One of the twentieth century worst fears that haunts people from big cities to small towns, walking down the streets or taking a bus, traveling by airplanes or by ships, doing their work or resting in a hotel, visiting a new country or volunteering to help the poor in another country is the fear of a terrorist attack by young Muslim men.

These terrorist attacks have indiscriminately killed and injured thousands of innocent people around the world in Arab and non Arab countries. The attacks have become extremely violent and cruel in a way that threatened the world national security and provoked governments around the world to take hard security measures on traveling and even to invade and occupy other countries in a hopeless attempt to prevent these attacks before they happen. Nevertheless, the attacks continue to happen in astonishing unexpected ways. The last of which was the attack at Texas Army Base in the US by Malik Nadal Hasan, 39, a military mental health Muslim doctor who killed 12 American fellow soldiers with two guns. The examples of terrorist attacks conducted by young Muslim men are many, maybe the most famous and bloodiest of which is the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center where three thousand people were killed. According to the investigations, 19 young Arab Muslim men belong to Al-Qaeda Terrorist Organization were believed to have planned and conducted the attack.

Those very incidents should make us, instead of cursing and hating Islam and Muslims ask why would those Muslim Arab young men kill themselves and kill others in such barbarous way even though Islam prohibited the killing of one’s self and others specially the innocent civilians. They must have strong motivation to do this and there must be people that plan, recruit and fund terrorism.

The motivation in my opinion can be categorized into three elements. The first element is the US foreign policy in the Arab and Islamic world. The Second is the tyrant ruling regimes in the Arab world, their failure to provide a good welfare life to their citizenry and the West support for these regimes. The third element is the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its daily atrocities against the Palestinians.

The people who by means of deception and mind-playing recruit young Muslim men and give them orders to commit crimes against guiltless people are seeking power. The question is if those fundamental Islamists came to power, how would the situation be in the Arab world? So far we have two examples of governments run by Muslim fundamentalists, the first is in Iran and the second is in Gaza Strip. In both cases the people of Iran and Gaza Strip are suffering from very poor economies. In both cases the government is practicing oppression and repression against the people for the sake of staying in power and the people are not satisfied in both Iran and Gaza Strip. The people in the rest of the Arab and Islamic world are not satisfied with the performance of the secular ruling regimes either and there is no alternative so far to these two evils. So what shall the people in the Arab and Islamic world do?

Maybe if we eliminate the above mentioned three elements of motivation. The problem of terrorism will have no reason to exist and the Arab and Muslim peoples will live happily ever after. But is this possible? Let us now examine with more details the three elements of motivation and see if they can be eliminated!

A- The US foreign policy in the Arab and Islamic world after the USSR collapse.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a group of far-right neoconservatives thinkers from the republican American party decided that America become a hegemony that no other country can stand to be its rival.

Among the neoconservatives that draw the broad lines of the US post cold war foreign policy was Paul Wolfowitz. As he was serving as an under secretary of defense for policy in the George H.W.Bush administration Wolfowits was assigned the task to draft a strategy for the US national security. The plan was radical in its essence and it still influences the US foreign policy in the world. It was called “Defense Planning Guidance” or the “Wolfowitz doctrine”

The Principles of the doctrine

1- The number one objective of U.S. post-Cold War political and military strategy should be preventing the emergence of a rival superpower.

Excerpt “Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power. These regions include Western Europe, East Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union, and Southwest Asia.”

2- U.S. primacy

The doctrine establishes the U.S as the sole leader of the new world order.

Excerpt “The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests. We must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.”

3- If necessary, the United States must be prepared to take unilateral action.

Excerpt “the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the U.S.” and that “the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated”

4- The US and its western allies must ensure access and dominance over the Middle East and South Asia oil.

The doctrine clarified the strategic value of the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Excerpt “In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region’s oil.”

Paul wolfowitz is a leading neoconservative in the American Republican Party and he believed that the US must reconsider its commitments towards the international agreements, the international law and the interntional institutions like the UN and must act unilaterally to become a hegemony. This kind of thinking is a typical example of the realist trend in world politics. John Mearsheimer, a prominent realist and international relations theorist said that the state ultimate goal is to be a hegemon.

When Bill clinton came to power and Walfowitz was out of office. He associated along with other neoconservatives in the Project for the New American Century

( PNAC) which prodcued a 90 page report entiteld Rebuilding America’s Defenses

Principles and aims of the project:

The founders of the project complained about the steep decline in US spending on defense specially during the Clinton’s adminsitrations. In page 72 The Rebuilding America’s Defenses report states” If defense spending remains at current levels, U.S. forces will soon be too old or too small.”

It was very hard to get the American congress to increase the defense budget to a skyrocketing levels unless there was a catastroph like a new pearl harbor. In page 51 of the report this was clearly stated ” Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor.”

