When Voices For Creative Nonviolence activist Kathy Kelly visited Colorado Springs, she spoke of survivors of a family in Gaza who returned to their home to find a message left etched on their wall by an IDF soldier, it read “Sorry.” Kelly saw in it the glimmer of hope that Israeli soldiers were beginning to show some humanity. Hasbara efforts have taken this gesture a reservist’s letter step further. You can read it below uncut. Does it look to you like these propagandists need some counseling advice? Probably the rapist is the last person who should be asking his victim to be calm, especially by recounting the details of the violation, and especially if the rapist is unrepentant and laying out the justification for his act. Parental Advisory: Graphic Insensitivity.
Holy Fucking Shit you will not believe it! It’s one thing for us to tolerate pedantic lectures online, quite another if the bastard had quartered in our home in the meantime.
From AISH, via Israel Activism and the Hasbara fellowships. Seriously, this is a letter the Israeli press is touting to try to reach Gazans with the message that they must blame Hamas.
DEAR CITIZEN OF GAZA: I am the soldier who slept in your home.
Hello,
While the world watches the ruins in Gaza, you return to your home which remains standing. However, I am sure that it is clear to you that someone was in your home while you were away.
I am that someone.
I spent long hours imagining how you would react when you walked into your home. How you would feel when you understood that IDF soldiers had slept on your mattresses and used your blankets to keep warm.
I knew that it would make you angry and sad and that you would feel this violation of the most intimate areas of your life by those defined as your enemies, with stinging humiliation. I am convinced that you hate me with unbridled hatred, and you do not have even the tiniest desire to hear what I have to say. At the same time, it is important for me to say the following in the hope that there is even the minutest chance that you will hear me.
I spent many days in your home. You and your family’s presence was felt in every corner. I saw your family portraits on the wall, and I thought of my family. I saw your wife’s perfume bottles on the bureau, and I thought of my wife. I saw your children’s toys and their English language schoolbooks. I saw your personal computer and how you set up the modem and wireless phone next to the screen, just as I do.
I wanted you to know that despite the immense disorder you found in your house that was created during a search for explosives and tunnels (which were indeed found in other homes), we did our best to treat your possessions with respect. When I moved the computer table, I disconnected the cables and lay them down neatly on the floor, as I would do with my own computer. I even covered the computer from dust with a piece of cloth. I tried to put back the clothes that fell when we moved the closet although not the same as you would have done, but at least in such a way that nothing would get lost.
I know that the devastation, the bullet holes in your walls and the destruction of those homes near you place my descriptions in a ridiculous light. Still, I need you to understand me, us, and hope that you will channel your anger and criticism to the right places.
I decided to write you this letter specifically because I stayed in your home.
I can surmise that you are intelligent and educated and there are those in your household that are university students. Your children learn English, and you are connected to the Internet. You are not ignorant; you know what is going on around you.
Therefore, I am sure you know that Qassam rockets were launched from your neighborhood into Israeli towns and cities.
How could you see these weekly launches and not think that one day we would say “enough”?! Did you ever consider that it is perhaps wrong to launch rockets at innocent civilians trying to lead a normal life, much like you? How long did you think we would sit back without reacting?
I can hear you saying “it’s not me, it’s Hamas”. My intuition tells me you are not their most avid supporter. If you look closely at the sad reality in which your people live, and you do not try to deceive yourself or make excuses about “occupation”, you must certainly reach the conclusion that the Hamas is your real enemy.
The reality is so simple, even a seven year old can understand: Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip, removing military bases and its citizens from Gush Katif. Nonetheless, we continued to provide you with electricity, water, and goods (and this I know very well as during my reserve duty I guarded the border crossings more than once, and witnessed hundreds of trucks full of goods entering a blockade-free Gaza every day).
Despite all this, for reasons that cannot be understood and with a lack of any rational logic, Hamas launched missiles on Israeli towns. For three years we clenched our teeth and restrained ourselves. In the end, we could not take it anymore and entered the Gaza strip, into your neighborhood, in order to remove those who want to kill us. A reality that is painful but very easy to explain.
You must lead a civil uprising against Hamas.
As soon as you agree with me that Hamas is your enemy and because of them, your people are miserable, you will also understand that the change must come from within. I am acutely aware of the fact that what I say is easier to write than to do, but I do not see any other way. You, who are connected to the world and concerned about your children’s education, must lead, together with your friends, a civil uprising against Hamas.
I swear to you, that if the citizens of Gaza were busy paving roads, building schools, opening factories and cultural institutions instead of dwelling in self pity, arms smuggling and nurturing a hatred to your Israeli neighbors, your homes would not be in ruins right now. If your leaders were not corrupt and motivated by hatred, your home would not have been harmed. If someone would have stood up and shouted that there is no point in launching missiles on innocent civilians, I would not have to stand in your kitchen as a soldier.
You don’t have money, you tell me? You have more than you can imagine.
Even before Hamas took control of Gaza, during the time of Yasser Arafat, millions if not billions of dollars donated by the world community to the Palestinians was used for purchasing arms or taken directly to your leaders bank accounts. Gulf States, the emirates – your brothers, your flesh and blood, are some of the richest nations in the world. If there was even a small feeling of solidarity between Arab nations, if these nations had but the smallest interest in reconstructing the Palestinian people – your situation would be very different.
