Due to the fact that the world is busy with the American war against the Middle East for no other reason other than to dominate the area, I thought I should enlighten those who have been making one excuse after another for Israel, which is lead by the so called “a man of peace” by US President George Bush.
The army invaded the old city of Nablus quietly on Wednesday February 19th at 2.00 am. Most of the residents in the old city didn’t even know the army soldiers were hiding in the area using resident houses until the next day and went to work like any other day.
Students of Jamal Abdel Nasser girls school had the shock of their lives when they went to their schools and found the Israeli army soldiers and Palestinian blindfolded detainees inside their classrooms. “Today is a ‘no school day’, go home,” the Israeli captain in charge said. One of the detainees was saddened to be held in the same classroom that his own daughter goes to.
Samir Khammash was evacuated from his house Wednesday morning and was allowed to return home several hours later to find half his home blown up to peaces. He lost his bedroom, toilet and kitchen. He now lives with the rest of his family in one room that does not shield him from the hard rainstorm that is pelting the area.
We found later that most homes “searched” by the army were in fact destroyed. The army would move into each house and blow up the kitchen and bathrooms before doing anything else to make those houses totally useless. No explanation was given, of course.
The worst action of all is the capital punishment for innocent civilians. Nasser Abu Safeyya was walking with his aged father in the old city when they were surprised by the presence of the army. Nasser said to his father “Don’t worry, I will stay by your side, I won’t leave you”. When the army spotted them, they asked for Nasser to step aside, laid him on the floor and opened fire killing him on the spot right in front of his father’s eyes.
What went through the soldiers minds, none of us knows or can find out. The army would probably claim that he tried to get away or he was found to be carrying some weapons — a nail cutter is considered a weapon of mass destruction in the eyes of the Israeli army.
Ahmad Abu Zahra, 11 years, was walking with his grandfather Ahmad Abu Zahra, senior, in the old city. They thought they were safe walking near a fire engine truck. Nonetheless, the army opened fire killing Ahmad (the grandson) on the spot. The grandfather died several hours later.
The same cold blooded unprovoked murders were carried on the following day and the day after and the day after. There was no slowing down in the process. No one questions the army actions nor their wrong doings. Who would question the actions of the “man of peace”, as the president of the United States calls Ariel Sharon, to us a war criminal.
The Israeli military operation ended at the early hours of Sunday, February 23. The death toll, the mass destruction, mass arrests and the demolishing of houses were unparalleled to anything the army did in the two hundred and forty nine days since the attack began on Nablus and other Palestinian cities. It was much worse.
During the past few months, many voices were raised to warn against Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians if and when Iraq is attacked. The attacks have already started. No one was listening, no one is listening. The voices reached deaf ears.
Palestinians are frustrated. They are pushed into the corner and left with no choices or alternatives. They are requested to refrain from any kind of struggle for absolutely nothing. The world is watching, yet has done little.
Amer Abdelhadi is general manager of Radio Tariq Al Mahabbeh, TMFM 97.7