The report also advocated the redeployment of U.S. troops in permanent bases in strategic locations throughout the world where they can be ready to act to protect U.S. interests abroad.

When George.W. Bush came to power in 2001 he appointed in his adminstration the most neoconservative figures in the Repblican Party like Dick Cheney as Vice President, Donald Rumsfeld as Secrertay Of Defense and Paul Walfowits as Deputy Secretary of Defense who gave life to the “Walfowitz doctrine” and put into practice benefitting from the September 11 attacks which served as the required catastroph to get the American congress magnify the defense budget. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the US militray spending incerased from 298.4 billion dollars in 1999 to 400 billion dollars in 2000 because the Bush’s administrations decided to stage a war on “terror” and as the war continued the defense budget continued to bulge. In 2008 the defense budget was 700 billions dollars according to the same center and this was of course at the expense of heath, social services and public education in America.

The September 11 attacks were used by Bush’s administration as a pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.

How did this happen?

It was natutal that every body in America feels angry, terrified and revengeful after the disasterous attacks on the World Trade Center and those feelings were quickly directed to the Muslim world because the investigations assumed that the perpetrators were Muslims. The feeling of fear and revenge was used to get the US public to support the war on Afghanistan and Iraq or the so called “war on terror”. The incitment of fear among the US people was the top priority of the US media and officials. The people were pushed to believe that the terrorist attacks can happen to them any time any where and that Muslims are their worst enemies. Levels of risk of potential terrorist attacks were given colors, blue, yellow, orange and red. Fear was widely spread and it provided the people’ support to bring to action the neoconservatives preput agenda. “A world domination ”

In one of his post 9/11 attacks statements. President George. W.Bush said: ” we must transfer the battle to the enemy’s ground and confront the threats before they come out”

The US led its allies to invade Afghanistan where it said the Muslim terrorists are maid and nurtured by Taliban Regime and Al-Qaeda organization. Tons of explosives were dropped by the US and its allies warplanes on the poor villages of Afghanistan and thousands of Muslim civilians were killed. Then a ground offensive was launched by the US and British troops to attack the terrorist strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda. Even though the US and the British troops are militarily superior, they couldn’t register a triumph over the armed groups of Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghnistan and attacks against the American and the British occupation forces continued to kill scores of them in a non-stop war of depletion.

Despite the failure in Afghanistan. The neoconservatives’ plan stated in the Wolfowitz doctrine had to be continued. Paul Wolfowitz believed that it was a mistake by the US when it didn’t topple Sadam Regime in its war on Iraq in the early 90s and this mistake was to be rectified under the Bush administration. Even though there was no evidence that Iraq or its citizens were involved in the Attacks of 9/11 or any other terrorist attacks against western targets. The united states despite the opposition of the security council and most of the UN member states unilaterally staged a war on Iraq in 2003 and this was of course in complaince with the Walfowitz’s doctrine that preached the US dominance over the oil resources and in a blatant violation to the UN charter, articles 39, 41, 42 and 51. The pretext that the US used to justify its war on Iraq before the UN and the world is that the Iraqi regime possesses Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and even on the way to possess nuclear weapons!

Before the second war on it, Iraq suffered international sanctions of a chocking economic siege for more than 12 years ahead of its invasion of Kuwait, could hardly provide food or clean water for its people, had its infrastructure completely destroyed in the world colaition war on it, couldn’t import or export any thing without the permision of the countries that imposed the siege on it, the US is a prominent one of them of course, in some cases it couldn’t even import children milk powder because it it contains phosphate and it is possible to be used in making bombs!. 500 thousand Iraqi children died as a direct result of the siege. All that didn’t matter and the United States went on waging the war on Iraq and the suffering of the Iraqi people doubled tragically as a result of the war. A report published in January 28, 2008, by ORB (Opinion Research Business) revealed that 1,033,000 were killed since the US-led invasion of Iraq. Millions of Iraqis lost their homes and became refugees in neighboring countries. All aspects of life in Iraq debilitated after the war and there was no trace of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq according to the investigations conducted after Sadam’s regime collapse! When the Arab people witness the US savageness and mercilessness in dealing with a neighboring Arab country, of course they develop feelings of hate, anger and spite against it and against the countries that support its positions or cooperate with it. Those feelings develop later into extreme actions packed with the same savagness and mercilessness that the US showed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What were the real reasons the US wanted to invade Iraq?

B- The secular tyrant ruling regimes in the Arab world and their failure to provide a good welfare life to their citizenry and the West support to these regimes fueled Muslim Fundamentalism and Terrorism.

Islam is the solution. This is the slogan that the Islamic movements trumpet referring to the deteriorating economic and social situation in the Islamic and Arab world, the overwhelming feeling of defeat that the Arab secular regimes sustained in their wars against Israel and to the secular ruling Arab elites who estranged Islam from daily life and replaced with western patterns of life alien to Arab people’s culture and traditions. Those pro-west elites also refuse to take strong stands against Israel despite its occupation of Palestine and its daily aggressions against the Palestinians because this would displease the pro-Israel western countries specially the US furthering by this their peoples’ feeling of anger and frustration. In addition, they don’t allow industrializing the Arab countries under their rule except for a few industries because the raw materials have to be sold to the Western countries for cheap prices, and the revenues, most of them, must go to the regimes’ incumbents leaving the majority of their peoples live in acute poverty. Even the agricultural sector in the Arab world is controlled by the west. Some Arab countries can not grow their most needed crops because the corrupt ruling elites are under pressure to continue to import the agricultural commodities from Europe and the US specially wheat and other grain crops even though the Arab countries have the land and the human resources to grow the crops they need and be self-sufficient. And even though this kind of policy comes at the expense of the Arab farmers who had to leave their land and look for other kinds of work to support themselves since the local market is filled with European and American grown crops. In a situation like this, and because of the absence of an alternative to the Arab despotic regimes. A lot found salvation in religion.

65 million Arabs live in severe poverty according to The United Nation Development Program report for 2009. The high rate of poverty and unemployment among the vast majority of the Arab young men besides their feeling of frustration and anger towards the ruling regimes that practise all forms of oppression and repression against the citizens in the Arab world made them utterly vulnerable to the call made by the Islamic fanatic leaders to join their ranks. The Islamic movement made use of the debilitating economic situation in the Arab countries and established a giant network of charity and educational societies that provide provisions to the poor and education to their children to win the peoples’ hearts and minds. The horrendous numbers of unemployed young men found refuge in the Islamic groups from the tormenting destitution and the unknown future that is void of any sense of security or hope.

The Fundamental Islamic movements could recruit large numbers of those young people, fueled them with feelings of hate and anger against any thing that is not part of them, carefully selected Islamic texts that prove their righteousness as opposed to the wrongness of their opposites and taught them to these recruits out of their context. If any of the recruits ventured to debate or question the actions and thoughts of the movement or the group, it will be considered an act of evil and disloyalty and deadly punishment is the deserved answer. Along with the punishment, there are also physical rewards for loyalty and obedience. Usually those Islamic fundamental groups have no financial problems; money is channeled to them abundantly from unknown sources. This money is lavished upon the recruits and their Imams. So joining one of these Islamic groups turns in so many cases as a way of earning a living beside being a way of releasing frustration and anger.

Hasan Al- Banna

One of the most prominent and widely spread Islamic movements in the Arab and Islamic world is the Muslim Brotherhood Movement founded by Hasan Al- Banna in 1929. Hasan Al-Banna could by social activity attract hundreds of members in Egypt from the middle and trodden lower classes. Even though Hasan Al-Banna adopted a pacifist approach in extending his message and thought about Islam and in bringing more recruits to his movement. His vision on the rule of Jihad for the ummah (Muslim community) was extreme and violent he said, “Jihad in its literal significance means to put forth one’s maximal effort in word and deed; in the Sacred Law it is the slaying of the unbelievers, and related connotations such as beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their shrines, and smashing their idols.” and “it is obligatory on us to begin fighting with them after transmitting the invitation to embrace Islam, even if they do not fight against us.”.

Sayyid Qutb

Another Islamic thinker that has greatly influneced the Muslim brotherhood movement was sayyid Qutb who was executed by Jamal Abdul Nasser’s government in 1966. He visited the united states of America in 1948 for higher studies and there he grew an anti western attitude as he was extremely critical of many things in the United States: its materialism, individual freedoms, economic system, racism, brutal boxing matches, poor haircuts, triviality, restrictions on divorce, enthusiasm for sports, animal-like mixing of the sexes (which went on even in churches) and lack of support for the Palestinian struggle.

In his book Ma’alim fi-l-Tariq book ( milestones) he argued that anything non-Islamic was evil and corrupt, while following Sharia as a complete system extending into all aspects of life, would bring every kind of benefit to humanity. To him the then secular ruling regime was non-islamic and therefore must be eliminated and replaced with an Islamic one. To do this he preached offensive jihad. That’s why he was imprisoned and sentenced to death.

The Muslim brotherhood subdivides into violent groups

The Muslim brotherhood movement continued to grow and expand through the Islamic world until it became the largest Islamic movements in the Islmic world with huge financial resources. Its members are numbered in thousands and its ideology is traveling everywhere and new members are remotely recruited every day by means of technology consitituting new Islamic sub-groups that adopt violent offensive methods as its strategy like Islamic Jihad, Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiyya( Islamic group) and Al-Qaeda.

Ayman Al-Zawahri, a former member in the Muslim Brotherhood, the number two wanted terrorist by the US administration after Osama Bin Laden and the real brain of Al-Qaeda. In a televised interview published by Al- Sahab Media Al Zawahri said. ” There is no difference in Shari’a between a soldier and a civilian. The shari’a divides people into combatant and non-combatants. And the combatant is any one who helps in the fight with his body or wealth or opinion. According to this criterion, the people of the west are combatants because they chose their leaders who draw the policies which murder our children, occupy our countries and plunder our treasures”

Earlier in 1998 Ayman Al-Zawahri issued a joined fatwa with Osama Bin Laden under the title ” World Islamic Front Against Jews And Crusaders” The Fatwa says: In accord with the words of Almighty, fight the pagans all together like they fight you all together and fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevails justice and faith in Allah”

Distorted mentality and the lust after power distorted Islam’s true image

With this distorted mentality and understanding of Islam, those Muslim extremists like Ayman Al-Zawahri and his alike distorted the true fine image of Islam which by command prohibited the very things they do against the civilians. God said in the holy Quran: ” Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors” ( Surah2.190). He also said ” And help each other in righteousness and piety, and help not one another in sin and transgression and remain fearing Allah” (Surah 5.2) This is an order from God for Muslims not to commit any hostile act even as they are fighting on the battle land by this God refers to the civilians who are not soldiers or aggressors. Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him gave further explanation and said to his fellows as they were going to fight in one of the battles ” Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirm person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food. Do not burn bees and do not scatter them.”. The sayings of Prophet Mohammed and the words of God in the holy Quran made it as clear as day light that neither the civilians nor any of their belongings can be targeted even at times of war, how if there was no war!. So Islam and the good Muslims are guiltless of the accusations which were cast upon them following the 9/11 attacks. Those who committed this awful crime have been misguided and misinformed about Islam by people who seek not to spread justice and faith in Allah as they claim but they are seeking power and the west recognition to replace the ruling regimes in the Arab world. They think if they could terrify the people of the west, the west will finally have to bend to them and recognize them to be the replacement power.

Ayman Al-Zawahri plotted along with his companions in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization to overthrow the government of President Anwar Al-Sadat in 1981, but the plot was prematurely discovered and frustrated. In the 90s the armed members of the Muslim brotherhood involved in a wave of attacks against the Egyptian police forces, ministers and pro government writers in another attempt to overthrow the Egyptian government but the coup failed again and the Egyptian government cracked down on the Muslim brotherhood members. The Islamic movements have failed to overthrow the Arab regimes in many Arab countries like Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia by means of the army, security and intelligence agencies. So their radical members had to operate from outside and threaten the security of the western countries that support the Arab regimes.

C- The third element is the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its daily atrocities against the Palestinians

Osama Bin laden, the number one wanted Muslim terrorist by the American administration in almost all of his video or voice messages made mention of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the American troops existence in Saudi Arabia which he also called occupation and he demanded liberation of Palestine and Saudi Arabia from both occupations. ” The reason for our conflict with you is your support for your Israeli allies who are occupying our land of Palestine, it was this position of yours along with other injustices that drove us to carry out the events of 9/11″ Osama bin laden said addressing the American people in a televised message broadcasted by Al-Jazeera news agency this year a few days after the anniversary of the bloody events of 9/11. It is this position of him towards the Israeli occupation of Palestine that helped him gain popularity among the Arab masses besides his abandonment of the luxurious life that he could’ve lived utilizing the fortune his father left for him.

The Palestinian cause is a very sensitive issue for all Arab masses because they some how feel guilty when they think of Palestine and what the Palestinian people go through because they stand helpless whenever Israel commit crimes against the Palestinian people. The only thing they can do is to take out to streets in large numbers to express their support for the Palestinian and their anger towards Israel and the Arab regimes that stand silent on the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians. To support the Palestinian in these demonstrations hasn’t been enough for a lot of fevered young Muslims so they join the Islamic fundamental groups that pledge to fight America, the number one supporter of Israel. The US support for Israel is well known and has been repeatedly assured by its officials’ statements. The last of which was Barak Obama’s announcement at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington DC:” As a president, I will never compromise when it comes to the security of Israel. Those who threaten Israel, threaten us. I will bring to the white house an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.” The US support is assusred by the US political, econmic and military support for Israel as the US has vetoed all the UN resolutions critical of Israel and it allocates a sum of 3 billion US dollars to Israel in military and financial aids every year.

This American support unwavering support for Israel has incited feelings of hate and resentment among Muslims and Arabs against the US. The Islamic fundamental movements and groups’ declared animosity towards the US and Israel is one of the reasons more young men are joining them. They wish to be trained on wielding the weapons, learn the tactics of fighting and the manufacturing of bombs. They wish to be sent to Palestine and fight the Israeli soldiers who occupy Palestine and murder the Palestinians because to defend your fellow Muslim is a duty demanded by Islam and to abstain from this duty is an inexcusable sin. This is what the Islamic fundamentalists are taught and promised.

