Israel Matzav: Released terrorists <i>are</i> 'Palestinian' society

Friday, October 21, 2011

Released terrorists are 'Palestinian' society

My only question regarding this op-ed by One Family founder Marc Belzberg is why he limited it to Gaza. Is the 'Palestinian Authority' in Ramallah any better?

Bassam Nasser’s op-ed in yesterday’s paper is a must read for every citizen of the world.

Nothing could better illustrate the truth about the Palestinian society of Gaza.

Nasser argues that it’s just not fair that we Israelis view the prisoners released in exchange for Gilad Schalit as terrorist murderers. After all, everyone in Gaza worships and idolizes them. We should understand that they are heroes, a source of pride and honor to their parents and families, the most eligible bachelors desired by every young Palestinian woman. Political and social organizations will seek out the released killers to advance their names and their agendas. They are not deviants of society, but rather society itself. They are lawyers, doctors, men and women, young and old, professors and illiterates.

The picture he so proudly paints of Palestinian society, glaringly clarifies to all that the leaders of Gaza and its citizenry as a whole comprise one of the most despicable and detestable societies in the history of man.No Hollywood studio has ever created a villain as evil as the likes of Khaled Mashaal, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini or Hassan Nassrallah.

No Hollywood writer has ever written a script about an entire society of evil, millions of devout clones of a murderous, deviant ideology and eschatology.

The reality of Gaza today, and most of the Arab world, is too strange for fiction.

If you don’t believe me, take a five-minute stroll past the Hass Promenade in Jerusalem, one of the city’s most popular tourist stops, and you will witness a nearly unprecedented celebration in honor of the release 1,000 of the most despicable human beings ever born. Their supporters are dancing on cars, galloping through the streets on horses, shouting and screaming for joy. For what? To welcome the woman who planned and drove the suicide bomber to Sbarro and murdered 15 young Jews and wounded over 100, for the “crime” of eating pizza in downtown Jerusalem. Other idols of their society include the person who murdered the Dickstein parents and their nine-year-old son, Shuvael, leaving behind eight orphans, aged one-to-17 years old.

Another of the terrific Palestinian role models who was greeted yesterday was the lovely man who walked into the Shabo home and machine-gunned three young boys while they were watching television, then murdered their mother in her bed at point blank range and shot the leg off another of her sons as he cowered, hiding under his mother’s bed.

Read the whole thing.

The Bassam Nasser piece to which Belzberg refers is here.

With the new deal between Israel and Hamas to release captive soldier Gilad Schalit in return for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners – the majority of whom are serving multiple life sentences for their participation in acts described as terrorist attacks against Israeli targets – there is a need for greater Israeli understanding of what these prisoners mean to Palestinian society.

Israelis’ views are limited to reports on the number of people each prisoner killed or assisted in killing. This may be normal in in other living conditions, but not in a conflict like the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Israelis are not able to see these prisoners as anything but killers or murders.

Many Israelis, including political leaders, are not aware of the Palestinian position regarding prisoners in Israeli jails.

The vast majority of Israelis consider all elements of the Palestinian struggle as terrorist acts, but the Palestinians consider armed struggle the only path to liberty.

...

During their imprisonment, many Palestinians have continued their education and earned diplomas from Israeli universities. As such, there is no stigma attached to Palestinians who have served prison terms in Israel.

Released prisoners are seen as heroes in all sectors of Palestinian society. Palestinians refer to Israeli prisons in their literature as “Bastilles” or “Colleges of Struggle.”

The Palestinian public sympathizes strongly with the prisoner movement.

One of the main reasons for this sympathy is the fact is that almost every Palestinian family has had a member in these jails. Another is that prisoners were practically the only sector that could break the political boundaries between the warring political groups. Prisoners could lead an initiative to end the dispute between Hamas and Fatah that was accepted by all parties outside the prisons.

Prisoners are considered leaders in the political parties. Many of the commanders of the security forces in the Palestinian territories have been arrested by Israel. Some of the Palestinian negotiators were prisoners. Even some Palestinian members of the Geneva Peace initiative were prisoners.

The prisoners being released in the coming days will be greeted by non-stop celebrations, gatherings, congratulatory delegations and workshops. Their families have already begun preparations to find them brides so they can start normal lives and build families. This is not going to be difficult, because of the age of the prisoners and because many young Palestinian women consider such unions a mark of pride and honor.

Gaza, meanwhile, has made special preparations to receive the West Bank prisoners who will live in Gaza as per the swap details. This is going to be hard with the ongoing housing problem there, resulting from construction materials not being allowed into Gaza. At least one West Bank family has come to Gaza to receive their son. Many other families will make the long trip via Jordan and Egypt and most will consider moving to Gaza permanently.

The support for prisoners among Palestinians is not a temporary phenomenon that will end weeks or months after the swap. It is traditional to read poems in praise of the struggle and steadfastness of the prisoners.

There are dozens of songs dedicated to them.