Goh Keat Peng wrote one of the most compassionate and at the same time frustrated letters I have read in Malaysiakini – please do peruse his So little has been done for Gaza.
It’s a short letter and yet he expressed the same frustration I have with the evil machinations of the Israelis. He wrote:
My attempts late last night and early this morning at describing the meaning of Gaza and the plight of its people have all ended with neither coherence or completion. Words fail.
I could find no mind or talent or technique equal to the task. So much needs to be done yet so little has been done for the people of Gaza.
The resolve isn't there and one favoured nation is allowed a free hand to do as it pleases without regard to any reasonable sense of proportion. There has been no semblance of fairness or justice.
The failure to address the needs of those who call the Gaza Strip home is a failure of the resolve of the international community to bring to book a belligerent military power in the Middle East.
You cannot be allowed to live and act unchecked as though you are alone in the neighbourhood. As though only you have the right to live and act.
As though you alone are entitled to make all the decisions. As though only you have the right of survival.
But we can forget about the Americans being an impartial broker – they have consistently failed to rein in their Israeli master. Just as Paul Rees, a British journalist, had predicted accurately, they now refuse to condemn the Israelis for their recent atrocities on the high seas as the world had done. Paul Rees also asked us to picture how the Americans would have reacted had the illegal armed boarders been Iranian commandos who shot 19 people dead.
So long as the Americans continue to subserviently serve Israel as their religious guru, the Palestinians can forget about any justice via the Americans.
Example – what happened to George Bush’s roadmap to peace with the promise of a Palestinian State by 2008? It’s now 2010, and Palestinians continue to live under Israeli bondage. And the Americans continue to turn a blind eye on Israel’s deception to derail every peace talks that could lead to Palestinian statehood.
It even pressures countries like Egypt, Jordan and to some extent Saudi Arabia to toe the Israeli line – and the Jewish State doesn’t want to give up Judea, Samaria and half of Jerusalem.
But what saddens me most of all have been the anti-Palestinian comments by many Malaysians. Instead of judging for themselves the actions of the Israeli military actions against a civilian ship in international waters, they questioned why sympathizers have not expressed similar concerns for the Sri Lankan Tamils, Burmese or Dafur, etc.
How do they know that people like me haven’t?
It’s the same type of argument that Hindraf has posed to people: why voice concerns for Aminulrasyid Amzah but not Kugan or other Indians? Again, how does Uthayakumar know that we haven’t?
But this racially or religiously conscious approach is very lamentable because if one is sincere in expressing concerns, one shouldn’t calculate beforehand whether the victim is Indian, Malay, Chinese, Palestinian, Sri Lankan, Burmese, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.
And what does it matter if our neighbour only expresses sympathy for X but not Y? Sometimes the world is so full of injustice and tragedies that we cannot provide or voice our compassion, care and charity for everybody. Even if the sympathy is limited and directed to one party, so what – at least it’s still compassion.
More importantly we should ask ourselves whether we have feelings for the sufferings of people. Just skip that pack of cigarettes or a lunch, and send the money to the Red Cross or other suchlike organizations. I give as much (and not much, I have to admit – just RM100) each month to an Indonesian boy I adopt via World Vision as I provide to the Red Cross for Darfur. And I am a member of Amnesty International too. What little we can provide, what few words we are able to say, just do it!
Reach into our own hearts, and stop worrying about the other guy – what he/she does is his/her concern.
Related: Gaza's misery lingers as convoy fails to break siege
Suppose you live next door to a neighbour who has publicly sworn to annihilate your entire family, demanding you shift out of your house and give it to him, occasionally throwing rocks at you, in short denying your family the right to live in peace. I don't think you would turn the other cheek to him.
ReplyDeleteThat's how the Israelis are enduring with their Palestinian neighbours.
suppose your neighbour stole your house? and he has a big taiko who supplies him with deadly weapons, money and political support/protection, what would you do? That's how the Palestinians have suffered from the Israelis
ReplyDeletektemoc,full of rubbish and why bring in hindraf? You just part of the hypocrisy .And you reply to anon8.55 ,shows your bias evil in trying to defend the palestins.Do you celebrate when the jewish people are murdered? I think you do!
ReplyDeleteanon of 10:23 PM, June 02, 2010, you're not only full of hate but childish speculations as well.
ReplyDeleteyes, i support call to boycott israel. the very first thing we should do is to ask malaysians for mass resignations in intel and demand that penang CM to kick intel out.
