A courageous Palestinian has died, shrouded in stones
The army spokesman was right - Mustafa died because he threw stones; he died because he dared to speak a truth, with his hands, in a place where the truth is forbidden.
By Jonathan PollakMustafa Tamimi threw stones. Unapologetically and sometimes fearlessly. Not on that day alone, but nearly every Friday. He also concealed his face. Not for fear of the prison cell, which he had already come to know intimately, but in order to preserve his freedom, so he could continue to throw stones and resist the theft of his land. He continued to do this until the moment of his death.
According to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, in response to the reports about the shooting of Tamimi, the spokesman of the GOC Southern Command wondered on his Twitter account: "What was Mustafa thinking running after a moving jeep while throwing stones #fail." Thus, simply and mockingly, the spokesman explained why Tamimi was to blame for his own death.
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Mustafa Tamimi, from the village of Nabi Saleh - son to Ikhlas and Abd al-Razak, brother to Saddam and Ziad, to the twins Oudai and Louai and sister Ola - was shot in the head at close range on Friday. Hours later, at 9:21 on Saturday morning, he died of his wounds. A gas grenade was fired at him from an armored military Jeep at a distance of only a few meters. It was not out of fear that the person who did fired the shot hit him. He poked the barrel of the rifle through the door of the armored vehicle and fired with clear intent. The shooter is a soldier. His identity remains unknown and perhaps it will always remain unknown. Maybe this is for the best. Identifying him and punishing him would only serve to whitewash the crimes of the entire system. As if the indifferent Israeli civilian, the sergeant, the company commander, the battalion commander, the brigade commander, the division commander, the defense minister and the prime minister had no part in the shooting.
The army spokesman was right. Mustafa died because he threw stones; he died because he dared to speak a truth, with his hands, in a place where the truth is forbidden. Any discussion of the manner of the shooting, its legality and the orders on opening fire, infers that the landlord is forbidden to expel the trespasser. Indeed, the trespasser is allowed to shoot the landlord.
Mustafa's body is lying lifeless because he had the courage to throw stones on the 24th anniversary of the first intifada, which begot the Palestinian children of the stones. His brother Oudai is imprisoned at Ofer Prison and was not allowed to attend the funeral, because he too dared to throw stones. And his sister was not allowed to be at his bedside in his final moments, even though she is not suspected of having thrown stones, but because she is a Palestinian.
Mustafa was a brave man killed because he threw stones and refused to be afraid of a soldier bearing arms, sitting safely in the military jeep covered in armor. On the day Mustafa died, the frozen silence roaming the valley was only slightly less chilling than the shrilling sound of his mother's laments which fell upon it occasionally.
Thousands of stone-throwers followed him at his funeral. He was lowered into his grave and stones covered his body. Soldiers stood at the entrance to his village. Even the anguish and solitude of separation was intolerable for the army, who set their soldiers and arms to shower mourners with teargas as they went down to village lands following the funeral. While the soldier who shot Mustafa is at large, six of the demonstrators were put behind bars.
Mustafa, we walk behind your body with our heads bowed and eyes full of tears. We cherish you, because you died for throwing stones and we did not.
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is this an Israeli or Palestinian news source? @ Haaretz # Fail
I like the author's poetic introduction. It shows how morally corrupt our society has become. Thank you for confusing our youth into believing that the terrorists have feelings too. Very insightful writing, you would get an A+ at Columbia.
What a ridiculous article. I dare someone in ANY COUNTRY to throw stones at the military or police, chances are they will use force back. Way to gamble with your life mustafa!
"...we walk behind your body with our heads bowed and eyes full of tears." We??? Who "we"? We, Jonathan Pollak?
He did the wrong thing .He got the right thing
If you know Hebrew, this is fascinating and important: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciJmYASCS48
Jonathan Pollak weeps for those decent Jews who made Israel their home and then gradually lost it to the narcissistic bunch that rules it today. He has the presence of mind to notice “Thousands of stone-throwers followed him at his funeral. “while the ruling party is agitating more of the civilized people inside and outside the country. It seems like he is using the occasion of Mustafa’s death to mourn the loss of his own hopes for Israel. There are exceptional people with a moral base that will not shake in any situation; system moves the rest to do good or bad. Any country is just as good as the system that governs it.
Jeez.
I know most of their English language readership hates Israel and most Jews, but come on...
Even Goliath,that huge well-armed 7 ft.+ tall died from a small pebble slung by little David. A stone can be just as lethal as a bullet.
If IDF would leave them alone those protesters could do what they need to do...PROTEST PEACEFULLY........IDF knows nothing but killing. Its like killing fish in a barrel. They really should be proud of themselves
Spare this crap soap opera. Don't philosophize so pathetic on persive act.
