Hamas War

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Vicious

When I was a kid, we played a "word association game." Someone would read off a list of words and the others would write the very first word to come to their mind. Sometimes the results were startling and funny.

If we were to play that game right now and say "Amona" I think that most people would say "vicious" or some synonym, like "violent" or "police brutality."

Last night on the TV news, there was a long report about the Knesset Committee to Investigate the Violence at Amona. I can only describe the newscast as "vicious," especially in the way that the "news anchors" attacked MK's Effie Eitam and Dr. Arye Eldad, who were both injured at Amona by police who knew exactly who they were. Yes, both men were well-known to the police, and not because they are criminals, the opposite. Neither are they anonymous back-benchers in parliament. One can see from the videos and photos that they were unarmed and just trying to talk to the police, to calm things down, when they were attacked by the police.

And last night when they were being "interviewed," or should I say "interrogated" by the "news team," they weren't allowed to finish their sentences. Dr. Eldad, whose arm is still in a cast, was treated like a dangerous criminal. He's a internationally well-known medical doctor, who specializes in innovative techniques for skin transplants for burn and accident victims.

The hearings won't really help solve the mystery, as the "defense authorities" have decided that it is "too dangerous" for the actual police commanders to appear and testify. Instead Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Defense, and Internal Security Minister, Gideon Ezra, defended their underlings. That's very noble, expcet that neither were present at Amona, and the pictures and other witnesses all testify and prove that they've lied. The reality at Amona was very different from the ministers' stories.

Just start with the reality--see the pictures--that to "control" the young, unarmed demonstrators, "state of the art" mounted police and "riot control, special forces" were brought with their batons, shields and modern armor.

According to some, they expected to terrify the demonstrators just by their appearance. But they failed. They didn't know how to cope with the demonstrators, young and old, walking up to them and innocently asking: "Why are you here?" "Why do you want to hurt us?" "We're all brothers." "We're all Jews."

For some peculiar, perverse reason, the police reacted viciously, and the results are well-known. There are too many pictures and first-person testimonies to claim that they were doctored.

It's very noble that the ministers in charge of defense and the police are trying to protect their underlings, but their real job is to protect innocent civilians from all sorts of dangers, and in this they have failed.

G-d willing, "nahafoch hu," there will be a "grand reversal." It is the Jewish month of Adar. "Mi shenichnas Adar, marbim b'simcha." "When Adar begins, joy will be increased."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where were like-minded individuals (me included) when the Arab knesset members were beat up by police?

Remember 'vaadat or' where we (the right) thought it was our duty to blndly back the police? We know beyond a doubt that unless Amona is a watershed for police dealing with 'orangemen' (through a serious amount of police taken to court and convicted, as well as their commanders), then the same loose police trigger finger in wadi ara, will be used on the hilltops, chas v'shalom.

No sumpathy for knesset members because they turned the knesset into a farce, went on talk shows to laugh up with celebrities, and became an embarrassment to am yisrael. Is it any surprise that Harav Mordechai Eliyahu was quoted today as saying that he'll probably not even vote.

Batya said...

Are you comparing the Arab rioters with the Amona demonstrators? Were the Arabs just sitting peacefull?

Anonymous said...

Batya,
I simply don't know who to trust anymore.

I know the tabloids outright lie when reporting about the religious and otherwise show so much hate for the settlers so why should I trust them about reporting anything else? Should I believe the IDF spokesman unit which played psychological warfare with the orange people over the summer, and also has no obligation to report the truth? Do I believe the police side of any event? NO, no, no, and no.

I'm certainly not going to trust the 'right/religious' papers to report about Arab issues either.

Batya said...

Trust people, not media. It's not easy.

Anonymous said...

'ein al mi lismoch ela avinu bashamayim'

I really used to hate that saying, but I totally understand it now. All our 'leaders' have failed us and not willing to make the sacrifice for us over keeping their jobs. The job is the ultimate goal in life especially if you're bring home over 10 000NIS a month. There are too few leaders this summer who risked their jobs, including Dr Eldad, and that Army Rabbi who tried to pursuade soldiers to resist immoral orders.

That's who I blame for the pitiful resistance this summer. Everyone claims that the 'people' didn't show up, but I know the real reason - the total lack of leadership. It really was in our hands to stop the disengagement, or at least force the government to rethink the ease of it, but the rightist leadership wasn't willing to even go as far as Dr Eldad, and then they relegated him to a low position.

I'm voting Marzel, and not with any illusion that he'll lead us, but rather because he doesn't seem afraid of 'people', rather God almighty.

Batya said...

ok, just get people to vote