Sharon’s Legacy

I think Sharon is being punished with coma, by God, for dividing holy land and His people.

The Israel/Palestine problem is not complicated: we have an occupying power (Israel) and an occupied people (Palestinians), and a huge disparity of power and control between the two, all within the context of International Law, and the UN which has already decided upon the solution (see http://israel.rationalreality.com). If the occupying power desires peace, it can be readily achieved, given its dominant position. So why has peace not become a reality in almost half a century?

In the 1950s C. Wright Mills wrote about the Military Metaphysic- the military definition of reality deeply espoused by the US elite. Why the Israel/Palestine problem will not get resolved and has not been solved so far can be understood, in my opinion, in light of what Mills wrote:

``The expectation of war solves many problems of the ’crackpot realists’; it also confronts them with many new problems. Yet these, the problems of war, often seem easier (for them) to handle, (compared) to political policies that are distasteful to many politicians...The terms of their long term solutions, under conditions of peace, are hard for the capitalist elite to face.`` (Page, 87, Causes of World War III)

What is distasteful to the US and Israeli elite, is peace in the Middle East, and the resulting effect that might have on regional development in the Arab world and US hegemony in a resource rich region. In their uneasy alliance with corporations, whose leadership positions they normally hold when they are not posing as politicians, the Neo-Cons in the US (Israel’s strong supporters) have found dual fulfillment of purpose. The terms of the ``long term solution`` to the ``Palestinian problem`` are what they do not want to face. If that can be avoided, any ``practical problems`` that a new war or a new Intifadah might bring are easier for them to handle. In all such alliances to further power and wealth, human suffering and misery become at best, background noise justified by moral symbols, unconnected events (like the holocaust), media distractions, and stage management. The US and Israel together (and not only Israel), are to blame for the lack of peace and development in the Arab world.

I do not think that peace in the Middle East will ever become a reality as long as US hegemony in the current world system continues to exist. Even if (in an imaginary scenario) the Palestinians voluntarily leave the West Bank and Gaza and hand it over to Israel on a silver platter, Israel will invent a new war in that region, in tune with the desires of the US elite. There will still be no peace.

For example, let`s get a quick history lesson: tolerance is not nurtured or revealed by driving out 700,000 inhabitants from thier land as the Israeli`s did by force of arms in 1948, when they had numerical superiority in the battlefield contrary to the mythological picture of a tiny Israel confronting the Arab Goliath, or by attacking Egypt as they did in 1956 or by preemptively attacking the Arabs in 1967 or by destroying Iraq`s nuclear reactor in 1981 or by invading Lebanon as they did in 1982 or by pushing for the Iraq war like they did in 1991 and 2003 or by imprisoning the occupied Palestinians in a maze of walls and checkpoints like they have been since 1967; over 60% of the Palestinians in the occupied territories live in extreme poverty directly caused by Israeli action, according to all major human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International etc.

Peace is possible only if the current world system with its structure of power and manipulation is altered to one that places humanity and its well being before wealth, resources and profits. Peace, working within the current system, dominated by the US power elite, is impossible to achieve. History bears witness to the fact that regardless of the face or political label of the person in power, or the terminology used for the various ``peace plans``, there has been no peace in Palestine and no end to the Israeli occupation.

That said, Kulharee is talking nonsense. He is justifying the imprisonment of millions of Palestinians in the world`s larges country wide prisons, Gaza and the West Bank where over 60% of the population lives in poverty directly as a result of the crimes of people like Sharon, who by the way was implicated for the Sabra and Shatila massacre of civilians; The Israeli Government`s appointed Kahane Commission (February 8, 1983) stated, ``We have found, as has been detailed in this report, that the Minister of Defense (Ariel Sharon) bears personal responsibility.``

#17 by Urstruly on January 12, 2006 10:05am PT


I think Sharon is being punished with coma, by God, for dividing holy land and His people.


He`s 77 and 350+ pounds...The fact that he`s lived this long would suggest g_d kept him alive to do what he`s doing....

#19 by arjun_m

I suggest that you reconsider because the statement in my post is not mine it is your pitaji Pandit Pat Robertson`s statement. In other words, Shri Pat is saying that since Sharon had stopped doing what he is good at, like butchering helpless people, therefore God has punished him with coma.

Yeah God is busy lately, he stampeded some 350 Hajis today in Mekka. I heard that Jews didn’t show up for work.

#19, arjun {``He`s 77 and 350+ pounds...The fact that he`s lived this long would suggest g_d kept him alive to do what he`s doing.... ``}

Oh Yeah!
The professore lavatore from Bronx is almost 50 and 200+ pounds. Just give her time - she will outweigh Sharon pretty soon.

excellent analysis. having said, that i think muslims spend far too much time doing matum over the antics over people like sharon and his sugar daddy: bush. these two were not the first non-muslims to take advantage of muslim impotence and in-fighting and they wont be the last. if us muslims want to be masters of our own destiny as our forefathers were for most of islamic history, we will have to put our own house in order. begging non-muslims to show compassion wont get us anywhere cause that’s not the way world works. plus its allah kee shan may gustakhi to do bheek mangna besides being a sorry and a pathetic spectacle.

to put our own house in order, we must do the following:

i. devise ways of providing justice to awam. a content ummah is the base needed for security and indeed for everything else. note: justice does not mean equality.

ii. direct our energies to build economic strength. this is important to provide a dignified living to muslims. also is a pre-requisite for military strength because deterrence is the best defense

iii. cooperate cause as the cliché goes chain is strongest as the weakest link.

there you have it.

The wholesale terror that the Israelis and their Lebanese protégés, the Phalange, unleashed on hapless Palestinians made Sharon a hate-figure forever for the Arabs in particular, and Muslims in general.


And yet the paki army gets a pass for killing a whole lot more muslims....

#20 by Urstruly on January 12, 2006 12:30pm PT


since Sharon had stopped doing what he is good at, like butchering helpless people


Sharon stopped killing muslim women and children using helicopter gunships and fighters?

damn..he must be really sick.....

It must be no consolation that the killing of the helpless people is being done using your tax monies...Your ISP probably charges you a tax, part of which is used in this killing...

Arjun… Excellent point. That’s the beauty of having one’s head firmly placed inside one’s Islamabad. I sometimes wonder, how are they even able to see anything?

Palestinians are lucky to live in a civilized country like Israel. Just imagine what would happen if they had lived in an arab country and had a dispute over land and nationalism?

Not even a single one would be alive today. They would be dealt with like the pakis dealt with the bangladeshis (1M+ dead) or the darfur situation (200,000 dead and its not over).

Let us not fool each other with long words borrowed from western liberals. The reason people like Sharon became prominent in israel is the violence visited on the country. Minus that other figures would have ridden to prominence. That is how democratic countries work. But thats hard to understand for most people with no experience of democratic life.

As an Indian I have conflicted feelings about the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On one hand, I sympathise with the Israelis for being the victims of jihadi violence, just as we Indians are. I admire the Israelis for their accomplishments, their ruthless tactics, their fierce response to terror and their ability to take on the entire muslim world.

At the same time, ideologically I am on the side of the Palestinians. The Palestinians have always called for a secular state while Israelis want a religious state for jews. In that sense, Israel`s basic ideology is no different from Two Nation Theory, except that Israel has actually made it work and is a true homeland for jews. If I support Israel`s ideology, I cannot oppose Pakistan on the basis of TNT.

Also, the Palestinian people have truly been wronged. They were thrown out of their homes and lands for no fault of theirs except for ethnicity/religion, they have very little to call their own and they are not accepted as equal citizens. They have lost international support mainly because of their embrace of absurd suicidal tactics.

And what drama he created by actually POSING that televised pull-out! All that wailing and abusing by the settlers was all posed for the western media.

``Palestinians are lucky to live in a civilized country like Israel.``

Yup... they could`ve been living in India!

The PLO and Israel were at war and war leads to pain and death. However, there are certain international rules of engagements. If these are violated, charges of `war crimes` can be laid. For example, such charges have been laid on various `netas` of erstwhile Yugoslovia. Sharon`s crimes in Sabra and Shatilla make him (at the least) a `war criminal`. I hope the guy does not die.....I hope he is tried first by an international court (as mentioned in the article he has already been mildly convicted by an Israeli court).

Israel today is sharply divided. Many Israelis would have no problem with this article, their views would be congruent. Equally many would have orthogonal views. What is interesting is the growing number of zionist supporters in the sub-continent, more in India than in Pakistan. I believe it is because of youth. Today, the misery of the Palestinians is no longer news, their secular movement is no longer in focus, their misery as refugees (in Arab countries) is hardly mentioned, individual Palestinian successes inspite of adverse situations in academia, business etc. are not highlighted. The corrupt and clueless Palestinian leadership is also to blame (I do not mention Arab leadership because these are nincompoops anyways). Finally, the present Indian govt.`s lukewarm relationship with Palestine saddens me.

#30 Mantolives

Yup, you are absolutely correct. Certainly, had palestinians been living in india, they would have been treated much better than:


(1) Turks have treated armenians and kurds
(2) Saddam treated Shia and Kurdish sub-nations
(3) Pakistan`s violence and mass murder against bengalis
(4) Saudi discrimination and suppression of indigenous shia`s

You think your comments are funny, actually they reflect a sad reality.

Israel is no heaven, sharon was an opportunist who did well during a long crisis period, BUT palestinians would have treated MUCH worse in an arab or other authoritarian muslim nation.