The Islaeli occupation of Palestine was also the reason why Islamic movements in Palestine like Hamas and Islamic Jihad floursihed as they pledge to libarte Palestine from the occupation by means of armed struggle.

Conclusion

It is important to mention at the end that terrorism has no identity in the sense that all religions and faiths including Islam call for peace and forgiveness and denounce the use of violence unless there is a pressing necessity like the defense of one’s homeland, honor or possessions. The phenomenon of terrorism has been practised by both states and groups for the sake of power. The examples of states which pointed its guns, warplanes and rockets against people huddling peacefully in their homes are many, Israel, Iraq and the US are fine examples. And the examples of the groups which in the name of religion terrorized and murdered with cold blood innocent civilians are many, like The Israeli settlers, Hamas and Al-Qaeda. The exploitation of religion for political purposes is not new, it happened before upon the crusades which the Catholic Church called for. The same story is repeated now but with new faces. George W Bush called his war on terror a crusade and the Muslim terrorists cry out the name of Allah as they are carrying out their crimes. Jesus and Prophet Mohammed are guiltless of any crime committed in the name of the religions they gave to mankind for peace, justice and forgiveness to prevail. Fortunately, those who manipulate and twist religion to serve their own interests are a minority and are disdained and hated by the majority. And people around the world from all religions, races and cultures must stand together to fight the evil phenomenon of terrorism and eliminate the reasons that have made it. The extremists must have no place among us and I think the best way to fight them is by doing these five things.

1. To enlighten the people about the Muslim extremists and their evil.
2. To improve the people’s living conditions so they don’t fall easy victims to the extreme groups.
3. To extend bonds of friendship and fraternity among the peoples of the world to get to know each other and to stop fearing each other.
4. To establish peace and solve the conflicts in the disputed areas specially Palestine.
5. To democratize the Arab ruling regimes from within by finding clean-handed moderate qualified personages to replace the current corrupt ruling elites by means of disinterested and democratic elections.

By: Ramzi Hassouna

(PCHR) In 22 days of non–stop Israeli heavy fire against Gaza, Israel killed 1,285 Palestinians and seriously injured 4,336 others most of them were civilians. The armless people of Gaza except for a few groups of men armed with light guns were attacked by Israel’s F16 war planes, Apatche helicopters, Merkava tanks, and battleships. Human rights organizations and medical reports indicate that Israel, during its military operation in Gaza, experimented new internationally banned bombs against the Gaza people like white phosphorous and DIME bombs which cause severe burns and mutilation if not death when used against people. “We have seen Gaza used as a laboratory for testing what I call weapons from hell,” said David Halpin, a retired British surgeon and trauma specialist who has visited Gaza on several occasions to investigate unusual injuries suffered by Gazans.

The Israeli troops escorted by tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers covered by warplanes invaded the 360 km coastal strip of Gaza from the south, the east and the north, committed mass murders and pounded Gaza’s police stations, mosques, schools, houses, hospitals, ministries, factories, charitable societies and wedding halls with tons of explosives from the air and the ground causing them complete or partial destruction. Some houses were booby-trapped and detonated. The smaller ones were run over by the tanks and the bulldozers to be flattened with the ground. The power lines and the water networks were grossly damaged as well and thus 80 % of the population in Gaza were deprived of water and electricity during the war. The Israeli bulldozers as well razed thousands of dunums of agricultural land worth of 170 million US dollars, said the minister of Agriculture Mohammed Al-Agha in Gaza government. The destruction the Israeli army caused is beyond belief that one would think an earthquake has hit Gaza, He added.

In a weekly report released 3 days after the Israeli offensive put its end PCHR pointed out that 895 out of 1,285 of the Palestinians killed during the war were civilians and 43 % of the civilian victims were women and children despite Israeli allegations that the Israeli army would only target the fighters. The Palestinian rocket attacks against southern Israel in response to the Israeli assault on Gaza killed 3 Israeli civilians.

Suad Al-Samouni, an eight year old girl and one of the survivors of a mass murder the Israeli soldiers committed to her family in Al-Zaytoon neighborhood to the east of Gaza Strip two days after the Israeli ground offensive began. Trying to visualize her father when an Israeli soldier shot him dead before her eyes. She said, we were eating bread with tea in the morning when the Israeli soldiers broke into our house and asked where the owner of the house was. At this point Saud put her hands up and said my father walked out with his hands up and the Israeli soldier shot him two bullets in his chest. Saud’s mother who sit next to her in a tent set up next to their completely destroyed house said, then they took the rest of us out and crushed us in a nearby house along with 120 other family members where they bombed us with tanks fire and 28 of us were killed immediately as we were escaping the house. Saud was luckily removed alive yet hardly breathing from under the debris of the house four days after the attack. Saud has got 11 brothers and sisters, they have been left without a supporter after their father’s death.