ReplyDeleteby the way, najib should act big brother to give strong word to obama to reprimand israel, just like how the US bully north korea.
pls refer to margeemar's latest info !
ReplyDeleteanon dud, why resign from Intel - it's not an Israeli company but an American one - founded by Moore and Noyce and based in the Silicon Valley - stop grabbing for straws to defend Israel
ReplyDeleteanon of 12:37 AM - the article in margeemar was from the US archconservative news media, National Review Online (NRO), which has writers like David Frum ('nuff said as to his allegiance) and Rich Lowry who are ultra archconservatives. Don't expect them to give a version other than that from the Israelis.
ReplyDeleteBut the article will certainly provide a feeling of syiok sendiri to those who want very much to believe the Israeli lies - lies like those which led to the 2nd US invasion of Iraq, the lies about the US WMD, or 'Weapons of Mass Deception'.
If compassion is expressed based on principles then that is fine. However most Malaysians, media, bloggers, the Umno govt, PKR and Pas have shown that their compassion (for the Palestinians, Teoh and Aminul in this instance) is based on race and religious biasness and prejudices. By their 'compassion' they have disclosed their race, religious and historical biasness. It is *this* that we point out and object too, not their picky compassion.
ReplyDeleteTo make a long story short, Israel struck a deal with the PLO, but after that the Palestinians voted in Hamas who killed the deal.
In seeking to board the ships, Israel did so with an intentionally light hand. Most of its soldiers did not carry rifles but pistols to be used only as a last resort.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/does-gaza-signal-turkeys-defection/story-e6frg6zo-1225874725184
Read this from The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/israel-deports-detained-aussies/story-e6frg6nf-1225874750613
ReplyDeleteThe IDF confirmed that the bulk of cargo on the flotilla was medical equipment and other humanitarian aid, and that no weapons were found.
The IDF displayed some of the cargo including boxes of medicine, wheelchairs, hospital beds and mobile electric chairs, but claimed Gaza already had enough of these. "The equipment that we found is all equipment that we have regularly allowed into the strip over the past year," said Colonel Moshe Levi, commander of the Gaza Strip Co-ordination and Liaison Administration.
of course bull to the last part
***
Anon of 12:08 PM, June 03, 2010, Israel's so-called intentionally light-hand has resulted in numerous deaths and wounded - and we have witnessed their heavy handed version recently in Gaza, where thousands including women and children perished - just liek Nazis killing Jews.
shatin, your knowledge on Israeli-Palestinian affairs misses out the fact that USA (egged on by ultra Zionist Elliot Abrams) demanded of the Palestinians to hold democratic elections - Elliot Abrams and the USA were stunned/shocked when Hamas won (instead of Fatah).
And what did the US, the so-called champion of democracy, do? It imediately severed connections with the newly and democratically elected Palesitinian government - why? Because its lord and master Israel demanded so.
Not only that, the USA threatened banks not to allow contributions or financial aid to flow into Palestine, so as to paralyse the Hamas government.
In the meantime, Israel and USA armed, trained and financed Fatah, as it had once financed and armed Hamas against Yasser Arafat - padan muka for their arming and financing Hamas.
Dear Ktemoc, what you say is also true, but the point is it was Hamas that killed the deal, not Israel or the US. It is up to Hamas to accept the Israel-PLO deal and proceed with the 2 nation roadmap.
ReplyDelete"Compassion should be colour blind."
ReplyDeleteAgreed 100%!
But our Constitution is not colour blind. That's what Kadir Jasin wrote in his blog!!
So how?
dpp
we are all of 1 race, the Human Race
One of the activist said the next time they may send a thousand ships to Gaza, and see what the reaction of Israel, are we going to war with Israel or to provide aids to the Gaza people?
ReplyDeleteIt is exactly this type of mindset some of the activist have that is worrying. Don't you think so?
We should all learn from Mother Teresa about giving and love.
shatin, re your "It is up to Hamas to accept the Israel-PLO deal and proceed with the 2 nation roadmap", how was Hamas able to do that when Israel-US refused (and still do) to talk to Hamas, and as I said (i) sabotage Hamas by threatening international banks from releasing money owned by Hamas to the Palestinian government, and (ii) trained, financed and armed Fatah to undermine a democratically elected Hamas government?
ReplyDeletektemoc is a anti jewish person,A FACT .the type of person who would cork the bottle of cristal when hamas succeed in blowing up israeli citizens.