This is demonstrated that Arabs are still in STONE ERA
This is demonstrated that Arabs are still in STONE ERA
a bunch of racists. Buy into the "chosen people" myth. Which is funny because Jews are a group of people that share a common religious belief. No longer a "people". Jews are now jewish-Americans, jewish-French, jewish-Afracians, jewish-Arabs. No more that American is a racial group.
glad mr. pollock has joined the Haaretz oped staff. Israel and Haaretz needs a new "hardcore" left op-eder besides Gideon Levy, who is becoming more and more comforatable and uncreative with explaing everything in his post-zionist retorhic. While I agree with him in principle I feel the man has not had an origianl thoguht since Oslo and feels that just "trash-talking" the goverment and the israeli people on a weekly basis is "his duty". Even fringe opinion holders need to be creative...
Is this article from a journalist ? To me, it seems like an anarchist's article. I am not telling that an anarchist cannot be a journalist too, but is Haaretz newspaper a anarchist paper ? I know it is a leftist newspaper, unfortunately, more and more often an extreme leftist one that even forget that it is an israeli paper. I think that Haaretz should decide what is its line, and maybe give a short bio on its writters, for people to better understand when some articles seem to come from anti-israeli side.
No, Mustafa wanted to drive Israel away from their own land. Mustafa is the tenant and Israel is the landlord. Tenamts have rights given to them by the landlord and not vice versa.
A courageous journalist, indeed!
i hope you would be dead soon.
Stones are a deadly weapon, not newsletters. Cheering for a man who weekly throws stones at IDF soldiers means that you live on the wrong side of the border. Try to find an Arab country that will take you.
I think this article is a deliberate provocation & Pollack doesn't believe a word what he wrote. No normal person would write such an article......In my last post I wrote that the youth David,killed Mighty Goliath with a pebble/stone. Stones can be just as lethal as bullets.During the 1st World War,(The Great War) the Gurkhas that were incorporated in the British army were an extremely loyal & courageous group,To show their prowess they used to go behind the enemy lines & cut a German ear;sometimes a handful & bring them to the commanding officer. as proof of their night's work. The situation became so dire that the Germans demanded to stop the use of cold weapons.
where does the slippery slope begin...NOT where a person disagrees or carries a sign...NOT even when a person shakes a barrier meant to keep keep him out ... What about throwing stones ? OK... most stones only show disrespect for authority...some stones physically hurt the authority...in rare instances a stone can destroy the victim's vision. It seems to me that there is some leeway to be given to an armed authority that is being stoned. What about dropping heavy stone blocks from the top of a building ? Supppose a stone is thrown at a Syrian soldier ... without doubt :a Syrian soldier might shoot the stone thrower. Suppose a stone is thrown at an Israeli soldier ? observerms
where does the slippery slope begin...NOT where a person disagrees or carries a sign...NOT even when a person shakes a barrier meant to keep keep him out ... What about throwing stones ? OK... most stones only show disrespect for authority...some stones physically hurt the authority...in rare instances a stone can destroy the victim's vision. It seems to me that there is some leeway to be given to an armed authority that is being stoned. What about dropping heavy stone blocks from the top of a building ? Supppose a stone is thrown at a Syrian soldier ... without doubt :a Syrian soldier might shoot the stone thrower. Suppose a stone is thrown at an Israeli soldier ? moshe
Yonatan has protested, seen people die next to him, injured many times, has been hit with tear gas canister in the head, arrested many times, sent to jail, etc. Know what you're talking about before writing false statements and erroneous comments from the safety behind your computer screen.
At least, Mr. Tamini did not die anonymosly, like so many do in Palestine. Thank you so very much Jonathan. In western countries these type of assassination of Palestinians are not broadcasted by the medias, only if there is a mass killing of them like in Gaza. Whereas the murder or the attempt of a murder of a jewish Israeli is known worldwide.
disgusting prose mr pollack
There is section on hims on Wikipedia. It seems he also got a canister to the head, but unfortunately survived. That may explain the brain damage yielding this article. Not surprisingly Haaretz direspecting the families of 100s killed by palestians published it. Haaretz deserves to be spit in the face.
Very sad. I hope some day cases like this will be taken to The Hague and we will all see some kind of justice.
These demonstrators are violent; all this talk of "non violent resistance" is a farce. Throwing stones is violence. Stones are lethal. Did Tamimi deserve to die? Nobody deserves to die, yet when you engage in a violent act you are likely to be met with violence.
