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I do not agree with this article at all. Unlike Israel, Serbia never stole anybody else's land from them and occupied it for 53 years. Peacefully yours, Nancy Hey Miroslav Antic wrote: > HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------- > > http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/opinion.cfm?id=416302002 > > The Scotsman Friday, 19th April 2002 > > Opinion > > Israel forfeits all claim to legitimate self-defence > > There are parallels between Israels behaviour in the West Bank and > Serbias in Kosovo. > > We are writing as individuals whose experiences as members of aid > organisations working in the Balkans have caused us to reflect long > on > terrorism and the response to it. > > In Kosovo, Serbian repression of Albanian aspirations to equal > rights, > and the restoration of autonomous government in the province > (withdrawn in 1989), led to the formation of Albanian guerrilla > bands, > which coalesced into the Kosovo Liberation Army. The KLA carried out > numerous raids on Serbian military and civilian personnel. > > For the Serbs, this was simply terrorism, and their response was > terror of their own: military occupation of Albanian towns and > villages, mass arrests, torture of suspects, and massacres. The > revulsion of Europe and the United States led to military action to > force Serbia to desist from its murderous course, whether Serbs > considered it to be counter-terrorism or not. > > Today, Kosovo is governed by the United Nations, and President > Slobodan Milosevic is in The Hague on trial for war crimes. > > Israel stands, in relation to the Palestinians, precisely as Serbia > did to the Kosovo Albanians. After years of harsh and increasingly > lethal repression of all protest against settler encroachment, land > expropriation, restrictions and humiliations of all kinds, the > Palestinians followed the Israelis in resorting to lethal force. > > The attacks on Israeli civilians by Palestinians are reprehensible, > but Israel has met terror with terror, atrocity with atrocity, to the > extent that it has forfeited all claim to legitimate self-defence - > as > did the Serbs. > > In Jenin, in particular, last week, the number of civilians killed > may > be numbered in hundreds; medical treatment, even water, was denied to > the injured and dying. Rescuers of living people buried under piles > of > rubble were turned away, piles of corpses were bulldozed, hospitals > were denied supplies and utilities, and the whole population kept > from > access to food and water. > > Israel has repeatedly stated that it is "destroying the > infrastructure > of terror", whatever that may mean. What it has certainly destroyed > is > all means of governance by the Palestinian Authority, and whatever > respect the people had for it. > > Simple withholding of the multi-billion dollar annual subsidy that > Israel receives from the United States could force Israeli compliance > at any time. Unfortunately, given the nature of US politics, media > and > sentiment, this seems unlikely to happen. > > Nevertheless, we in Britain and Europe have the capacity to take > economic and other measures which, in the long run, could be equally > effective. But first and foremost, let our leaders be as clear, > unambiguous and outspoken in their condemnation of Israeli excesses > against the Palestinians as they were of Serbian excesses against the > Kosovo Albanians. > > DENIS RUTOVITZ & 16 others > Starbank Road > Edinburgh > > I have read the correspondence about the Israel/Palestine war and > reluctantly conclude that it is becoming rather one-sided in its > opinions. Both sides in this conflict do not appear too fussy about > their methods and tactics, but surely it is the end-game that matters > for us all. I am neither Arab nor Jew, but it does seem to me that > those who torment a dog should not complain when it bites. > If the Palestinians lose out in the current conflict they will retire > to lick their wounds and make peace noises to encourage the rest of > the world to pour aid money into their coffers, some of which will > almost certainly go towards preparation for the next round of blood > letting. > > Failure to do so will result in more international terrorism, as we > have seen in the past. > > On the other hand, if the Israelis blink first and show any weakness, > the rest of the surrounding Arab nations will fall on them while the > rest of the world makes noises of protest, but does nothing to > prevent > them from carrying out their frequently voiced threat to destroy the > Jewish state. > > If the major nations of the world cannot prompt an end to the > violence > by diplomacy it is surely time to apply financial pressures on the > warring parties until they cannot afford to continue this expensive > conflict. > > JIM BRADLEY > Thornfield Terrace > Selkirk > > C2002 scotsman.com | contact Back To Top > > --------------------------- > ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
