American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

The following op/ed, by Susan Abulhawa, media coordinator of the Philadelphia chapter of ADC, is printed in today's edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It can be viewed online at <http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/07/18/opinion/ABULHAWA18.htm>.

Suffering a violent form of "restraint"
By Susan Abulhawa

The state of affairs between Israel and the Palestinian people can only be called a raging cease-fire.

True, on May 22, Israel declared what it called a "unilateral cease-fire" - but on that very day two teenagers in Gaza died in Israeli gunfire. Also that day, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in their cars while soldiers took over a Palestinian family's home to set up a military outpost in Gaza.

We are told repeatedly that Israel is showing "restraint" or a "measured response." This campaign began after the June 1 discothèque bombing in Tel Aviv, when Israel did not take the expected retaliation. Reporters and U.S. officials tripped over themselves praising Israel's "restraint."

(Note: My source for the narrative below is www.electronicintifada.net/chronology, a pro-Palestinian Web site, drawing from a variety of human-rights groups and other sources and offering a listing of daily assaults.)

On June 2, Dore Gold, adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Yasir Arafat should get a "failing grade on his performance" in the cease-fire. That day, Israelis beat one Palestinian to death, injured three in Ramallah and two in Hebron, and tore up agricultural land in Gaza.

On June 3, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on NBC's Meet the Press that he was encouraged by Sharon's measured response. That day, Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians, confiscated 7.2 acres of Palestinian farmland, and stormed Palestinian Authority offices in Hebron. Next day, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters that "we appreciate the measured response [Israel has] taken." Also on that day, Israel shelled 21 homes in Gaza, wounded 22 Palestinians, obliterated a home in Nablus, bulldozed more land and dug trenches in Gaza.

On June 5, President Bush said, "We believe enough progress has been made on the cease-fire." On that day, Israel shelled more homes in Nablus and Gaza. They shot at Beirzeit University students on their way to the university and injured six Palestinians.

Sharon told the world on June 24 that "Israel is showing restraint, but people cannot accept it." That day, Israel assassinated a Palestinian activist in a phone-booth explosion, injuring a 2-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother nearby. On June 27, Sharon said that Israel would "not negotiate under fire and under terror." That day, two Palestinian workers were shot with live ammunition near Nablus.

I tried to tally the casualty numbers myself at www.electronicintifada.net/chronology by going through the human-rights reports and marking down the number of deaths and injuries since the cease-fire. I gave up after counting 25 dead, an alarming number of whom were children. Hundreds have been wounded, most by live fire.

Last week, Israel leveled at least 30 Palestinian homes. Most of the owners are refugees who spent their life savings to build a modest home. They are rarely given notice of the demolition. They must stand back - husbands, wives, children, neighbors - and watch Israeli bulldozers rip through their lives. These people are already refugees living in the most deplorable conditions.

Yet Congress is in the process of approving a multibillion-dollar aid package to Israel and at the same time advocating economic punishment of the Palestinians. U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.) has drafted a resolution that would put U.S. monitors in the area to report on Palestinian "terrorism" and work out compensation for victims (i.e., more land for Israel). No mention of Israeli aggression or Palestinian victims in Andrews' bill.

Not a single day has gone by without Israeli fire and terror. And few days have passed without some word of praise for Israel's restraint. Perhaps it's sense, not violence, that has ceased.

Susan Abulhawa (sjabulhawa@yahoo.com) is a freelance writer and media coordinator of the local chapter of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

	19 July, 2001
	ADC Op/ed in Today's Philly Inquirer


	The following op/ed, by Susan Abulhawa, media coordinator of the Philadelphia chapter of ADC, is printed in today's edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It can be viewed online at <http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/07/18/opinion/ABULHAWA18.htm>. Suffering a violent form of "restraint" By Susan Abulhawa The state of affairs between Israel and the Palestinian people can only be called a raging cease-fire. True, on May 22, Israel declared what it called a "unilateral cease-fire" - but on that very day two teenagers in Gaza died in Israeli gunfire. Also that day, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in their cars while soldiers took over a Palestinian family's home to set up a military outpost in Gaza. We are told repeatedly that Israel is showing "restraint" or a "measured response." This campaign began after the June 1 discothèque bombing in Tel Aviv, when Israel did not take the expected retaliation. Reporters and U.S. officials tripped over themselves praising Israel's "restraint." (Note: My source for the narrative below is www.electronicintifada.net/chronology, a pro-Palestinian Web site, drawing from a variety of human-rights groups and other sources and offering a listing of daily assaults.) On June 2, Dore Gold, adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Yasir Arafat should get a "failing grade on his performance" in the cease-fire. That day, Israelis beat one Palestinian to death, injured three in Ramallah and two in Hebron, and tore up agricultural land in Gaza. On June 3, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on NBC's Meet the Press that he was encouraged by Sharon's measured response. That day, Israeli settlers killed two Palestinians, confiscated 7.2 acres of Palestinian farmland, and stormed Palestinian Authority offices in Hebron. Next day, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters that "we appreciate the measured response [Israel has] taken." Also on that day, Israel shelled 21 homes in Gaza, wounded 22 Palestinians, obliterated a home in Nablus, bulldozed more land and dug trenches in Gaza. On June 5, President Bush said, "We believe enough progress has been made on the cease-fire." On that day, Israel shelled more homes in Nablus and Gaza. They shot at Beirzeit University students on their way to the university and injured six Palestinians. Sharon told the world on June 24 that "Israel is showing restraint, but people cannot accept it." That day, Israel assassinated a Palestinian activist in a phone-booth explosion, injuring a 2-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother nearby. On June 27, Sharon said that Israel would "not negotiate under fire and under terror." That day, two Palestinian workers were shot with live ammunition near Nablus. I tried to tally the casualty numbers myself at www.electronicintifada.net/chronology by going through the human-rights reports and marking down the number of deaths and injuries since the cease-fire. I gave up after counting 25 dead, an alarming number of whom were children. Hundreds have been wounded, most by live fire. Last week, Israel leveled at least 30 Palestinian homes. Most of the owners are refugees who spent their life savings to build a modest home. They are rarely given notice of the demolition. They must stand back - husbands, wives, children, neighbors - and watch Israeli bulldozers rip through their lives. These people are already refugees living in the most deplorable conditions. Yet Congress is in the process of approving a multibillion-dollar aid package to Israel and at the same time advocating economic punishment of the Palestinians. U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.) has drafted a resolution that would put U.S. monitors in the area to report on Palestinian "terrorism" and work out compensation for victims (i.e., more land for Israel). No mention of Israeli aggression or Palestinian victims in Andrews' bill. Not a single day has gone by without Israeli fire and terror. And few days have passed without some word of praise for Israel's restraint. Perhaps it's sense, not violence, that has ceased. Susan Abulhawa (sjabulhawa@yahoo.com) is a freelance writer and media coordinator of the local chapter of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee.