| Submit your comments on this article |
| Asparagirl vs the Palestinians |
| 2002-03-31 |
And so I'd like to extend my hearty, personal, sincere thanks to the Palestinian Authority, to Hamas and Hizbollah and Islamic Jihad and the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and of course to the Al-Aqsa Brigade, perpetrators of that charming massacre in Netanyia just the other day. You guys did what I thought was utterly impossible: you made a mostly secular American chick proud to be a Jew. You got me to actually care about what happens in some oxymoronic God-forsaken Holy Land. You made me think about how I can help people with whom I have almost nothing in common except for our common history of being hunted and hated. You made me honored to support a people who believe in democracy and an open society, people who won't kill based on race or religion but who will kill and be unashamed to do so to defend those freedoms, to defend their right to exist. You gave me back a piece of my identity and heritage that was on the road to being assimilated right out of my All-American Girl life. You created a miracle; you made me give a shit. You made me a Zionist. And for that, I really truly want to thank you guys. Personally, if possible. With a clear shot and several rounds of ammo. Careful with the head shots, Asparagirl. You'll have the Washington Post on your butt. The difference between them and us (us in this case being not only Jews but Judeo-Christian culture, of which I partake despite my happy-go-lucky agnosticism) is one of civilization. It's not Muslim vs Jew or Muslim vs Christian, but Old East vs New West. We used to be a lot more like them; ask any Albigensian or Morisco. We progressed and they didn't. Not only did they not progress, they've dug in their feet and refused to. They prefer the "Hatred of the Other" route to "Do What You Want, Just Don't Bother Me," prefer the pogrom to the agreement. Hitler to us was an aberration, a monstrosity; to them he had a lot of good points. They are our enemy because they have made us their enemy. And our other enemy is the man or woman of our own culture who refuses to accept the Evil they embody. The biggest screw up that the PA made is in not trying to split the Israeli Left from the Likud right. With Peres in Sharon's government, there are only two Israeli governmental options: a unity government under Sharon or a Likud government under Netanayhu. As long as either option has 65%+ electoral support, Israel isn't going to go soft on PA terror attacks. Jews are going to be Jews first, and nice guys last. Gideon and young David become the motifs of the day. When the peace is finally negotiated, it will either due to a military solution, and possibly mass deportations one way or another, or due to both the Palestinians and Israelis offering each other options. The latter diplomatically simply isn't happening now, and that is a function of both sides' monolithic "unity" governments. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |