2005-10-25 —Hamas rockets-retaliation |
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the retaliation of Israel
jewishsightseeing.com, September 25, 2005 |
By Ira Sharkansky
Is comic opera sad, or
simply ridiculous?
Last evening we saw for the nth time the performance of
Palestinian security personnel. This group was dressed in clean and pressed
bright blue camouflage outfits. Some of them rappelled down a training wall.
Others did summersaults in the air. An officer patted the hood of one of the
nicely lined up powder blue, new patrol cars donated by one of the European
countries. When the troops were not rappelling or doing flips they pranced
from place to place, in almost perfect order, with arms swinging and knees
high. On other occasions we have seen the trick of jumping through burning
hoops. They really look good when they demonstrate how they drive fast,
screech to a stop, and jump out of all the doors of a car in
coordinated fashion and take up a position against whatever is their target.
Some personnel demonstrate their fury by biting off the heads of live
chickens. Animal rights activists be alert. Palestine is not your paradise.
Armed groups are no less impressive. They, too march in
uniform. They prefer black masks and green head bands. Some parade in white
robes with suicide belts. Fighters strut with their weapons held high. Often
they cannot resist the opportunity to fire in the air. Some of what seem to
be rockets being carried are cardboard models. Others are the real thing.
Friday something happened to the rockets arranged in a truck
that was part of a parade to celebrate Hamas' success in pushing Israel out
of Gaza. The rockets exploded, killing 19 and injuring more than 120.
Participants said they saw missiles fired from Israeli helicopters. Israel
denied that charge. Palestinian officials accused Hamas of violating
agreements not to parade with weapons, and not knowing how to care for its
rockets. Hamas could not accept responsibility. One of its operatives held
up a tiny, twisted bit of metal that he said was part of an Israeli device.
Friday night and Saturday Hamas and others fired more than 40
missiles toward the Israeli town of Sderot. Several of them managed to fly
out of Gaza and actually reach Israel. Some of those landed in settled areas
and injured civilians.
Weddings and engagement parties are also occasions for
enthusiasm. The Jerusalem police have tried to ban the firing of weapons in
the air. Fireworks are allowed, which we see from our apartment. We also
hear small arms fire, and take care not to be on the balcony. A young boy
was killed in the Galilee by a bullet fired as part of one party this
weekend, and a girl was injured while watching a party in Lod. Someone
ought to tout the use of blank cartridges. They may satisfy, even if they
are not the real thing.
Palestinian speeches are no less impressive than the
ceremonies of the security forces and families. There are declarations
without limit. Some proclaim the near accomplishment of a Palestinian state
with its capital in Jerusalem. Others say that the Authority will impose its
discipline on all Palestinians. One flag, one nation, one government. When
pressed, spokesmen say that Palestinian forces have been weakened by Israel
and cannot keep order. The 30,000 or so security personnel cannot seem to do
more than parade and do summersaults in their neat uniforms.
Currently Israel is attacking Gaza from the air, assembling
artillery for the first time since the intafada began five years ago, and
rounding up Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank. It will not
take long for Europeans and others to accuse us of overreacting. Maybe a few
more powder blue patrol cars donated to Palestinian security forces will
solve the problem
Sharkansky is a member of the political science department at Hebrew University in Jerusalem |