ReplyDeleteThis evil person would gladlly tell that hamas is doing the right thing and would defend suicide bombings .Well just read his comments ,defending hamas actions all the way.
In fact ,you are the one who is filled with hate.Btw, did you say anything about Tibet and Sri lanka?
Israel wild
ReplyDeleteGrabbing land calling her own
Battles fought and won
Compassion she forgets
Arrogance of her heritage
She thinks she is made
The believe of God
Twisted to make her own
Love your neighbours
Israel totally forgets
The decades of her history
She doesn't want to remember
Know the past to understand
The future and the present
For Israel the short memory
She believes she is number 1
The fool's action on high sea
It sums up on her degradation
Forgetting her roots of history
Isolation squeezes into her life
saying hamas killed the deal is like sibu killed the deal from BN in distributing fund to the city for development. so don;t blame our great PM but Sibu for their own misery (and tajung karang made an wise choice indeed!)
ReplyDelete"Most of its soldiers did not carry rifles but pistols to be used only as a last resort." i like this very much, is like nazi was very nice when they used gas instead of rifles butt like khmer rouge. indeed hitler was a nice man - he's a vegetarian and rear dogs.
intel is us company and founded by americans but without israel intel was dead years ago. israel was intel saviour and ask any techies and even its internal staff you will know! the penang CM must take action then i only have some respect in him....
Dear Ktemoc, this article was 'written for you'. Malaysiakini declined to publish it, so HRP published it. It reflects my views and addresses your concerns.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com/2010/06/03/m%E2%80%99sians-on-foolhardy-mission-for-gaza-strip/
Ktemoc, to answer your question, all this would not have arisen if upon winning the elections Hamas had upheld the Israel-Palestinian Accord, and transformed itself into a purely political party. Instead, Hamas repudiated the deal and pledge to destroy Israel. So, how to deal with them? How not to cutoff their finances?
ReplyDeleteYour "The Israelis magnanimously offered to take the aid and distribute it to the Gazans directly" is not only an incorrect reflection, but over the top in using the word 'magnanimously'. The Israelis had no choice but to hypocritically say that after Hilary Clinton stated that the Gaza blockade has brought about an unsustainable and unacceptable situation.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's an incorrect reflection because Israel has for years deliberately blockaded Gaza as a form of group punishment (Nazi methodology) to pressure the Gazaans to topple the democratically elected Hamas government. Even cement was barred to prevent the Gazaans from rebuilding their bombed homes, schools & hospitals. Those Israelis are even more cruel than the Nazis.
Israel has been nothing but a vicious malevolent oppressor and invasive occupier of Palestinian land (in West Bank and Jerusalem). They like their hero, King David, lust after their neighbours' property. They want to 'motivate' the Palestinians (through misery) to leave 'a land of misery and oppression', their own Palestine homeland.
On Israel's instruction the USA has unjustifiably labelled Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations (so how to talk to Israel) when they're in fact fighting for their own land, sovereighty and rights.
In the case of Hamas (now that Israel had left occupying Lebanon), they're more than that - they're freedom fighters.
The USA has been blinded by religious blinkers.
Ktemoc, there is truth in what you say too. But if we want peace in west asia, with Palestine and Israel existing peacefully, then there is no place for Hamas and Hizbollah.
ReplyDeletewhy not instead: then there is no place for the Likud Party, Shas Party, United Torah Judaism and the National Union-National Religious Party [all hardcore ultra rightwing parties].
ReplyDeleteFor example, the National Union's political programme calls for the "voluntary transfer" of Palestinians to Jordan prior to full Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
I suggest the above because those guys are religious nuts who won't be prepared to negotiate.
OTOH, Hezbollah only cares about foreigners like Israelis not violating the sovereighty fo Lebanon (stay out of Lebanon or else) while Hamas wants Palestinian Statehood free from Israeli oppression and suzerainty - some political pundits have stated that Hamas would in practice be satisfied if Israel withdraws to the 1967 border, and is only posturing for the destruction of Israel in order to force US (and Israeli) recognition of its political legitimacy.
Ktemoc, this has gone far beyond 'posturing'. Yours is exactly the intransigent position that the belligerent arabs and muslims take, without care for (finally) arriving towards a peaceful solution. If that is the case, then let both sides continue to fight. Why be sympathetic to any side?
ReplyDelete