It was very interesting to read that a student complained about what was published in the silhouette and how the silhouette can publish such an article about the Massacre of Jenin. Well, in response, we would like to ask, what happened to freedom of speech and freedom of expression? If something does not appeal to you, it does not necessarily imply that it is incorrect or is a “pervasion of facts”. The silhouette has given students of McMaster great opportunity and space to openly debate issues that affect our lives in way or another.
The Jenin massacre was committed by the Israeli army and resulted in the deaths of many Palestinian refugees. Some may deny the massacre but “A British forensic expert who has gained access to the West Bank city of Jenin says evidence points to a massacre by Israeli forces” (BBC April 18, 2002). If one were to Google the words ‘Jenin Massacre’ and look up the images, you will see horrific sights of dead civilian men, women and children which under no circumstances should be justified even if it was a direct response to homicide bombers which were supposedly traced to Jenin. Response by the Israeli army should never come at the cost of the innocent civilians including toddlers and babies in Jenin. No matter how little or how many died in the Massacre; it is still a crime against humanity committed by the Israeli army.
It was claimed in a previous article that Israel has a code of conduct; however, the Israeli army does not abide by any of it. Everyday, Palestinians are humiliated by the Israelis every time a Palestinian crosses a checkpoint. We would like to ask what is the Israeli code of conduct is, when an Israeli soldier himself once said in a documentary “Whoever comes close wants to make trouble, we break them” then states “What do we mean by break them? We let them suffer”. Moreover, to show the brutality of the Israeli army, CBS have released a clip showing the abuse of a Palestinian boy by the Israeli soldiers. (YouTube: Israeli police beating Palestinian).
Apart from these isolated incidents of violation of human rights, lets not forget the Apartheid wall that runs over 650 km (400 miles) inside the West Bank, which breaks up the Palestinian territory. The wall is 8 meters high, twice the height of the former Berlin wall. The wall is another violation of Human Rights restricting and hindering the Palestinian movement around their own territory. This is a great opportunity to bring up this issue since this week marks the International Week of Action against the Apartheid Wall. Many events are happening around the globe to educate people on this topic. This wall is affecting the Palestinians in so many ways that in 2004 the International Court of Justice declared that the wall is ILLEGAL, and ordered Israel to stop the construction of this wall but until this moment Israel did not comply. Palestinians villages and cities are divided because of this wall and more construction points were implemented. People are only allowed to pass by those check points for 20 minutes in the morning, 15 in the afternoon and only another 20 minutes in the evening. Not only do the Palestinians have to go through the difficulty of getting through to the other side but get humiliated by the Israeli soldiers in the process.
At the end, some may not agree to what we have to say, but the ignorance must end. The information stated about is true and easily accessible. People must stop being oblivious to the atrocities committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinian people. We would like people to be more educated about this topic and try to seek the truth which will only reaffirm what we are trying to prove and raise awareness about it.
Basel Jarrad & Zahraa Al Khalisi
12/11/2007
PS. This article was banned from being published in The Silhouette. The reason was that the editor will not allow any articles about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to be published. Soon we will take off this ban and will make sure to allow those articles!!
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