We invite you, bring candies. Love
Only the Left in Israel can condemn the IDF for the death of an Arab protestor who threw stones at their vehicle and condone the stone-throwing of an allegedly Right wing Group of Settlers. Pardon me while I go barf on the feetof the porcelain god with the silver handled tank on his back. Your hypocrisy makes me sick!
paying their employs with European money. Shameful! And Haaretz speaks about corruption.
Time is coming for Israel and the world's Jewry to deal with the problem seriously. Blind one way road is coming to the end and the American theories doesn't work in practice.
The soldier did the Palestinians a favor and removed this DS from the gene pool. Whether Israel is right or wrong you don't throw rocks at people with guns..unless you have a chance of killing them
Just don't come to the gun-fight. Go home to Jordan and live there in peace!
the bigger problem is the OCCUPATION, the responsibility for which is 95% on Israel's shoulders. Since our Israeli military is 300X as large as any Palestinian military, we have to be the LEADERS of peace. Instead Bibi is a bullshitter. He dreams of Greater Israel, and loses his head in denial of reality.....
Please deport yourself to a muslim country........but don't ask to come back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollak Say no more! talk about biased reporting, shameful!
Why am I not surprised? Pretty disgraceful that the editors didn't give that context though (i.e. inform the reader who this guy is.)
thank you. That explains a lot
Pollacks comments only inflate the emotions that run high that cause this situation. Pollack sit down and shut up! Enough of this poor Palestinian crap! If they want to come to the table as civilized people with a civilized cause then thats great but people who shoot off crap like this and call themselves journalists are only bigots of a different kind using their platform to give personal opinions! Enough!
If you read an article in which a man writes about his grief, you would expect Talkback reactions with sensitivity and respect. You may not agree with the cause of the Palestinian victim, the least you can do is show your respect and your sadness for his unfortunate death. In stead, the Talkback is full of hateful reactions, people implying it was his own fault he died, that Tamimi was part of an anti-semitic, anti-zionist culture out to destroy Israel, etc, etc. Worst reaction was from kevin, who apparently all the way from Australia knows what is happening in Israel: "Please do not assume that Pollak's views are those of the majority of israelis and Diaspora Jews" Oh God, I hope you are wrong, Kevin. Because if you are right, that means Israel is doomed...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollak He IS DEFINITELY not a representative of either the Jewish people or the Israeli people - he's a violent anti-Israel provocateur.
I think it fortunate there is one less stone thrower in the land. A man and his child were killed in a car accident because a stone was thrown. Others were killed and maimed. The author says the Arab spoke with his hands (when he threw stones). This is an extraordinary interpretation of the verb "to speak". It is in all probability extremely unlikely that the soldier intended to hit the thrower with the cannister. It was one of the inevitable accidents that happen now and then when riots occur. In any case, stones are lethal weapons and "who lives by the sword shall perish by the sword."
Terrorists throwing rocks deserve their own sharia law...their hands excised.
The article was written by a person that hates Israel and the Jewish People and as such he should be deported.
He has the right to his opinion. As far as I know Israel is still a so called "democratic state" eventhough the Israeli gov't is trying its best to turn it into a religious fanatic state for people like you. I commend Jonathan for his stance. Some people can still see the truth behind the countless lies that try and show Israel as the victim of the occupation.
Well said, mr Pollak.
But he doesn't do any of this; he is an anarchist who wants to see the state of Israel destroyed, so prefers to glorify stone throwing (which has killed and injured in the past) and violence over negotiations and compromise.
"... and encourage them to press their leadership to get back to the negotiating table"?! Why should Abbas return to the negotiating table when his terms (a freeze in ALL SETTLEMENT BUILDING) are always thrown in the trash? You're a fool. ISRAEL IS THE OBSTACLE HERE, NOT ABBAS, NOT THE PALESTINIANS.
It has opened millions of eyes.
The Intifada of 1987 was the uprising of a people armed with only stones against the might of the Israeli army. The iconic picture of the Intifada is a Palestinian boy with a stone facing an Israeli tank. The Intifada HAS opened the eyes of millions, as Jivanka says, and Israel's standing is at an all time abysmal low because of what it is doing in the Occupied Territories and the continuing massive violations of international law.
would the israeli army shoot a settler for throwing stones at palestinians or at the idf
would the idf shoot at leftists demonstrating againt the wall and throwing rocks?
The Israeli army didn't SHOOT this stone-throwing Arab. They fired a tear gas cannister which inadvertantly struck someone. It is quite conceivable the Israel army would fire tear gas at settler rioting or throwing stones at Arabs.
Of a police state without freedom of opinion is about to be the reality in Israel. Haaretz will miss you...
