Palestinians are victims of Israelis

Regarding the decisions palestinians have made and the path they have pursued, i have trouble in being convinced by Manny Benhamou’s point of view (palestinian people victims of bad leaders). First of all, i am glad the author agreed that the palestinians are victims, but i find it strange that the author is surprised about having the generation of palestinian children raised while hating israelis. What did the palestinian young generation see from the israelis to make them their friends or even make them feel neutral towards them? The palestinian generation is raised everyday to see new illegal occupation of their land, new destructions of their homes ‘ trees ‘ fields, new prisons built to their brothers and fathers, new tents built for them to live in during the cold instead of their ruined houses, new checkpoints to make any movement from house to house in the same palestinian town semi-impossible. The palestinian generation is raised to see their young friends, kids under 15, shot in the head by the israeli army for throwning a stone, raised to see their pregnant mothers and sisters dying at israeli checkpoints unable to reach hospitals, raised to see their families depending on UN donations to feed their hunger since there are no jobs to their fathers, raised to see their schools and buildings hit by the israeli planes, and their ambulances hindered from saving their own dying people: old men, women and children. This is what the palestinian generation learns from the israelis everyday now. So don’t be surprised when innocent israelis are butchered as they go about their affairs. Innocent palestinians are butchered daily too, and highly outnumber those of the israelis. In the past two years, not a single day passed without having innocent palestinians killed by the israelis. Not one single day. A fact. This is of course aside from the constant humiliation of the palestinians by the israeli army: Few days ago, one palestinian civilian was forced by few israelis to walk completely naked in the rain and the cold weather imitating a dog! Now, let us go to the decisions made in the past by the palestinians whom are “claimed to choose terror”. In 1947, the palestinians were living in their land and were forced to accept dividing it between themselves and new strange settlers. How did you expect them to say “yes sure. Take half of my country and i am happy with it!”? From 1948 through 1967 till 1973, there was constant war between the israelis and the arabs. Palestinians wanted their land back and the israelis were unwilling to give up any part of what they have taken by force. What kind of talks exactly where arabs expected to do? In the 90’s, when there was finally a semi-peace in the region, Itzhak Rabin was assassinated by an israeli who opposed peace in the region. An israeli ruined this peace plan, not a palestinian. And finally, in 2000, yes Arafat walked out of negotiations for peace in Camp David, but why? What kind of offer was on the table? Was there really a palestinian state deal included to satisfy the palestinians rights? Refer to the details of this deal to see how much the palestinian leaders were really offered. Actually since Sept. 2000, the daily killing of the palestinian civilians was glorified by the israelis, but gained the sympathy of the Arab World due to its high brutility. Palestians, unlike israelis, die inside their own houses not only if they go shopping or dinning. Attempts were made by Arabs in the recent past for peace, and all were refused by israelis, such as the Saudi Arabian attempt for total peace while establishing a palestinian state. The israelis seem to currently want to build more settlements, have more expansion, and cause more suffering conditions for the palestinian daily life. So, who really chose terror? the palestinians in their tents or deprived homes.. the palestinians who hardly live as humans anymore? I don’t think so. Fadwa Saad GRS ’03