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Last update - 06:21 02/01/2009
Yossi Sarid / If you (or I) were Palestinian
By Yossi Sarid
Tags: Hamas, Israel News, Gaza, IDF

This week I spoke with my students about the Gaza war, in the context of a class on national security. One student, who had expressed rather conservative, accepted opinions - that is opinions tending slightly to the right - succeeded in surprising me. Without any provocation on my part, he opened his heart and confessed: "If I were a young Palestinian," he said, "I'd fight the Jews fiercely, even by means of terror. Anyone who says anything different is telling you lies."

His remarks sounded familiar - I had already heard them before. Suddenly I remembered: About 10 years ago they were uttered by our defense minister, Ehud Barak. Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy had asked him then, as a candidate for prime minister, what he would do had he been born Palestinian and Barak replied frankly: "I would join a terror organization."

This is not my own answer; terrorism by individuals or organizations or states is always aimed at exacting casualties in a civilian population that has not drawn any blood. Not only is terror blind - consuming both the saint and the sinner - it also expands the circle of the hot-headed, whose blood rises to their brains: Our blood is on their heads, their blood is on our heads. And when an account of the blood of the innocent is opened, who can pay it in full, and when?
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I hate all the terrorists in the world, whatever the purpose of their struggle. However, I support every active civil revolt against any occupation, and Israel too is among the despicable occupiers. Such revolt is both more just and more effective, and it does not extinguish one's spark of humanity. And perhaps I'm just too much of an old codger to be a terrorist.

But, and pay attention to this but, if a normative young person has a spontaneous answer that is different from mine, and that answer also escaped the mouth of an Israeli lieutenant general, then every individual must see himself as though his son is running with the wrong crowd. If things were the other way around, our son-whom-we-loved would be a damned terrorist, almost certainly, because he is of the third and fourth generation of refugeehood and oppression, and whence cometh salvation? He has nothing to lose but his chains.

Whereas we, his mother and father, would be weeping for the departing son because he will never return to see the land of his birth and us, except in his photograph on the wall as a shahid, a martyr. Would we detain him before he carries out his plan? Would we be able to hold him back if we wanted to? Would we not understand what he is feeling? What Ehud Barak understood in his day - would that be impossible for us to understand?

Young people who have no future will easily give up their future, which they can't see on the horizon. Their past as guttersnipes and their present as cursed unemployed idlers lock the opening to their hope: Their death is better than their life, and their death is even better than our life, as their oppressors - that is how they feel. From the day they are born to the day they leave this earth, they see their land ahead, to which they will not come as free people.

There are no good and bad peoples; there are only leaderships that behave responsibly or insanely. And now we are fighting those whom a goodly number of us would be like, had we been in their place for 41 and a half years.


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      1.   Hamas is not a national liberation movement 06:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/01/09
      2.   If I were Palestinian 07:20  |  Nirit 02/01/09
      3.   Were Jews Terrorist in Europe in 1942? 07:36  |  INGUE 02/01/09
      4.   "There are no good and bad peoples" 08:05  |  sharon 02/01/09
      5.   If you (or I) were Palestinian 08:39  |  Yehuda Erdman 02/01/09
      6.   Where I would draw the red line 08:45  |  Tzfonit 02/01/09
      7.   One day you will stop teaching... 08:45  |  Howard 02/01/09
      8.   Sarid misconstrued the meaning of the Barak quote. 09:09  |  EL 02/01/09
      9.   Thank you Yossi 09:49  |  A mother 02/01/09
      10.   Yossi sarid 09:53  |  Paul 02/01/09
      11.   Of course it`s a result of upbringing! 10:01  |  David Miller 02/01/09
      12.   if my country were to be 10:09  |  John and the truth 02/01/09
      13.   Hamas is not a national liberation movement 10:10  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/01/09
      14.   You overlook the change this operation will make 10:21  |  Colin Wright 02/01/09
      15.   No doubt, the "terrorists/militants" have fully succeeded.... 10:21  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/01/09
      16.   Response to Yehuda Erdman (Post No. 1) 10:26  |  Johnny Weintraub 02/01/09
      17.   IF YOU OR I WERE PALESTINIAN 10:32  |  PATRICK RIORDAN 02/01/09
      18.   Different conclusion 10:35  |  Ex-Meretz 02/01/09
      19.   Tzfonit..are they Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? 10:42  |  Edithann 02/01/09
      20.   Palestinian against Hamas... 10:42  |  Mr B 02/01/09
      21.   #3...you just don`t get it..and probably never will! (end) 10:44  |  Edithann 02/01/09
      22.   IRA Terrorism 10:46  |  Richard 02/01/09
      23.   I agree with Howard 10:46  |  Michael 02/01/09
      24.   If I were an Gaza Arab I would call upon my government to: 10:47  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 02/01/09
      25.   If you (or I) were Palestinian or Israeli 10:59  |  siem 02/01/09
      26.   #10, Dino, why don`t you look in the mirror 11:11  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/01/09
      27.   The land ... thou shalt not go over thither 11:19  |  Dahlia Beck 02/01/09
      28.   if, is not exist 11:20  |  b 02/01/09
      29.   Congratulations,. Mr. Yehuda Erdman 17:12  |  Raimundo Moreira 02/01/09
      30.   Palis could have used peaceful protest 18:13  |  Lisa 02/01/09
      31.   PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!!!!!!! 18:30  |  Valeria Toalino 02/01/09
      32.   ``Thank you`` YOSSI for telling us all that in the 21st century 18:36  |  Gil 02/01/09
      33.   To: Valeria Tualino 18:46  |  Angel 02/01/09
      34.   To #4 Sharon 18:48  |  Paul 02/01/09
      35.   If I were a Palestinian 18:58  |  Alan 02/01/09
      36.   I AM PALESTINIAN (no if`s) 19:13  |  bashar 02/01/09
      37.   If i were a palestinian 19:19  |  joseph 02/01/09
      38.   If I were Palestinian -- second attempt 19:23  |  Angel 02/01/09
      39.   Whom Are The Occupiers?!? 19:41  |  Solomon the Wise 02/01/09
      40.   Gaza Occupier 19:48  |  Richard Hanson 02/01/09
      41.   Bashar 19:48  |  Linichka 02/01/09
      42.   Sarid asks the wrong question. Should be this: 19:50  |  Joe Sittizen 02/01/09
      43.   Edithann #19, practice what you preach. 20:50  |  Tzfonit 02/01/09
      44.   typical sarid-lost in space 21:02  |  david 02/01/09
      45.   Tired Leftist Mantras 21:03  |  Michael 02/01/09
      46.   If I was a Palestinian ... I`d join Israel and transform Islam 21:04  |  At 02/01/09
      47.   Sarid, ever heard of Gandhis non-violent methods? 21:22  |  Chava 02/01/09
      48.   me 21:23  |  ew 02/01/09
      49.   Bashar (#36) You had that before 21:39  |  Gil 02/01/09
      50.   empathy 21:43  |  Rudolf Hinz 02/01/09
      51.   Fighting against an Oppressive Occupying Regime is not Terrorism 21:57  |  Patriotic American 02/01/09
      52.   Excellent Article. Very True!! 22:28  |  Neda 02/01/09
      53.   Hopeful article 22:47  |  Carolien 02/01/09
      54.   Bashar Do you want solution or struggle 23:00  |  Aby 02/01/09
      55.   Language of Violence 23:08  |  Objective reader 02/01/09
      56.   Israel`s origins 23:22  |  jdledell 02/01/09
      57.   #32, Gil 23:31  |  Tony Price 02/01/09
      58.   Yossi Sarid telling about an uncomfortable true 23:58  |  Iranian-Swedish 02/01/09
      59.   Excellent article: Israelis would be wise to listen to Mr. Sarid 00:23  |  peacelover 03/01/09
      60.   If I were Palestinian 00:23  |  henri 03/01/09
      61.   51, tony - if you think.... 00:30  |  dov 03/01/09
      62.   Finally, the truth 00:57  |  Joe 03/01/09
      63.   To: Tony Price 00:59  |  Angel 03/01/09
      64.   If I were Palestinian 01:08  |  rich friedman 03/01/09
      65.   re 36 I could be o your side 01:13  |  alan the real one 03/01/09
      66.   If you (not I ) were palestinian 01:26  |  Michael 03/01/09
      67.   # 55 01:27  |  Caro 03/01/09
      68.   Israel & Palestine 01:30  |  Vinny 03/01/09
      69.   Early zionist dreamers 02:25  |  Anonymous 03/01/09
      70.   If I were a Palestinian 02:28  |  Saul Eisenstat 03/01/09
      71.   Do Palestinians in West Bank are more peaceful than 02:45  |  Maria 03/01/09
      72.   Wrong question calls for wrong answers 02:45  |  Ariel 03/01/09
      73.   #54 02:56  |  erik keller 03/01/09
      74.   The Difference 02:57  |  Ron 03/01/09
      75.   Zionist Terrorists 02:59  |  Dave 03/01/09
      76.   The truth which hurts 03:06  |  Bassim 03/01/09
      77.   Well Said 03:45  |  Khan Md Ashraf 03/01/09
      78.   If I was a palestinian 04:36  |  al 03/01/09
      79.   If I were Palestinian, I would realize that..... 04:48  |  Harry 03/01/09
      80.   Yossi Sarid -- Well said. 05:30  |  Timothy 03/01/09
      81.   Wow...we would never see this in the U.S. 06:19  |  Ayan 03/01/09
      82.   If I had 3 wheels I`d be a tricycle 08:07  |  Baruch 03/01/09
      83.   Amazed 08:18  |  Erwynne 03/01/09
      84.   Not nesessarily Ayan in New York... 08:24  |  BBSNews 03/01/09
      85.   Well Said 08:30  |  Haitham 03/01/09
      86.   Which part of Gaza`is Israel Ocupying, Yossi? 08:50  |  Robert 03/01/09
      87.   To Angel 10:44  |  Tony Price 03/01/09
      88.   Ayan from New York 10:50  |  FOX 03/01/09
      89.   Hamas is not the main issue 10:53  |  Joseph 03/01/09
      90.   it`a about trying to understand 10:56  |  pontus Andersson 03/01/09
      91.   can anybody also tell me 11:14  |  John and the truth 03/01/09
      92.   The question is... 11:17  |  Frank 03/01/09
      93.   Hamas is not the question 11:43  |  Gad Elyahu 03/01/09
      94.   Understanding the incomprehensible in "black-and-white" 11:49  |  Alicia 03/01/09
      95.   # 83 to fox re: your response to ayan 11:52  |  eric 03/01/09
      96.   Dear TONY Price (#51) And All 11:52  |  Gil 03/01/09
      97.   Dear TONY Price (#51) And All 11:53  |  Gil 03/01/09
      98.   Retaining a sense of humanity 12:14  |  Paul k 03/01/09
      99.   Dear TONY Price (#51) And All 12:15  |  Gil 03/01/09
      100.   So true Yossi 12:21  |  Barry 03/01/09
      101.   If 12:29  |  Leonard 03/01/09
      102.   #13 Cipora 12:32  |  Tony Price 03/01/09
      103.   what a bunch of selfrighteous "talkbackers" 12:37  |  eric 03/01/09
      104.   to yossi sarid re: "an old codger" and human empathy 12:37  |  eric 03/01/09
      105.   Eric, who is experiencing Nausea #92 12:38  |  FOX 03/01/09
      106.   #51 Patrotic American; on Israeli apartheid in the territories 12:38  |  Alicia 03/01/09
      107.   Yossi you would act like yourself 12:49  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/01/09
      108.   to CJ Kohn #26 12:50  |  zeev 03/01/09
      109.   for haaretz 12:50  |  dani.a 03/01/09
      110.   #51 Dov 12:53  |  Tony Price 03/01/09
      111.   Zeev and the gullible Hamas 13:14  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 03/01/09
      112.   2 state solution would never work..... 13:21  |  leven5 03/01/09
      113.   #102, Tony Price 14:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/01/09
      114.   If you or I were Palestinian 15:43  |  Penny J. Novack 03/01/09
      115.   To #99 16:01  |  katica 03/01/09
      116.   the reality 18:52  |  seyl 03/01/09
      117.   Tony Price #102 Good understanding. 18:58  |  Roo 03/01/09
      118.   Pathetic responses 19:00  |  Said 03/01/09
      119.   If I were a Palestinian 19:31  |  John 03/01/09
      120.   Sarid, the dispicable occupier 19:41  |  Jed 03/01/09
      121.   If we were palestinian and israelis 19:49  |  Gabi 03/01/09
      122.   What about a four state solution? 19:49  |  lynne 03/01/09
      123.   If I were a Palestinian,I would help Israel liberate me. 19:54  |  Susanna/Shoshana 03/01/09
      124.   Israel must choose 20:09  |  André 03/01/09
      125.   Now that nobody wants you, Yossi, . . . 20:13  |  Zev Davis 03/01/09
      126.   KATICA (#115) 20:18  |  Gil 03/01/09
      127.   lynne you obviously have never looked at a map 20:53  |  x-ray 03/01/09
      128.   comment from turkey 22:40  |  erlik 03/01/09
      129.   If I were Palestinian 03:19  |  Phantom 04/01/09
      130.   In response to Saul #70... 04:39  |  NPH 04/01/09
      131.   RE:sanna/Shoshana 04:57  |  Steve J 04/01/09
      132.   Well said, Phantom 05:00  |  Maria 04/01/09
      133.   erlik of Istanbul....when you cross into Iraqi 05:55  |  Lynn 04/01/09
      134.   recalling something else Yossi Sarid wrote 06:03  |  hollingsworth 04/01/09
      135.   to Margie #111 (5th try) 06:33  |  zeev 04/01/09
      136.   Incredibly refreshingly honest. 06:46  |  Rula 04/01/09
      137.   Hamas 10:39  |  nils vdh 04/01/09
      138.   # 1 to cipora (another try!) 10:43  |  eric 04/01/09
      139.   re. 70- Henry 14:33  |  Fair Deal 04/01/09
      140.   Well Said Yousef 17:07  |  Peter Clark 04/01/09
      141.   If I were a Palestinian 11:07  |  Sharon 05/01/09
      142.   if I were a Palestinian 12:56  |  colin 05/01/09
      143.   Yossi Sarid / If you (or I) were Palestinian 02:30  |  iwan 10/01/09
      144.   Thank you, Haaretz! 19:58  |  Open mind 10/01/09
      145.   #76 - You see It, I see it, but Isreal is blind to it. 20:07  |  Return Palestine Lnd 10/01/09
      146.   Killing Childrens cant be justified! 14:30  |  Noor 12/01/09
      147.   Born Jewish or not 08:44  |  Ros 22/01/09
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    Responses: 193
    Italian paper: Gazans say Hamas kept them in homes used by gunmen
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    Editorial: Israel should launch its own probe into Gaza war crimes
    Responses: 44
    Yossi Melman: Obama plan to talk buys Iran time for nuclear program
    Responses: 34
    Israel Harel: Like in Lebanon, IDF displayed mediocrity in Gaza
    Responses: 39


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