(Thank you, Reem!)
In Gaza is de noodtoestand nog steeds aanleiding voor protest. Reem, de secretaresse van het NCCR maakte foto’s van de demonstraties bij het parlementsgebouw. De eerste twee foto’s zijn van haar, die daarna komen van de Electronic Intifada.
Ook bij de nog steeds afgesloten grensovergang Rafah, waar op de duizenden wachtenden alleen af en toe een paar honderd mensen worden doorgelaten wordt de bevolking kwader en actiever. De poging om een doorgang te forceren is nog niet gelukt. Lees de brief van een mensenrechtenorganisatie, gericht aan de EU. Ga hierheen.
Uri Avnery heeft weer een nieuw stuk geschreven, over wat er nu gaat gebeuren in Israel, na het debakel in Libanon, en geeft de hoop nog steeds niet op dat ook de Israelische bevolking tot inkeer gaat komen en begrijpt dat er geen militaire oplossing is. Een citaat:
SO WHAT will happen? One can only answer with the saying: The art of prophecy is difficult, especially with respect to the future.
It is impossible at this moment to know what is going to happen in the near future. But it is worthwhile to think about the impact of the war on public opinion in the longer run.
When Samson the Hero saw a swarm of bees making honey in the carcass of a lion he ramarked: “Out of the strong came forth sweetness.” (Judges 14). (That’s the same Samson who was abducted by the Philistines and became the first suicide bomber in the history of this country.) Can this phrase become true this time too? Can something good come out of this horrible war?
Perhaps. True, for the time being the result of this war in Israel has only been feelings of anger, frustration, insult and humiliation: Why couldn’t we overcome a small “terror organization”? Our political leaders have proved to be foolish, our military leaders incompetent. Things must be put in order.
But I believe that gradually a new conviction will form in the public mind: that this war marks the end of the days of easy victories. That from now on, in any new war our rear will be exposed. That our army is not almighty, as we were led to believe. And mainly: that the war did not solve anything, that perhaps the solution is not military and we would do better talking with our neighbors.
True, it is not easy to arrive at such a conclusion, which demands an emotional and ideological revolution. That will take time. But one need not be a university professor to get there. Simple common sense is enough, as well as the experience that has accumulated during the last decades. Many people, including those usually described as “the common people”, have both, thank God.
Those who complain that the Second Lebanon War was stopped before it was finished, should note the success of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.
Voor het hele stuk, ga naar de website van Gush Shalom.
En hieronder, een krachtig stuk van Amira Hass, helaas alleen nog in het engels. En op de website van Haaretz zijn ook de reacties te lezen – en te geven.