You must be familiar with Singapore. The land mass there is not much larger than the Gaza strip and it is considered to be the second most populated country in the world. Yet, Singapore is a successful, prospering, and well managed country. Why not the same for you?
My friend, I would like to call you by name, but I will not do so publicly. I want you to know that I am 100% at peace with what my country did, what my army did, and what I did. However, I feel your pain. I am sorry for the destruction you are finding in your neighborhood at this moment. On a personal level, I did what I could to minimize the damage to your home as much as possible.
In my opinion, we have a lot more in common than you might imagine. I am a civilian, not a soldier, and in my private life I have nothing to do with the military. However, I have an obligation to leave my home, put on a uniform, and protect my family every time we are attacked. I have no desire to be in your home wearing a uniform again and I would be more than happy to sit with you as a guest on your beautiful balcony, drinking sweet tea seasoned with the sage growing in your garden.
The only person who could make that dream a reality is you. Take responsibility for yourself, your family, your people, and start to take control of your destiny. How? I do not know. Maybe there is something to be learned from the Jewish people who rose up from the most destructive human tragedy of the 20th century, and instead of sinking into self-pity, built a flourishing and prospering country. It is possible, and it is in your hands.
I am ready to be there to provide a shoulder of support and help to you.
But only you can move the wheels of history.
Regards,
Yishai, (Reserve Soldier)
I’m actually unconvinced this was a real soldier. Too many of the GIYUS Megaphone talking points are woven into the letter. Singapore even!
It would surely be anti-Semitic to conclude easily that the Israeli propagandists are this dumb. The true motive of this letter cannot be to win Palestinian hearts, but to spread the effect of the state terror. The IDF couldn’t defile every Gaza home before being forced to cut their incursion short. With such letters the Israeli soldiers can make felt that violation by all Gazans.
Was the IDF incursion/invasion about stopping the rockets or about terrorizing the Gazans until they are driven from the land?
Awww… It apologized for murder…
Let’s give It another chance…
Where have we heard this self righteous, self centered, and smug attitude being expressed just recently, Yishai Super Warrior?
Are you actually suggesting Hamas are a force for good? I certainly hope not. My friends in Gaza tell me the tide is turning on Hamas’s popularity. Better late than never.
How do your friends reach you “Sean” (Denise/Mitch/Mary/Ronald)?
Dude. Pick an identity and stick to it. We are tolerant of your comments, but don’t pretend your idiocy-biogtry is so contagious.
Sean Dobson your a nutter.
you claim:
“My friends in Gaza tell me the tide is turning on Hamas’s popularity. Better late than never.”
You must think people are as thick as two short planks with that moronic statement there “sean”
Who are you kidding? Firstly you have no “friends” in Gaza, only in Israel. Secondly, HAMAS has more support than ever now, you created it by invading and butchering people. So now who do you think the Palestinians will throw their support behind after you murdered over 400 children and ruined entire cities? FATAH the minority party who wants to give over to Israel, or HAMAS who wants to fight for Palestinians rights against the aggressor and oppressor (that would be you and your lot btw) just to be clear 🙂
If there was an election today it would be a HAMAS landslide, but isn’t that just what you want? So that you can then have yet another reason to add to your ever growing list of reasons to wipe out an entire population of people because of whom they voted for?
You call Israel a “democracy” yet you do not recognise the democratically elected politicians of Gaza.
Psst, Ban, I don’t want to embarrass you, but here’s the latest on Hamas. Maybe you should read more and talk less…
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3450470,00.html
Hey, Ban, Hamas stealing humanitarian aid from their own people. Not nice.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29802&Cr=gaza&Cr1=unrwa
Ban, have you seen Hamas shooting up this Palestinian wedding, murdering everyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_OGhj43GAE
Ban, Hamas is killing their own people. Not nice.
How Hamas is reasserting itself in Gaza using money manpower and force
ROFLMAO Oh poor dear “sean”
you just made me laugh so hard I can hardly type LOL I must have really gotten to you with the pesky truth LOL
Why just look at all those little linky links you pasted all up and down this thread ROFLMAO at you
People use “hasbara” links when they can’t debate with words and truth
How much is Israel paying you to write here, they should withhold your pay as you are only pasting links LOLOLOL
again ROFLMAO at you
Oh and btw you can’s embarress me, my country did not murder 400 children like yours did:)
it is you who should be embarrassed, but then that would mena you’d have to have some humanity, woudn’t it now
Ban,watch the video of Hamas murdering everyone at a Palestinian wedding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_OGhj43GAE
This is just for “sean” cos he’s so special:)
here’s a video showing pictures of some of the 400 children Israel murdered, along with their names, did you konw they had names, they were people you know? even though Israel and people like yourself think they are worthless, the rest of the world does not agree with you “sean”
here ya go “sean” enjoy Israel’s handiwork
Where can I write the IDF? “sean” is not doing his job very well and they should withhold his pay or fire him LOL
they hired a “link” paster LOLOL
Sean, you’re boring me now
enjoy your links LOLOL
UN tells Hamas to stop stealing humanitarian aid from Palestinians…
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29802&Cr=gaza&Cr1=unrwa
Palestinian Humanitarian Group Condemn Hamas Abuses
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/13/hamas-gaza-murders-abduction-torture
Sean, get a life man, all these hasbara links are pathetic.
