after hearing the cry of a baby to stab her to death in her little crib.[Fogel murders happened last year March 2011]

    Freedom fighters don’t walk into an icecream, or pizza parlor full of children with murder on their mind,and blow up innocents around them. Freedom fighters don’t stand next to a babycarriage and detonate explosives with they know are going to kill that baby.This happened at the [Sbarro Pizza bombing,in August 2001 and the bombing at the icecream parlor in May 2002 at Petach Tivak]

    Freedom fighters don’t shoot at cars just driving by on a road and then walk up to the car they shot at, and shoot a pregnant mother at point blank range after which they shoot her small children at close range repeatedly even after their dead.[happened in May2004 in Gaza to a woman named Tali Hatuel and her 4 daughters]

    Freedom fighters don’t take over civilian buses and shoot at cars just driving by on the roads, and shoot all passengers on a bus[most of whom are women and children] they took over at point blank range ,freedom fighters don’t snatch a baby from her mothers arms and throw it back on to a burning bus[this happened in March of 1978 known as the Coastal Road massacre]

    Freedom fighters don’t take over nursery schools, and hold babies hostage and then when their blackmail is not met,beat a baby to death because she won’t stop crying,and shoot other children. [Kibbutz Misagv Nursery school Am May 1980]

    There are many other horrific murderous incidents like this in the history of Israel. These crimes are no different than the crimes the nazis committed against the Jews. People like you who defend these evil people might as well be defending the Holocaust.

    This isn’t about justice for the Arabs you just hate Jews, and won’t come out and admit it,but Israel is here to stay get used to it.

    The Jews will no longer be victims of a cold,indifferent world,which for the most part,excepts for a few brave exceptions, stood by and did nothing while 6 million innocent Jewish men,women, and children,and babies were cruely murdered by the most inhumane, diabolical war machine the world has ever known.

  11. @ Anonymous

    If any of those incidents were done in a civilized country it would be considered criminal behavior and in the US subject to the Death Penalty. Even if the defendant screamed he/she was a so-called Freedom Fighter.

  12. Clitemnistra,

    You have it totally backwards dear nobody knows more about lacking humanity than the poor Palestinians, and their supporters like you.

    Your the people who try and justify slitting the throats of infants, blowing up elderly Holocaust survivors celebrating religious holidays, and pointing machine guns at the heads of 2 year olds in babyseats then pulling the trigger,and all in the name of a fake country that never existed in the history of the world.

    The checkpoints, and other security measures like the security fence,exist for a reason. As long as there are Arabs,trying to murder Israelis in coldblood, like the Arabs did to the Fogel family,and other Israeli families there sadly will be a need for them.

    Your justification for terrorism sounded alot like what Hakim Awad said. The person who strangled and stabbed a three year old boy in the heart.

    I don’t know about you, but I personally would be horrified to think I shared a similiar opinion as someone who brutally murdered an entire family, and stabbed small children and a baby to death in coldblood,and then laughed about it in court.

    If the Jews *forcibly* kicked out 750,000 Arabs out of Palestine, then why are there 1 million Arabs who live in Israel today? Obviously,not all the Arabs felt threatened, or feared for their lives.

    Why are there Arabs who are in the Knesset[and often side with the enemy],serve in the Israeli Supreme Court,and even serve in the Israeli military?

    Why is that the majority of Israeli Arabs said they would rather live in Israel even if a Palestinian state was created?

    I will tell you why because they have more freedom and more rights than any Arabs in the middleast.

    There may have been some Arabs who left out of fear in 1948,but it’s obvious the main reason the Arabs left was,because they were told to by their leaders,they mistakenly thought the Jews were going to lose the war,which was a very natural conclusion given that the Jews were outnumbered 5 to 1,but it didn’t happen that way the Jews won the war,and conquered even more terrority as a result.

    Palestinians had many chances over the years to have their own state,but nothing excepts everything was ever good enough for them,now they have absolutely nothing,which sadly is exactly what they deserve.

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