What About the Palestinians, ABC?

Middle East News Online (www.middleeastwire.com)
www.middleeastwire.com/newswire/stories/20010528_meno.shtml

By Ramzy Baroud,
Posted Monday May 28, 2001 - 10:57:44 AM EDT

The next morning following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, members of the powerful Israeli lobby, AIPAC showered congressmen with pictorial books about the Holocaust as they were on their way to an urgent session.

But why would the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) justify Israel's deadly invasion of Lebanon which caused the death of tens of thousands by stressing the suffering of the Jews in a completely different political setting and historical era?

The answer to such a question is evident, as the goal has always been to manipulate the suffering of the Jews to justify the killing of Palestinians.

Unfortunately, such a practice has proven fruitful.

It may be difficult to understand, as Arabs are neither German nor Nazi. Moreover, the political scenario is entirely different as Israel has been the one playing the Nazi role, Israeli leaders as Hitler, and Palestinians as the victims of Hitler.

The answer is perplexing.

For decades Israel has succeeded, through the use of the western media, in presenting itself to the world as the victim, not the aggressor, and its "unfriendly" Arab neighbors are similar to the Jews' "unfriendly" European neighbors in the past.

It might be shocking to learn that Palestinians make the parallel between Nazi practices and Israel almost every day, in their chants, in the graffiti on their walls, in their media ..

That parallel was not an intellectual transgression in history, but a very well founded argument, as the Jewish racial supremacy which the "Jewish State" manifests is not much different from the purity of the Arian race Hitler once offered. In fact, Zionism, the ideology on which Israel was founded was recognized by the United Nations as a racist philosophy until United States' pressure managed to remove the indicting resoultion.

In the same manner, AIPAC used its Holocaust arugmeent in the past to justify Israel's genocide of Palestinians, Lebanese and Arabs throughout the years, American media is currently intensifying its propaganda war.

"The Holocaust Industry" has been in full use by the American television network. ABC in recent days aired the movie "Anne Frank" which narrates the story of a Jewish girl who hides with her family for over two years in German-occupied Amsterdam, hoping to flee the Nazi's wrath.

The tragic story ends with Anne's death after contracting a fatal disease weeks before the concentration camps, which hosted millions of people throughout Europe, were dismantled.

But why Anne Frank now, in a time when Israel is slaughtering Palestinians every day using American-made hi-tech weapons and F-16 warplanes?

On a political level, one can conclude that international condemnation of Israel's "war crimes" against Palestinians is an increasingly worrisome notion that is quickly eroding the myth that Israel is the victim (although it obtains nuclear weapons) and Palestinians are the oppressors (although they rely mainly on rock throwing in their resistance.)

Israel has already crossed every boundary that distinguishes a peaceful person from a cruel and barbaric criminal. The real tragedy is seeing ABC, a presumably respected American broadcasting company taking part in this manipulative strategy.

Anne Frank and any other child in this world, whether Jew or non-Jew deserves to be remembered for the suffering he or she has endured. But commemorating Anne Frank who died from typhus 60 years ago and failing to acknowledge the pain of Palestinian children who were murdered in cold blood by Israeli soldiers in the last a few months is the real cruelty, needless to say hypocrisy.

According to unconfirmed stories, Anne Frank's family hid for two years to escape the Nazi's punishment. But confirmed reports tell us that 2 million Palestinians have been living like hostages under Israel's military siege for eight months, and off-and-on for 34 years.

Where are ABC's talented directors, actors and million dollar productions to depict the Palestinian suffering which takes place every day?

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old Palestinian girl from the village of Dora, near Hebron was arrested by Israeli forces on February 28, 2001. Human rights reports say that Sanaâ Amr is being held in the worst conditions and is being treated very poorly while interrogated in her cell. Israel so far has failed to file any charges against the child, whose family knows nothing of her fate.

Would ABC, which persistently points at Palestinians as an equal partner in the ongoing violence report about Sanaâ? Will the Palestinian child's family be interviewed? Or will her diary be reviewed for a possible story for a future movie?

Inserting more and more Holocaust stories and documentaries throughout the American media while using words such as "terrorists" " and "mobs" to describe Palestinian youth, will not excuse the massacres committed against Palestinians by those who claim to be the descendents of Holocaust survivors.

Sharon's practices are much closer to Hitler's than Palestinian leaders can ever be. Moreover, Anne Frank is a story that Palestinians experience day and night. Palestinian children are killed while sleeping amongst their families and in their parents arms. 4-month-old Palestinian infant Iman Hejjo's body was shattered during the shelling of Khan Yunis refugee camp in Gaza days before Anne Frank movie was aired.

Failing to acknowledge such well reported facts and reaching for a 60-year-old diary of a Jewish girl at such a time is suspicious and a poor attempt to cleanse Israel's sins.

Many open-minded and courageous people are increasingly coming to the realization that racism and hatred are two main factors that Nazis and Zionists have in common.

But when will the US media ever wake up to see Hitler's eyes glowing in Sharon's face?

Will Americans ever see the legacy of the Nazis carried out in Israel's consentration camps, and Israel's murder and expulsion of Palestinians?

Why do most of us already know who Anne Frank is, but almost none of us know of Sanaâ Amr?

Maybe ABC can tell us why.

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