Israeli military tactics--shooting at areas above the stomach, inflicting eye injuries and blocking hospitals in occupied East Jerusalem--have been condemned by respected international human rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights and Israeli human rights groups such as B'tselem, Gush Shalom and Rabbis for Human Rights. These human rights groups have no political motive to attack Israel. They simply report the truth, and the truth is ugly when it comes to Israel's illegally sanctioned violation of human rights, which led to the United Nations' condemnation.

Why is it that the Jewish community on this campus and in the U.S. is turning a blind eye to these injustices? Why is it that the Jewish community equates children throwing stones to soldiers in attack helicopters, tanks and heavy artillery? Palestinians have been dehumanized by the state of Israel, and they are fighting for their dignity. I have never heard of 12 and 23-year-olds standing in front IDF war machines for the sake of violence. Nobody would do so unless they knew their fight concerned something especially significant. They are fighting for the Palestinian right to exist, its right to defend itself and its citizens, and right to live free from fear.

If Hillel could add that to its statement, then I would no longer have a disagreement with them.

Mohammad Katranji

Oct. 18, 2000

The writer is a student at the Harvard Extension School.

HSI Not Anti-Palestine