http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,60395,00.html JERUSALEM — Atta Sarasara has lost everything. First his 16-year-old son, Hazem, blew himself up in Jerusalem. Then the Israeli army blew up the Palestinian man's home as a result -- to discourage future suicide bombers. Sarasara is angry with not just the Israelis, but also with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades for preying on impressionable teenagers and giving his son a bomb. "They used a child. He was very kind, handsome, smart. They used him," Sarasara said. For the first time in the current uprising, ordinary Palestinians beginning to wonder what homicide bombings against Israelis achieve, echoing a statement signed by several dozen Palestinian intellectuals two months ago. But few people in the street will question the bombing strategy publicly for fear of being seen as admitting defeat at the hand of the Israelis. Israel has demolished the family homes of 21 bombers in recent days. Palestinian spokesmen say this only increases the bombers' willingness to attack Israel, but in at least two cases this week, fathers prevented their sons from volunteering. One man turned his son over to the police in Tulkarem, while another in Nablus shot his son in the leg. Sarasara said he didn't know his son planned to be a bomber, and therefore couldn't stop him. He also questioned whether his son would have carried out the mission had he known the Israelis would retaliate by tearing down his father's house. Asked if he would allow another one of his sons to commit a suicide bombing, Sarasara said, "I don't think so." "[The bombing] increases the suffering of the people from both sides -- from the Israeli side and the Palestinian side," said Bethlehem resident Ayyah Saad. Hamas, the organization behind many homicide bombings, appears to have been sensing the change in public opinion. In the days before the Israeli military killed its military wing's leader, and 14 others, in a rocket attack in Gaza, rumors circulated in the Israeli and Palestinian media that Hamas leaders had drafted pledging to end to attacks inside the pre-1967 borders of Israel. The offer was apparently shelved after the Gaza attack, but it appears it may be viable again. Politicians on both sides point out that soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza would still be considered fair targets. A Hamas-sponsored summer camp in Bethlehem provides an outlet to children who've been cooped up in their homes as Israeli tanks and soldiers patrol the streets. The Islamic organization may be winning the hearts and minds of the next generation, but they may lose support from the parents if homicide bombings remain their only strategy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally, I hope the bombings stop. To targetr the children of your oppressor is wrong. Of course to target the parents of criminals is wrong. Hmmmm....looks like both sides are wrong to me. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of the lunacy.
Great post Refman. I hope the bombings stop too. That would be great. I totally agree that it's wrong for bombers to target innocent people, and for Israelis to target innocent family members. This article finally makes it plain to those who argue that the families MUST be involved, that they aren't always involved in the bombings and don't always know in advance.
The worst part of the youth being coerced into suicide bombings is that the Al-Aqsa and Hamas leaders ordering these bombings would never strap one on and do it themselves. They find young impressionable youth and manipulate religion to serve their political purposes.
Good news !! I knew that this would be the case as soon as Israel started punishing the families of the suicide bombers. DD
Just want you to know DaDakota...if one of your family members commits a crime I'm going to bulldoze your house. Is that ok with you or are you just inconsistent?
Actually I think it has more to do with which side comes to their senses first. In this case the Palestinians came to their's first and realized their current method wasn't working. Hopefully the Israelis will follow suit, and change their laws.
It's not a crime Refman, its an act of war. How else is Israel supposed to stop the bombings? Leaving from the territories hasn't worked and it won't. Again, this guy that lost his son will be getting 25k from Saddam. He can build a new house. Unfortunately, its too late to save his son, whom he cared for dearly. The title of the thread should have read: Suicide bombing to cease thanks to Israeli retaliations.
Israel hasn't left the territories and continue to build new settlements. Also Israel could try applying the same or at least similar laws to all people, and not having one law for Israelis and a different one for Palestinians. It might help. Also he probably won't be able to build a new house. Israelis rarely give out building permits to Palestinians.
Have you no concept of what we're talking about? I'm sure you'd be the first one to point out that it is wrong for the Palestinians to target innocents. But yet when the Israelis do it it's ok...how consistent. One more thing...go ahead and assume that the Israelis will clear away the rubble that is this guy's house and build a nice new Israeli home. The only crime this guy committed is that he had a sperm with a sense of direction 16 years ago. Other than that he did nothing...but yet it's somehow justified to take his personal property and real estate. Why...because you deem it so? It is illegal under international law, even in a time of war. But I guess those rules don't apply to Israel. They can crap all over anybody they want because they've dealt with suicide bombers. Really lame.
