A CALL TO VALUE LIFE
- Информация о материале
- Автор:
Editorial, Jerusalem Post, April 27, 2004
In 1942, Haj Amin el-Husseini, then "prime minister" of
a pan-Arab government formed in Nazi Berlin, broadcast from Germany to
his numerous disciples in the Arab world: "Slaughter the Jews wherever
you find them. Their spilled blood pleases Allah." This virulent message
has clearly been revived in Arab, particularly Palestinian, society, as
it was when still-revered Husseini was its all-powerful warlord.
Sajid Abu Alous, the 18-year-old ringleader of a gang that recently
roamed the streets of Jerusalem in order to gun down Jewish passersby,
echoed the Nazi-collaborator's sentiments to the full, when he remorselessly
declared…that he decided to spill Jewish blood "in order to please Allah
and in his name. I knew God would be satisfied with me and that's all that
matters." …He told interrogators and the arraigning judge…that his one
regret was that his three-member group's first "hit" was a young jogger
who turned out not to have been a Jew at all.
At first, Arafat's own Fatah eagerly took credit for the close-range
shooting…of the jogger, who turned out to be Hebrew University student
George Khoury. But it quickly dropped its triumphant boasts when it emerged
that Abu Alous's victim was a Christian Arab and, even more embarrassingly,
the son of noted east Jerusalem attorney Elias Khoury, who often represents
the PA before Israeli courts. When the mistaken identity became known,
the PA became contrite and offered the father its condolences over the
fact that his son was erroneously suspected of being a Jew and that he
therefore paid for it with his life. There was nothing morally reprehensible
in causing a young man's death, only in assuming he was a Jew.
Discomfited, Arafat personally declared the slain George a shahid—a
martyr for the Palestinian cause. Arafat was described by spokesman Ziad
Abu Ziad as being "shocked and outraged." Arafat even sent his representatives
to the funeral to comfort the bereaved family. Like Abu Alous, he, without
compunction, differentiated between the blood of Jews and non-Jews, by
inference sanctioning the spilling of the former.
It is obvious that if Arafat had exhibited a fraction of the
sincere regret that he has shown in the Khoury case when Jews were slaughtered,
the Palestinian offensive would never have achieved its current proportions
and would have ended long ago.
We do not mean to jeopardize Elias Khoury's status as a Palestinian
patriot and nationalist, but we cannot help but note the humanity and courage
with which he has responded to his son's death, and the example he has
set for the Palestinian leadership. From the beginning, he rejected the
designation of his son as a "shahid," as if he could be posthumously drafted
into the orgy of murder that cost him his life. Now that George Khoury's
murderer has apparently been caught, Elias Khoury has gone a step further,
openly calling on the [PA] to end the anarchy within its bounds, stop incitement,
begin educating children for peace, and start reversing the Palestinian
death cult—or what he called "a complete loss of human values."
These are brave words indeed from someone who lives under the
PA's thumb and can well find himself exposed to its wrath. Dissent of even
the mildest sort isn't easily tolerated in Arafat's fiefdom, where harsh
punitive measures generally secure apparent cohesion and conformity. Most
courageous of all was Khoury's call on Arab clerics to cease influencing
young people to "distort religion in the ugliest manner… Religious leaders,
the Palestinian leadership…and all who still value human life in Palestinian
society must rise, gather courage, and say that enough is enough."
We join Khoury in urging Islamic leaders to "rise and say this
loudly and clearly. Their silence harms Islam and Palestinian society."
Indeed, history repeatedly shows that genocidal crimes inevitably turn
on the purveyors of racism and chaos. In time, hate mongers reap the whirlwind
they sow.
Russian version
An introduction to MAOF
Haim Goldman
Haim Goldman
Dear Friends,
Would you believe that the undersigned has anything in common with
-- Professor Victor Davis Hanson (Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University),
-- Dr Charles Krauthammer, (Washington Post, Time, The Weekly Standard),
-- Caroline Glick (Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post),
-- Jonathan Tobin (Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent).
Amazingly, the editors of the MAOF website decided that the missives of the undersigned are worthy of translation and posting along the articles written by these distinguished authors.
The first letter was published without the consent of the undersigned.
However, after thorough examination of the laudable attitude of MAOF and of the excellent contents of the website, the undersigned had most graciously granted his permission for publication of his missives in both English and Russian.
“Analytical Group MAOF” [1] is an organisation founded about ten years ago by Russian-speaking Jewish intellectuals. The attitude of MAOF is definitely pro-Zionist -- unambiguously and unapologetically.
One of MAOF’s primary purposes is providing information and analysis about Middle-Eastern and world affairs as well as about Israel’s history, values and dilemmas. In addition to extensive publication activity in various media, MAOF also organises excursions and seminars. While the vast majority of the contents of the MAOF website is in Russian, texts originally written in English are provided in the original [2] as well as in Russian.
There are arguably about 250 millions of Russian-speakers worldwide and many of them do not read English. The indisputable motivation for the author’s permission was to grant those millions of disadvantaged people the grand benefit of reading the author’s ruminations. If the author is ever maliciously accused that his tacit motivation for authorising the publication was his craving to be listed along with the above-mentioned distinguished writers, his plea will definitely be “nolo contendere”.
The editors of MAOF expressed their gratitude by granting the undersigned a privilege that no other author got – the opportunity to review and correct the Russian translation before publication. The original letters of the undersigned are at [3] and their Russian version is at [4]. At of today, only two letters are posted but several other letters are pending translation.
You are kindly ENCOURAGED TO RECOMMEND the MAOF website to your friends and colleagues worldwide, particularly those who speak Russian. Those who do not enjoy the benefit of proficiency in the exquisite Russian language can find many thought-provoking and inspiring articles about Middle-Eastern and world affairs in the English section [2].
Sincerely,
Haim Goldman
28.10.2006
REFERENCES:
[1] http://maof.rjews.net
[2] section.php3? sid=37&num=25
[3] authorg.php3? id=2107&type=a
[4] authorg.php3? id=2166&type=a