Of a police state without freedom of opinion is about to be the reality in Israel. Haaretz will miss you...
haaretz is nazi oriented antisemitic newspaper, much more then newswpapers of nazi past.
I read this article with a sense of disbelief...I thought I was reading an article in Al Jazeera or one of the Palestinian newspapers. Please do not assume that Pollak's views are those of the majority of israelis and Diaspora Jews.
It is sad to see anybody die, but this most leftist paper is making encouraging terrorism against the Israelis. It is a shame!!!
Here is looking at you, kid (absolute swede)
Nowadays, it takes courage to be a Jewish Israeli, who supports the struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel's relentless occupation and colonisation of Palestinian land. We will remember Mustafa Tamimi, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of freedom and dignity of his people. When Zionist colonists steal your water, as is happening in Nabi Saleh, where they have taken control of Ain al Qaws, the Bow Spring, and the surrounding land, there is no option but to resist. I salute you, Jonathan. It would be a privilege to meet you some time in the future.
Have you been among those "courageous Brits" protesting against the acquital ? No ? Do you remmember names of those youths ? They were not pal,so you don't.
great article, keep up the good work Jonathan, you´re not alone in this struggle.
Only when all the people throw away bigotry and speak the truth unbiased shall peace dominate this apartheid state!!
this isn't an isolated incident, he is at least the second Palestinian to die because he was targeted with a tear gas canister, and others have been seriously wounded, some losing an eye. This is no freak accident.
The less you are heard, and the more you have at stake, the harder it is not to get aggressive. I've met many Palestinians who practice non-violent resistance and my hat is off to them because I don't think I could do that week after week.
and Palestinians do not have the 'right' to demonstrate - when they did protest the main site of the demonstrations was declared a military exclusion zone , meaning that any further demonstration would be met with violence from the IDF
...there would be no chance of an Israeli soldier or policeman killing or injuring one of them in response. And if no Palestinians are killed or injured, then there is no news story.
I hope it is sooner than later. Seeing his smug face on the news sickens me almost as much as reading this drivel on this blight of a newspaper.
that all you are .. your likes are what bringing the country down to its knees!
We are waiting for the courageous Israelis to raise their voices for the right case and nothing more ..
Hamas? The Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade? Islamic Jihad? Al Qaeda? They all agree!
I have read period editions of Davar, the Palestine Post and Ha'aretz mourning the deaths of Jewish stone throwers killed by the British during the Mandate era. As ever its a one way street with the rightists.
I think this article is the most cynical act of psychological agression given to the israeli public. Now for sure I know something is wrong in the system, and Jews in this country should start waking up before we have a civil war comming up here, I srael is a little country with many anemies including in journalism. Fascist cynicism is killing Israeli Identity from within.Stop this Abuse
Thankyou
Solidly argued, but emotional enough to meet the requirement of the subject matter. This was just flawless. I hope the author is reading all of the nasty negative reviews by Israelis and cherishing them as confirmation that he's done exactly the right thing.
An act of civil insurrection in normal decent countries was met with no response, even though the chief of the base was seriously injured. We used to talk of an apartheid state, in reality it is a tripartheid state. As Netanyahu deserately clings to power by allowing the whackjobs have free reign
actually, this event already took place in October 2000 killing a settler ( a "green line" settler) .
a Mr. Palmer and his infant son were driven off the road to their deaths when a stone was hurled through the windshield.
HE WAS THROWING ROCKS AT SOLDIERS! Israel's streets are red with the blood of men, women, and children MURDERED by stones thrown at that by people like Mustafa. He was attacking with the intent to kill and he was killed accidentally - I've never seen a newspaper stoop to such a low.
about his shooting. It was done in cold blood. Stone-throwing in Palestine / Israel has a long history, and Israelis are not innocent of it either.
There are numereous examples where palestinians have been killed by the IDF. Shall i list them all for you ? do you know Beit Hanoun ? how many in Gaza have been murdered ? how many in the Jerusalem and the WB have been murdered ? how many wounded ? deported ? a kid throwing a rock gets a bullet right between the eyes and the so-called israeli investigation says 'accident' !! do you think people are stupid ? how many well armed settlers get arrested by their army ? NONE ! do you think palestinians are going to sit there and watch what Israel is doing to them ? soldiers are members of an occupation army. End of story. You're the one who has reached a new low taking all Israel with you my friend. I feel very sorry for you.
Name me a country that had to deal with a relentless stream of rock-throwing protesters and was able to claim that none were ever killed or injured. And I'm talking about country's like the United States dealing with their own citizens (i.e., Kent State) who weren't even throwing rocks. It's not government policy, but when you have a bunch of 18-20 year old soldiers and police confronted by a mob of rock-throwers, of course mistakes are going to happen, of course there are going to be soldiers who are irresponsible, incompetent, or just plain mean. So when you glorify these rock-throwers as the author of this article does, you are encouraging a pattern that will continue to result in the occasional, random death or injury to one of them. It's a tragedy orchestrated by the Palestinian leadership and enabled by useful idiots.
is deceptive and tendentious. A tear gas cannister was fired by a soldier who had a right to fear for his own life confronted with stone-throwers. There is no justification for concluding that the death was intentionally caused. Tear gas is used by police all over the world against unruly demonstrations which don't even entail throwing lethal stones.
I believe rocks were thrown by some students at the National Guard but probably not by the students who were shot.
Jonathan, with these words: "As if the indifferent Israeli civilian, the sergeant, the company commander, the battalion commander, the brigade commander, the division commander, the defense minister and the prime minister had no part in the shooting." just argued for what the many people being against Muslims are arguing for all over the world, that since the Muslims as a whole don't react in force against Islamic terrorism, then all of them are guilty.. Wonder if this is what he wanted to say, or if this rule only applies to Israelis?
throughout most demonstrations all over the world for the many people who gather to protest against a myriad of causes does not include those who throw stones, which is to say, those who threaten the lives of others. Such persons are no longer "civilian protesters" but dangerous criminals.
throughout most demonstrations all over the world for the many people who gather to protest against a myriad of causes does not include those who throw stones, which is to say, those who threaten the lives of others. Such persons are no longer "civilian protesters" but dangerous criminals.
how dare you glorify the same people that have killed and injured thousands of Jews with their "courageous" rock throwing...you should be ashamed of yourself, what an embarrassment you are to the Jewish people.
are the apologists for a de facto apartheid regime which humiliates, denigrates, imprisons, murders and justifies subjugation in the name of ...you and your ilk are the real shonda.
firstly, I don't think that thousands of Jews have been killed by rock throwing; secondly, your comment has nothing to do with the article which is focused on the murder of Mustafa and thirdly you ignore the implied message in the article; that the occupation has corrupted every aspect of the Israeli and Palestinian civic society, ' when everyone is guilty no one is guilty.'
Mustafa was not protesting againest not having a Job, having low wages, or unafordable housing, he was protesting againest those who have removed him and his people from their land. He was protesting againest those who have declard war againest him and his people.
According to reliable figures, more than 6 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the beginning av the first intifada (among them more than 1 000 children). Killed by Palestinians: about 1 500 Israelis (among them about 150 children).
Sometimes the truth hurts, and many people within Israeli society are going to feel both hurt and agrieved by this article. Blaming the troops is never a popular move, no matter what the left and the self hater accuse them of! The protectors are brave and moral, they must be because they protect a brave and moral society. A society surrounded by those who would destroy it. They put their own lives at risk rather than harm an innocent Arab. It cannot be that they would act with such contempt for human life. I feel sorry for those people who read this in disbelief, who, right now, are incandesant with rage at the nerve of this paper to print such lies I feel sorry for them because if they cannot see the truth in this article, then they are incapable of ever seeing the truth.
but the International Peace force who gave a thousand lip services and failed promises to mediate without bias and enforce treaties which Israel signed are moral ? Guess what Israelis are not Serbs or Copts or Timorese or Armenians among many other people who were and are decimated by Jihadists. It exposed the ugly face of Communism, Pan-Arabism, and Islam to the world and you hate Israel for it because as it exposed the latter, it also exposed your cowardice.
tell that to the families of Jews who have died in the country because they were hit in the head with rocks by these "courageous stone throwers"...like Asher Palmer and his baby a few months ago. you are a disgrace.
Mark Twain said that, religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool. It's shameful to hear Israelis talking about their right to this land just because it was written and interpreted from the Tora. Somewhere along the way you managed to mix up land rights, religious beliefs and racist supremacy thought, and you're the only ones in the world that can't see it. Shame on you!
Don't bother disagreeing with me. It all comes from the inscrutable "logic" of Mr. Pollack and the anarchist wonderland he inhabits.
along with Marx and Frederick Douglas didn't find a vibrant land but now that it is made vibrant, Islam wants to claim as its own. You think Jews are weaklings? They will teach you different.
Same effect, same sense
when a cop dies fighting crime he is a hero, when a thief dies comiting a crime he cant be a hero, the roles cant be reversed to prove a point. using american law where a tresspasser can be shot. the settlers and the IDF ARE tresspassing on palestinian lands, only the palestinians are not shooting, they are protesting. give them credit.
It is the Arabs who are the thieves in Israel. The land, all of it, belongs to Israel and the Jews!