With his eyes brimming over with tears over his lost son Hisham. Abu Ahmed Sinan, a 60 year old man, from Japalia refugee camp in the north of Gaza Strip sit on the ground of his unfurnished small house except for a few mattresses. He wiped away his tears with his right hand and said, we were reading some Quran downstairs when a missile hit the top of the house. We rushed inside the house, went upstairs to check if any thing was damaged to be hit by another missile. We looked around and found Hisham laying on the ground breathless. Hisham was 23 and he was the only supporter of his family. He worked in the maintenance department of Al-Shifa hospital under a 6 month temporary contract.

Not far away from Abu Ahmed’s house laid on the ground what was a 4 story house with 8 apartments where Yousef Al-Abed Mostafa’ 35 sons and grandsons lived. The house was bombed by F 16 warplane two weeks after the Israeli military operation started. Luckily non of the family members was killed or injured in the attack because they all left the house soon after a warning rocket was dropped on the house. Yousef, a 62 year old man, stood in front of his completely destroyed house with a shaky body and hands said loudly and proudly, they destroyed my house because I belong to Hamas, we are all for Hamas and we are all Hamas. The Jews will bombs us more to make us bow to them but we won’t bow. He added. A crowd of people around him cheered and applauded.

Israel’s use of excessive military power and mass killing in the invaded areas forced thousands of families to leave their homes and seek shelter in the UN schools spread in the Gaza Strip. The scene of the people fleeing in large groups to the UN schools with whatever they could hold of their belongings was a vivid reminder of the 1948 war when the Israeli armed gangs committed massacres against the Palestinians in their villages and towns to terrify them away.

With the Israeli unilateral declaration of its offensive on Gaza on 19 Jan, 2009. Thousands of people were able to go back to their homes and groves in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya to find them not more than piles of rubble spread out on the ground. Mr Ibrahim Ridwan, the secretary of the ministry of labor in Gaza Government pointed out to Al-Jazeera news channel that the Israeli occupation forces completely destroyed 20 thousand housing units turning 5 thousand families homeless. On 1 km wide of rubble made the remainder of more than 20 ground floor houses in Al-Twam area to the south of Beit Lahiya town stood Um Hassan, a 43 year old mother, pointing to a three-legged fireplace with a tea pot on it and said this is now my kitchen. Um Hassan lives now along with her 8 sons and daughters in a tent she set up on the debris of her house with no water, food, electricity or even clothes and she can’t even go back to live in the school because the UN schools have opened again for the students and the families who were living there were evacuated and given 600 sheikels (150 US dollars) each to help them rent a place to live in. With the high demand on real state, rents skyrocketed and the 600 sheikils are not even enough to rent one room or to buy food or clothes and other essentials and thus the problem of housing thousands of now homeless families remains one of the main consequent problems of the Israeli war on Gaza specially that Gaza’s crossings are still closed by Israel and there are no building materials available in Gaza to rebuild what the Israeli war machine turned into ruins.

Wandering through the different departments of Al-Shifa hospital, the largest and main Gaza Hospital that received thousands of severely wounded people during the war, in one lane of the Burns Unit at the hospital, sit Shahira a 6 year old girl on a wheelchair with her legs extended and bandaged. Shahira was crying in pain from her terribly burnt legs. Her older sister next to her said, she was playing with her cousins when a phosphorous bomb was fired at our neighborhood in The Beach Refugee Camp.

So many of the injured of the recent Israeli onslaught on Gaza were remarkable by amputated legs and arms and horrific burns which prompted human rights organizations and foreign physicians to conduct investigations into the type of weapons Israel used against the civilians in Gaza during the war. An Italian investigation found out that Israel was using a prototype weapon similar to DIME. Samples from victims in Gaza showed concentrations of unusual metals in their bodies. Dr Nafez Abu Shaban, from Al-Shifa hospital in an interview with PCHR said, that some of the injured were suffering serious lacerations, and internal bleeding. Miri Weingarten, a spokeswoman for Physicians for Human Rights, explained that the Israeli army has developed an anti personnel shell called kalanit, the shell sends out hundreds of overly heated small discs when it explodes. These small discs can’t be detected by X-Rays and they cause internal bleeding which necessitates amputations as a result.

Because of the gravity of the injuries, the Egyptian authorities thankfully opened Rafah crossing during the war for the injured to be transferred to hospitals in Egypt and other countries for immediate treatment. Trucks of medicine and humanitarian aids were also allowed through Rafah crossing into Gaza Strip which suffered huge shortages in medicine, food and fuel supplies for more than a year and a half due to the Israeli closure of its crossings with Gaza Strip.

In this war, Israel reared its ugly face again, used its full arsenal of conventional and unconventional weapons against the flesh of the Palestinian children, women and old men, destroyed their homes, schools and mosques and destroyed with that their very hope in a free and safe life. In this war, Israel made it clear that its problem isn’t with Hamas or its control over Gaza or with the toy-like rockets launched against Israel by the Palestinian factions to push Israel open the crossings. Israel’s problem is with the Palestinian people and their choices. Their choice to fight the occupation, their choice to live in freedom, their choice to say who they want to rule them and their choice to live on their land.

