Ray Hanania's Syndicated Columns

BONUS COLUMN WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7, 2004

PALESTINIANS MUST AND ARE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAELIS

BY RAY HANANIA

Recently, more and more Israeli military officers, rank and file have stood up and spoken out against the violence against Palestinians by the Israeli military in the Occupied Territories.

I have also read several commentaries from Israelis who are asking why there is no equivalent voice among Palestinians denouncing violence against Israelis.

There are many Palestinians in leadership position and otherwise who have and continue to speak out against the violence against Israelis without turning those denunciations into political statements. But the real question is, why isn’t anyone listening?

The rising number of Israelis who have the courage to speak out against violence against Palestinian civilians is encouraging. And I agree that similar Palestinian voices need to be more vocal and increase in numbers.

Recently, Eitan Ronel, a retired lieutenant colonel, returned his rank insignia to the chief of staff in protest of the violence and the IDF's conduct in the occupied territories.

His indignation followed similar protests from reserve pilots, the Sayeret Matkal, the four Shin Bet chiefs and the former head of the Mossad, all military sources who have joined a chorus of protests from Israeli civilian organizations such as B'tselem and Gush Shalom.

Why haven’t we been reading about Palestinians who have spoken out similarly?

In a way, it is slightly easier for Israelis who do not face the day-to-day challenges of military occupation and who have a State to speak out against the violence, although that is not an excuse for Palestinians not doing so themselves.

Many Palestinians who have been or are in leadership positions, including myself, have spoken out and continue to speak out against the violence against Israelis. But who is listening?

In 1995, while serving as the National President of the Palestinian American Congress, I organized press conferences with leaders of the American Jewish community to stand with them, side by side, to denounce Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis.

That was in addition to, not an expansion on statements I have released denouncing Israeli violence against Palestinians.

Certainly my actions drew criticism from some segments of the Palestinian community, mainly from supporters of Hamas who denounced me and called for my expulsion as national president. I am not saying the pressure and criticism was not there. But it did not discourage me.

The following year, The New York Times published a strong letter I wrote denouncing Palestinian violence. It was but one of a dozen and the only one published.

In subsequent years, I’ve authored columns strongly condemning without equivocation, Palestinian violence against Israelis.

And this past year, I joined a dozen Palestinian leaders around the United States and in the Occupied Territories to launch Yalla Salam!, or "Palestinians for Peace Now." Yalla Salam! is modeled after the Israeli organization, Peace Now, which was founded many years ago by Israeli reserve officers and remains as an inspiration to me and other Palestinians.

These efforts are out there and can be seen, if Israelis will look.

Certainly, if we want to find reasons to ignore them, we can. I don't believe there is one Palestinian or Israeli who has not said something publicly or privately about the other that should not be regretted. I know I have and have expressed regret.

But, as Palestinians and Israelis, and as moderates who seek peace, compromise and justice, we must support each other, work together and struggle to identify the good in each other rather than always seeking the bad.

It’s easy to denounce the violence of the other side. But it takes great courage to stand-up in your own community to denounce the violence that originates from your own people.

While it may take courage, it also takes a moral strength. I am encouraged to see that moral strength not only represented among many in Israeli society whom we see and hear from. But I remain encouraged that among Palestinian society, where voices are often muted or ignored, Palestinians are speaking out and joining an outrage against violence that is moral, not political.

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To find out more about Ray Hanania, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. (Bonus columns are not posted to the Creators web site)

(Ray Hanania is a Palestinian-American author. Reach him by e-mail at rayhanania@aol.com. He is the winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Lisagor Award for Column Writing. His columns are archived at www.hanania.com)

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