This is a follow up to the previous post. Therefore, you should probably read that one first.
I first learned about the Gaza War a couple of months ago. Absurd, I know. I might have heard it mentioned in the news somewhere when it actually happened, but I'm sure it got caught up in the "War on Terror" category for media and I.
I went to a lecture organized by Sooners for Peace in Palestine on the OU campus. Norman Finkelstein was the speaker and the title of the lecture was "Relations between Israel and Palestine since 2008". He mainly spoke about the Gaza War though. Norman's pretty smart and informed, but he's also pretty biased, or "polarized" as some of my friends and family would say. If you have studied and experienced a certain topic for long enough, the facts will lead you to a conclusion. To say that someone is polarized does not delegitimize what they have to say, their point, or their person. If an elephant has a mouse stuck underneath his foot, you cannot stay neutral. To stay neutral would be cruel.
I do believe to have a good opinion, you have to educate yourself, and that is what I am trying to do, so don't you go throwing your fingers at me calling me a "radical liberal" or say I've "polarized" the issue.
Hahaha, just had to say it! I could, and have, gotten in arguments about this! (You know who you are :)
The whole Gaza War issue was brought to the forefront of my mind again when I saw a documentary last night, called Our Story. Part of the film focused on Operation Cast Lead. The fact that Israel targeted the civilian population as well as crushing the infrastructure shocked me. You could combat that saying that Hamas used human shields, thus resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians. Is that why they bombed schools, hospitals, and even USAID organizations (there was a joke that US taxpayers' dollars went to the destruction of US taxpayers' dollars). Is that why they sent white phosphorous shells spraying over the city? The footage looked like an upside down fireworks show -- instead of the bright lights shooting into the night sky, they were bursting open on the buildings.
Once again, I urge you to educate yourself. Don't just use websites -- both "sides" of the issue use propaganda and persuasive techniques and it's easy to guise an agenda with a well-intentioned name (especially the Zionist initiatives). If this subject doesn't interest you whatsoever, I urge you to educate yourself with something that pertains to your interests -- like what's going on in Syria, Libya, Bahrain; what's going on in the U.S. with the upcoming presidential elections; what's going on in your own family! I guess what I'm trying to say is don't turn a deaf ear to what's happening around you. Don't blindly accept what you're given. Seek and speak the truth.
Peace, Salaam, Shalom, I'm out!
-H
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