Israel knows no red lines and it is above humanitarian and international laws. As if it is licensed to kill the Palestinians not only kill them but also starve them and imprison them by a strangling inhuman siege. Before the Israeli military operation started, Gaza has been under strict siege for two years. What did the world at the official level do to left this siege. Nothing. And it is still doing nothing to stop the Israeli attacks against Gaza. This isn’t new news.

The whole world is taking the watcher position as the Palestinian people in Gaza are being slaughtered by the Israeli deadly and high sophisticated war machine like it has been watching it begging Israel to let into Gaza the medicine, food, fuel and other essentials and like it has been watching Egypt closing its borders before the Palestinians wishing to travel for education or treatment under the pretext of some stupid crossing agreement it brokered with Israel in 2005. It is sad to say that the West and the Arab world in cooperation with Israel are pushing the Palestinians to surrender to Israel using the civilians and their needs.

I know that the people of the whole world sympathizes with us and wish they can do more than just taking to the streets in demonstrations to protest the Israeli continued slaughter against the Palestinians which is very much appreciated by the Palestinians. But still these protests and demonstrations wont stop Israel, wont stop the bloodshed. Israel is a killer state. It was made by killing the Palestinian women, children and old men in bloody massacres back in 1948 and the world did nothing too back then. In 2003 in the Israeli operation “defensive wall” in the west bank, Israel flattened Jenin camp with the ground, killed and wounded hundreds of Palestinians. It seems like it is no use demanding Israel to stop this bloodshed. Israel wants the Palestinians to surrender to it at any cost even if this would mean killing the entire Palestinian people. And as long as its crimes pass smoothly and without any serious reaction on part of the international community or the Arab world. What would bar Israel from continuing its crimes?

I never tried to justify the Israeli actions against us and never wanted to. But since there is no true justice in this world and since there is no power that can save us from the Israeli crimes. We have no other choice but to surrender to spare our lives. The second choice is to let Israel wipe us out, to continue our self-sacrifice wishing the world it would one day wake up and do something serious for us. Shall we continue to walk blindly to our demise at the hands of Israel?

Those who have tried to patronize me, who live in comfort and safety in their homes in the US or Europe or even the Arab world. Would you feel happy to lose your parents or one of your brothers or sisters. Please have some mercy on us. The Palestinian are unable to fight Israel. Israel is a state with all kinds of sophisticated weapons. The Palestinian people are unarmed helpless people. Instead of patronizing me, go to your treacherous governments, ask them to send their armies and their rusty weapons to save Palestine and the Palestinians. Enough with sacrificing the Palestinian people. We had enough. I am saying this out of my high sense of responsibility for my people. I am not against Hamas. Hamas like all the Palestinian factions have the right to fight the occupation. But we need to think before we fight. Are we ready? What have we prepared? Do we have weapons strong enough to win the battle with Israel? What have we prepared to protect the people? Or do we want sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice and then lose like we have always lost. We need to use our minds if we want to win. War is what you pushing us to do. War is what we will do if all of you come and fight with us. We had enough of your words. It is time to see your actions.

Hamas isn’t any different from Fatah but with its funding. Hamas use the funds it gets from Iran and the Islamic groups in the Gulf states to strengthen its grip on Gaza Strip and to strike with an iron fist on any one tries to oppose its ways. Hadn’t she gone to power and captured Gilad Shalit, the Gazans would be free to go wherever they want. The fuel, gas, food and medicine supplies would be abundant; the 300 patients who passed away wouldn’t be denied treatment and would have lived more among their loves. The unemployment rate wouldn’t reach 80 % of the population in Gaza making thousands of families beg for food coupons from Hamas or the UNRWA. Gaza wouldn’t sink in darkness every day because the power plant is without fuel to operate. 40 % of the young men and women, as according to polls, wouldn’t seriously think and plan for immigration to other countries looking for jobs and a better life. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and roughly 3000 others have been injured in sporadic Israeli incursions ever since Gilad Shalit was captured and the number is likely to increase in the next Israeli incursions. What did we get in return? Nothing but more suffering and grievous hearts.

When would we get to realize that we are fighting in a losing battle because all the Arab regimes that are supposed to support the helpless Palestinian people have given up on us and are now so satisfied with the existence of Israel in the region and have rather grown bonds of friendship and business with Israel, they even no longer even dare to condemn the Israeli actions in Gaza or the West Bank. To the Arab regimes, the Palestinians are the only obstacle to a full public normalization with Israel . Both Israel and the Arab regimes wish they would wake up one day and find all the Palestinians have been thrown into Gaza sea. True to this, Egypt is collaborating with Israel in tightening the siege on Gaza people for no good reason. I think we do know all this and act a blind eye and a deaf ear because the suffering of the Palestinian people also makes good business for some of us. What a shame!! Unlike all now free peoples that have fought to gain their independence, we fight to trade our blood for tremendous amounts of money from countries or groups with interests in the region. Seems like good business?

