The only left to be done is obeyed: "Bad as desired," "Terrorist as desired," "Minority as desired"…Israel determines the processes in Palestine. Palestinians obey: Israel presents its decision to withdraw from areas it had no right to enter in the first place, as a pacifying attempt, and the only thing left to do is to applaud. Israel takes the wall it had no right to build just a little bit to its side as a result of its court order, the only thing left to do is to applaud. Occupation forces in Iraq turn into civilization lovers "who brought democracy" to the country and we just sit and watch. Those who were involved in bloody activities in Palestine wash their hands and we begin to say, "Oh! Their hands are already clean."
Suicide attacks in Iraq last week overshadowed the legitimate cause of the Iraqi Sunni insurgents. The Iraqi Islamic Party claimed in an announcement on Saturday that "those who committed the attacks cannot be Muslims and the attacks were committed by those who want to make all the Sunni and Shiite populations fight against one another." I repeat what I have been saying about the terrorist acts in Palestine for many years: The deed of a Muslim ceases from being Islamic the moment an outsider says, "This cannot be the deed of a Muslim." Nobody can say anything about attacks directed at the occupation forces. Attacks on police stations and on Iraqi security forces who cooperate with the occupation forces might well be understood; however, nobody can claim that the struggle for independence is done by carrying out a bomb attack on the funeral ceremony of a woman who died in a suicide attack the previous day. Blowing up yourself in a public bus has nothing to do with being a fighter of Islam.
These things happen. Muslims are human beings and can do these things. War is an anomaly within itself. When people move away from real peace, they also move away from their real characteristics. When the main target is hit, the ones not targeted may be damaged as well (accidental damage). It does not mean that all hands will remain clean during war; however, the declaration of intentions is important. This can either be done in words, and there is no such thing in Iraq, or the attitude denotes the intention. The intention indicated in the recent Ashoura attacks is not the struggle for independence. It is neither anti-Americanism nor the jihad idea.
The dust has not settled yet in Palestine. Even yesterday, Israeli police killed two Palestinians at the Egyptian border. They were trying to smuggle in weapons from Egypt. Meanwhile, the issue of returning ambassadors, who have been withdrawn from Israel since 2000, and boosting diplomatic relations with Israel to the former level was being discussed in the Egyptian and Jordanian capitals. A thief steals goods; however, he wants money in order to return part of it . He says, "I will get the money, but I will have to decide when, which part of the goods and under which circumstances I will return them." And owners of the goods applaud enthusiastically, "That's okay, as long as we can agree."
Of course, peace is something good; but unilateral occupation and withdrawal, withdrawing to a certain limit and annexing the remaining part, and peace made by excluding the other party from the processes, is deceptive peace. Egypt may return its ambassador and Jordan may follow suit. When the wall is moved back a little bit, some Palestinian leaders may express their pleasure. But as long as the deaths of the two youths trying to smuggle in arms from the Egyptian border continue, and as long as there are people waiting to kill them, the dust will never settle. The special skill required here is making these two youths part of the political process. Iraqi Sunnis who are excluded from the political processes, and Palestinians who are perceived as subservient, will continue to pour petrol in the flames.
February 22, 2005
