WE NEED PEACE, NOW!!!

Peace, not War

I was so saddened to hear the news reports this morning talking about the continued atrocities committed by the Israeli government against innocents during their brief but deadly war in Gaza. The subject of the story was an Arab doctor who practiced in Israel whose house was viciously attacked by the Israeli Defense Force. A group of tanks surrounded his house and commenced firing upon it. Dr. Abu al-Aish, a noted gynecologist and peace advocate, had never engaged in any attacks on Israelis, housed or supported militants or even questioned their right to a homeland. The first rounds of tank shells destroyed his house and killed his daughters’ twenty-one-year-old Bessan, fifteen-year-old Mayar, and thirteen-year-old Aya—as well as his niece Nour, who was age fourteen. Another daughter Shada, who was wounded, was crying for her father having her eyes blown out of their sockets. The second round of tank shells decapitated his children showering the house in pools of blood and brain matter. We will never achieve peace thru violence! Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity. It simply is a failed policy.

The mainstream news in America does not fairly publish the stories of war. We seem to be so scared to confront our Israeli friends about the daily atrocities they inflict. Instead of calling for worldwide peace and being outraged at acts of aggression we condoned their actions demonizing average Arab citizens in our daily biased spoon fed news reports. Two days ago, in the first pages of the San Francisco Chronicle published a story of an Israeli soldier who had been captured by militants and has been held for nearly three years. They gave wonderful background information about his family and his story. When America’s mainstream press talks about Arab casualties, either in Iraq, Palestine or anywhere else we never get the same in depth stories behind their lives or even their names. We simply get body counts.

The same day the paper ran coverage of the captured Israeli soldier, American citizen and noted Peace activist Tristan Anderson was brutally shot point blank in the head by an extended range tear gas canister while peacefully demonstrating with Palestinians against the great barrier wall Israel has illegally built on Palestinian lands. Even George Bush in perhaps his only moment of clarity described the Apartheid Wall as a problem and a major interference in further peace talks.

The fact of the matter is that every American ought to start reading books, newspapers, and blogs and begin educating themselves on our policies and their effects worldwide. If we ever want to find true peace we need to step forward as the citizenry of the dominant world power and demand that our elected officials practice peace and equal rights for all people. We could all take a lesson from DR. Abu al-Aish. Even after the devastating and brutal killing of his entire family terrifyingly recorded on live TV in Israel, he stated publicly and loudly that “Military ways proved its failure. We should look for other ways to give each other its rights. We don’t want to speak about peace. Peace is—you know, this word lost its meaning. We should find something else: respect, equality, justice and partnership. That’s what we should look for.”

“Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace”

- John Lennon

for more information on this story please go to: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/20/palestinian_doctor_peace_advocate_recounts_israeli

For more information on the Wall please find the film called “The Iron Wall” produced by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees at www.theironwall.ps\

For a fantastic book providing fair and equal coverage of the conflicts in Mideast please read Jimmy Carter’s amazing book entitled Palestine Peace not Apartheid.

For horrific coverage of Tristan’s attack please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE--quy2N9s

note: before someone calls me an anti semite let’s please get a correct definition. A Semite is “A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.”

I suggest writing President Obama at the White House and voice your desire for PEACE... despite Hillary's statements concerning Palestine since joining Obama's team we need to reopen the dialogue, enforce UN resolutions already in place and follow the roadmap to peace!!!