How’s things in New Jersey btw? And thanks for visiting my blog:) Palestinians will be pleased that you did, perhaps you will learn some humanity
Ban, you wrote you support Hamas but I just saw the indescribably terrible video of the Hamas wedding murders. How in God’s name can you support this horror?
Ban, you have no integrity or credibility. You write that Hamas is popular among te Palestinians, but you don’t know what you are talking about. Allow me to bring you up to date…
Jpost.
Nobody here is supporting Hamas, but we do not support Israel either. Hamas at least is a leadership grouping of an oppressed group of people whereas the Israeli government is leading the oppressor group.
That could someday change if the Jewish population of the country would just renounce their violence and recognize Palestine and the Rights of Palestinians that currently they now reject. Unfortunately we have a US Empire that sees no profit in allowing that to take place.
So, Internet Megaphone Trolls, continue to post all you want about Hamas being violence because we can clearly see that you are actually defending forces that are much more violent than Hamas has been. You are defending US foreign policy and Israeli government violence both and that’s as sick as it gets. Poor trolls without souls…
Tony, please, please, the one-sided view here is ridiculous. You bash Israel every minute and do not criticize Hamas at all. Give me a break. There are always two sides to every story but you only tell one side. You don’t like Israel, ok, but don’t try to hide the truth about Hamas killing Palestinians and stealing their food and medicine because the information is easily available elsewhere on the Internet. You guys look really ridiculous.
We’re telling one side that counters what the Trolls tell.
For instance, what the soldier wrote in his letter was exactly what the Germans told the people they shot in round-ups and reprisals for “terrorist” attacks by the resistance against what the Germans considered to be a perfectly legitimate Invasion and Occupation…
It’s what George Bush and Karl Rove say about the Iraqi resistance, they tell the survivors of the U.S. military’s Murder Campaign “It’s the fault of the Resistance Terrorists that we have to trash your houses, murder your families…
Blame the Resistance, because they INSOLENTLY AND ARROGANTLY REFUSE TO BOW AND WORSHIP OUR TROOPS AS THE LIBERATORS WE CLAIM THEM TO BE
Too bad you can’t face that like a Man.
Murder by proxy, that’s the ChickenHawk way.
Oh, and tell the victims that it’s somebody elses fault.
That’s The Totalitarian PIG way.
They’re coward bitches. What does that make those of you who Cheer For them?
How clever, Ali Duran watched Sean Dobson’s video! But comment IPs reveals that Ali = Sean, if it even matters.
Eric, you, too, are a schmuck 🙂
I just saw that video with Hamas shooting the Palestinians at the wedding. That is some sick shit and you fuckers support Hamas? You’re as sick as they are.
Yep, so let’s see, that’s Actual Israelis -0 zip nada goose egg rien none “The Mark of Zippo” zippidee doo dah none nil null nothing nobody.
ChickenHawk Troll- well, I kind of lost count.
Wonder if It has fantasy conversations with Itself?
At least in most of Its incarnations It isn’t pretending to be Jewish anymore.
.
I just read on Military.com about the Air Force dropping a 500-pound bomb on what they CLAIM was a Taliban Stronghold.
Much the same way Josef Goebbels was claiming victory after victory in Stalingrad….
And YOU sick trolls support THAT?
I was right, though, you DO download and masturbate to the Faces of Death Porn.
If you ever get enough money from your parents, do you hire a girl or guy to “play dead” for you?
Or is your social interaction getting high with your friends, if you have any, and pulling the legs off a kitten?
How many times can the fake Arab Zionist spammer ‘Walid’ say the same thing? How many times can we get called schmucks by the Internet Megaphone Israeli Military Propaganda Team? Reminds me of the Stooge Show when these creeps get going.
Look at all the nonsense! We even have “HAMAS was Democratically elected” canard. HAMAS won a slight majority in the 2006 PLC Elections. It did NOT win the Presidency, which wasnt even up for grabs. Under PA Law it is the President that doles out Cabinet Portfolios as he sees fit. He declined to hand HAMAS the Interior Ministry, vital to HAMAS because it controlled the 17 branches of the PA Preventive Security Force, a Portfolio held by Muhammad Dahlan.
When, after a year, HAMAS still hadnt managed to gain control of the Interior Ministry from Dahlan it launched an attack on the Dahlan Clan stronghold in Khan Younis and in doing so launched a coup d’etat against the Abbas Regime, who happened to be the leaders s “Democratically voted into office.”
If the people who run this blog are THAT ignorant about Palestinian politics they should find a new hobby- but wait! That would mean they no longer get to shi* on Jews under the socially accepted guise of “social justice activism.”
Instead of whining about Hasbara you should be educating yourselves because you know next to nothing about the nation you are obsessed with.