The article below by Prof Norman Finkelstein, a US Political Scientist specialising in Israel- Palestinia history , is worth reflecting on.
I AM ISRAEL
I came to a land without a people for a people without a land.
Those people who happened to be here, had no right to be here,
and
my people showed them they had to leave or die,
razing 400 Palestinian villages to the ground,
erasing their history.
I am Israel.
Some of my people committed massacres
and
later became Prime Ministers to represent me.
In 1948,
Menachem Begin ,
was in charge of the unit
that slaughtered
the inhabitants of Deir Yassin,
including 100 women and children.
In 1953,
Ariel Sharon
led the slaughter of the inhabitants of Qibya,
and
in 1982 ,
arranged for our allies to butcher ,
around 2,000
in the refugee camps ,
of Sabra and Shatila.
I am Israel.
Carved in 1948 out of 78% of the land of Palestine, dispossessing its inhabitants and
replacing them with Jews from Europe
and
other parts of the world.
While the natives whose families
lived on this land for thousands of years
are not allowed to return,
Jews from all over the world are welcome to instant citizenship.
I am Israel.
In 1967,
I swallowed the remaining lands of Palestine –
East Jerusalem,
the West Bank and Gaza –
and
placed their inhabitants
under an oppressive military rule,
controlling
and
humiliating
every aspect of their daily lives.
Eventually,
they should get the message that
they are not welcome to stay, and
join the millions of Palestinian refugees
in the shanty camps of Lebanon and Jordan.
I am Israel.
I have the power to control American policy.
My American Israel Public Affairs Committee
can make
or
break any politician of its choosing,
and
as you see,
they all compete
to please me.
All the forces of the world
are powerless against me,
including the UN
as I have the American veto
to block
any condemnation of my war crimes.
As Sharon
so eloquently phrased it,
“We control America”.
I am Israel.
I influence American mainstream media too,
and
you will always
find the news tailored
to my favor.
I have invested millions of dollars
into PR representation,
and
CNN,
New York Times,
and
others
have been doing an excellent job
of promoting my propaganda.
Look at other international news sources
and
you will see the difference.
I am Israel.
You Palestinians want to negotiate “peace !?”
But
you are not as smart as me;
I will negotiate,
but
will only let you have your municipalities
while
I control your borders,
your water,
your airspace
and
anything else of importance.
While we “negotiate,”
I will swallow your hilltops
and
fill them with settlements, populated by
the most extremist
of my extremists,
armed to the teeth.
These settlements will be connected with roads
you cannot use,
and
you will be imprisoned in your little Bantustans
between them,
surrounded by checkpoints in every direction.
I am Israel.
I have
the fourth strongest army in the world,
possessing nuclear weapons.
How dare
your children confront my oppression
with stones,
don’t you know my soldiers won’t hesitate
to blow their heads off ?
In 17 months,
I have killed 900 of you
and
injured 17,000,
mostly civilians,
and
have the mandate
to continue
since
the international community remains silent.
Ignore,
as I do,
the hundreds of Israeli reserve officers
who
are now refusing
to carry out
my control over your lands
and people;
their voices of conscience will not protect you.
I am Israel.
You want freedom ?
I have bullets, tanks, missiles, Apaches
and
F-16s
to obliterate you.
I have placed
your towns
under siege,
confiscated your lands, uprooted your trees, demolished your homes,
and
you still demand freedom ?
Don’t you get the message ?
You will never have
peace or freedom,
because
I am Israel.’
– Written by Professor Norman Finkelstein