One would say the Palestinian factions need funds to enable themselves to fight. It is true but there is something called higher national interests that must rise above the agendas’ of the money giver. Our higher national interests must be our guide as to how and when to fight. But in our case, the orders to escalate the situation come from above regardless of the fatal consequences on part of the Palestinian innocent people. They say this is honorable Jihad!! Where the honor is in causing the death of hundreds of innocent civilians for nothing in return? We have been doing this “jihad” for the last 60 years. What have we achieved? Didn’t we learn the lesson yet? Won’t we ever change our ways? Or maybe we like the view of our people’s blood streams running before our eyes!!

Ever since Hamas went to power the Palestinian people’s living conditions are from bad to worse with every day because it is internationally recognized as a terrorist group and can’t be endorsed as part of the world system without renouncing violence and recognizing Israel and therefore a tight siege has been imposed on Gaza Strip. Hamas says it can’t conform to the conditions of the international community to be recognized by it because they go against its principles and charter. No one is asking Hamas to give up on its principles and charter but for God’s sake for the people’s sake step down and let the people live a normal life since there is no way to change the world and make it accept Hamas as it is. If this is said to Hamas leaders and spokesmen, there answer would be as follows; Do you want us to renounce Jerusalem ? Do you want us to renounce the Palestinian refugee’s right to return? Do you want us to let the Israelis take the land? As if Fatah has renounced Jerusalem or the right of return or the land. As if Israel doesn’t already have Jerusalem and the rest of the land and as if Israel would ever allow the refugees to return to their homeland. Every thing they say is just an excuse to stay in power which they have fought long years to seize from Fatah, its long-life rival.

If I dare to say this !!! Some of the deceived by the parades of fake victories that the resistance claims every time there is an Israeli incursion in Gaza Strip, though usually one or two of the Israeli soldiers would be killed or injured in such incursions sometimes non, while tens of Palestinians ,mostly civilians, would perish.

If I dare to say this, some of those young guys who are happy maybe with the rifles given to them by some Palestinian faction or with being called “heroes” and who for them joining a Palestinian faction is the best way and shortest rout to support himself and his family even after he gets killed in an Israeli attack or incursion … the outside-funded faction would take care of every thing and would hail him an unprecedented hero in his funeral ( who would dare to say something other than that even if He didn’t actually shoot one bullet) what other option does a young poor guy like this have, this seems to be the best option in a country ravaged by war and without any future or opportunities even if he got some education… the chance to find a job or work is very slim because thousands of other graduates would be fighting for and with the Palestinian interior a complete mess.. there is no state hiring any more also because of the siege there is no hiring elsewhere.

Also if I dare to say this, one of the big-belly and big “head” seniors of the Palestinian “Islamic” factions who usually features on T.V political shows or newscasts magnifying and praising the Palestinian feeble poorly equipped and trained fighters as if they are an army equal in power to the Israeli army and claiming that they have achieved the balance of terror on the Israeli part by home-made rockets usually fall in the Israeli open field and have caused a few causalities in the Israeli side ever since they were used while on the Palestinian side the scale of destruction, causalities and deaths sustained in the Israeli attacks and invasions into Gaza allegedly in response to the Palestinian rockets ,which are more or less like fireworks but of course magnified by the Israeli media to Scud or even tomahawk rockets, is beyond belief. Nevertheless he would call upon the Palestinian helpless who can barely afford bread to their hungry children to give more sacrifice, to lose their homes, children, property and land for nothing in return but more suffering… But of course he is getting a lot in return from the country that hired him and his tongue to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people and to serve not the Palestinian people of course but that country’s best interest in the region. It is dirty business stained with the blood of thousands of innocent Palestinians. The times when the Palestinian freedom fighters would fight only for Palestine not for another country or for a faction has unfortunately gone. And now is the time of the blood traders who play the Palestinian people’s future and fates as if they are puppets. I am sure, for those sadists the Palestinian blood means nothing, the more is spelt the better !!! Ever since, the Palestinian cause has been minimized from an Arab-Israeli cause to a Palestinian – Israeli one… the Palestinian cause has been sold in a public auction for any one who can pay.

If I dare to say this… I would be called a traitor, a supporter of Israel or at best a defeatist. When all I want is for my people and myself to live in peace and stability and to build up a model state in the small portion of land we have now be it Gaza Strip to prove to the world that we are worthy of our land and worthy of our greater land Palestine. But it seems for many here, self-homicide is the easier more lucrative option .. building a state is a hard job.

By: True Palestinian