The refugees are not Israeli citizens. They don't want to be and shouldn't be given equal treatment in ALL cases. I do agree that Israel has to stop the construction of new settlements. Tell them that they are on their own to expand and if they want to stay, then they will be Palestinians(once the palestinians get their statehood). Unfortunately, the Palestinians have no religious tolerance toward Jews and will attack them until they leave.
I'm sorry, but you are a little paranoid on this topic. Israel will not build a "nice, new Israeli home" where the home was. They are being attacked and if this is the only way to stop suicide bombings now and not 2 years from now, they will do so. I support anything that will save innocent lives. I'll go off on a tangent here. You honestly don't understand the Jewish people. We have been targetted, enslaved, slaughtered, and hated everywhere for thousands of years. Israel is the only place we can call home. The holocaust made us tough and we don't put up with ANYTHING that threatens our existance. Some palestinians want Israel GONE and while these people exist, Israel's extreme policies(using civilians to negotiate, bulldozing, etc) will too. Who can Israel trust especially when the world try to put a resolution that Zionism=racism(I forget the name of the conference). Zionism is a beatiful thing, even though I don't live in Israel and don't want to live there now.
The slaves in the early 1800s were not US citizens but they were subject to the laws of the US. Same thing applies here. When is it ok to treat them unfairly and when is it not ok? They're not citizens so it is ok to refuse to treat them with human dignity. Tell me you don't REALLY think that. Irrelevant. There is no Palestinian state. The place where the Palestinians had lived for centuries was given to the Israelis by the UN in 1948. Assuming that there will be a Palestinian state is like assuming that the world is flat Columbus. This has never been proven. The Israelis came in and everybody was booted out of their homes. It became religious due to the fact that the people doing the booting were all Jews and the people on the business end of the boot were all Muslim. You really need to study the history of the conflict and bone up on world history before you come in and make claims like this.
Refman, If my son commits a crime before he is 18 I can be punished, it is the law. If you are going to get in a mud fight you have to be willing to get dirty. That is why I do not mind that the USA bombed civilian targets in WW2, if the enemy is going to do it, you must be willing to go the distance too. Israel has been backed into a corner, and they have the biggest stick, who do you think is going to win, the guy with the toothpick or the guy with the baseball bat? The Palastinains started this crap, they could have gotten a homeland a LONG time ago, but they chose to try to eradicate Israel, well, guess what...that is not going to happen. I am just glad that the Palastinian people seem to be coming to their senses. The suicide bombers are being misled by a bunch of WACKO people who claim to be religious...Hamas = Jim Jones, and their version of the gayana punch is a suicide bomber. Both predetors who will rot in hell !!! DaDakota
You don't know me well enough to say that. My wife is Jewish...her family is Jewish. I think I understand it pretty well. You assumed that I don't know Jewish people well...you know what happens when you assume. This is one way the Israelis have gone about acquiring land to build their settlements. You can ignore it if you'd like to...but it doesn't make it a false statement. This is the mentality that helped lead us to where we are today. We want this land and we'll just militarize and mow down any who stand in our way. Sounds like a persecution complex to me. And the hawks in Israel wouldn't just rather exterminate the Palestinians. Some in Israel have spoken out against the aggressive stance their government has taken. These Israelis understand that it will only strengthen the resolve of the militant Muslims. They're not bulldozing the homes of the people attacking them. They're bulldozing the homes of innocents. Oh but I assume that ALL Palestinians are terrorists...how ignorant.
Franchise2001, Well said, not to mention that the Palastinian people are considered outcasts in ALL other Arab states, when Jordan opened its borders to them the Palastinians tried to overthrow the government..RIGHT AWAY, so Jordan killed 50,000 of them and closed their borders. I don't see the PLO bombing in Jordan, or Saudi Arabia, or Iraq, or Iran etc...etc...yet their people have LESS rights there then they do in Israel. It is simply a clash of Idealogies, and the Palastinians better learn to cooperate or there won't be very many of them left after this is over. DD PS. Refman, you should ask your wife's family BEFORE you post then you might make some sense.
I have discussed all of this with my wife's family at length. They even agree that the state of Israel is going a tad too far and perpetuating the cycle of violence. Because I disagree with you I don't make sense. Ignorance abounds...
