Is this what America Wants

Is this what America Wants?

The Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people has continued since September 2000 because the Palestinian leadership could not accept the Israeli solution for the Palestinian problem. However, since March 29, 2002, the Israeli aggression escalated to an outright war against Palestinians. Even after the official end of the Israeli military campaign, which resulted in killing hundreds, injuring thousands, and arresting about 8,500 Palestinians, Israeli occupation forces still raid Palestinian cities, on daily basis.

Innocent Palestinian civilians are killed everyday, their houses are demolished, family members are arrested indiscriminately, and their field and stores are destroyed. The United States government has given the Israeli government its full support, including military, economic, and financial support. With all this happening to the Palestinian people, one can't help but ask a number of compelling questions: Is this what America wants? Does America want the Palestinian people to live under the brutal Israeli military occupation? Do these Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people represent what America want in the Middle East? Why is this indifference about what is happening to the Palestinian people?

Today's Israeli atrocities give an example of what I'm talking about. Israeli tanks fired at a Palestinian woman, Kamela Abu Sa'eed (45), and her niece Nowaa (13), who were working in their wheat field in Gaza. The fire burned the wheat field and the the two women inside it. When ambulances arrived and tried to evacuate them, Israeli occupation forces prevented them to do so, for two hours. In Bethlehem, five Israeli tanks, assisted by helicopters reinvaded the city and fired at residential buildings, without any provocation. While they were rolling to the manger square, eight other tanks, assisted by American-made helicopters, penetrated deep into the southern section of the city and fired at the residential buildings there, too. Israeli occupation forces also have surrounded Jenin, using sound and light bombs to intimidate Palestinians there. They have built another invading force at the doorstep of the devastated Jenin Refugee Camp and the Jenin eastern areas, using many tanks and armored vehicles, and launching sound and light bombs in to the populated areas, intimidating the citizens and warning of a second massacre. Furthermore, Israeli occupation forces shelled Khan Younis, killed a Palestinian in Tulkarem, Waked Qotob (50), and reinvaded Qalqilia, and arrested more Palestinians indiscriminately (Wafa, 5/26/02). Three Palestinians were injured when Israeli occupation forces fired at them, while they were in their cars at checkpoints in Qalandia and Dora (Alquds, 5/26/02).

What is happening is really a naked and continuous aggression against the Palestinian people. While the whole world has condemned this Israeli aggression, the US government stands alone as the only supporter of Israel. This is not the best America can do. American aid to Israel should be stopped, and the Israeli leaders should be told to stop their crimes against humanity. Americans, citizens and leaders, cannot afford to continue their silence about Israeli atrocities.

Hassan El-Najjar

5/26/02