> > Dear Friends,
> The situation in Palestine is deteriorating from hour to hour, and
> this is only the beginning. Sharon's plan is re-occupy all the West
> Bank, and apparently kill Arafat, directly or with some other trick
> that we shall never know certainly what happened (the desicion was
> not to deport him because he can be
> dangerous outside...).
> > Prof.Lev Grinberg
> >
> > ISRAEL'S STATE TERRORISM
> >
> > By Lev Grinberg *
> > Director of the Humphrey Institute for Social
> > Research at Ben Gurion University
> >
> >     What is the difference between State terrorism
> > and individual terrorist acts? If we understand this difference
> > we'll understand also the evil
ness of the   US policies in the
> Middle East
> > and the forthcoming disasters. When Yassir Arafat was put
> > under siege in his offices and kept hostage by the Israeli
> occupation
> > forces, he was constantly pressed into condemning terror and
> > combatting terrorism.
> > Israel's Stateterrorism is defined by US officials
> > as "self-defense", while individual suicide bombers are called
> > terrorists.
> >
> >     The only 'small' difference is that Israeli aggression is the
> direct responsibility of Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, Shimon
> Peres and Shaul Mofaz, while the individual terrorist acts are done
> by individuals in despair, usually against Arafat's will. One hour
> after Arafat declared his support of a cease fire and wished the
> Jews a Happy Passover feast, a suicide bomber exploded himself in an
> hotel in Netanya, killing 22 innocent Jews celebrating
> > Passover.
Arafat was blamed as responsible for this act, and the
> present
> > IDF offensive has been justified through this accusation.
> >
> >     At the same time, Sharon's responsibility for Israeli war
> crimes is being completely ignored. Who should be arrested for the
> targeted killing of almost 100 Palestinians? Who will be sent to
> jail for the killing of more than 120 Palestinian paramedics? Who
> will be sentenced for the killing of more than 1,200 Palestinians
> and for the collective punishment of more than 3,000,000 civilians
> during the last 18 months?
> > And who will face the International Tribunal for the  illegal
> settlement of occupied Palestinian Lands, and the disobedience of UN
> decisions for more than 35 years?
> >
> >     Suicide bombs killing innocent citizens must be unequivocally
> condemned; they are immoral acts, and their perpetrators should be
> sent to jail. But they cannot be com
pared to State terrorism carried
> out by the Israeli Government. The former are individual acts of
> despair of a people that sees no future, vastly
> > ignored by an unfair and distorted international public opinion.
> The
> > latter are cold and "rational" decisions of a State and a military
>
> > apparatus of occupation, well equipped, financed and backed by
> > the only superpower in the world.
> >
> >     Yet in the public debate, State terrorism and individual
> suicide bombs are not even considered as comparable cases of
> terrorism. The State terror and war crimes perpetrated by the 
> Israeli Government are legitimized as "self-defense", while Arafat,
> even under siege, is demanded to arrest "terrorists."
> >
> >     I want to ask: Who will arrest Sharon, the person directly
> responsible for the orders to kill Palestinians?
> > When is he going to be defined a terrorist too? How long
will the
> world
> > ignore the Palestinian cry that all they want is freedom and
> independence? When will it stop neglecting the fact that the goal of
> the Israeli Government is not security, but the continued occupation
> and subjugation of the Palestinian people?
> >
> > As Israelis in the opposition, we are fighting against our
> government, but the international support that Sharon receives is
> constantly jeopardizing our struggle. The whole international public
> opinion must be reverted, and the UN must deploy intervention forces
> in order to stop the bloodshed and the imminent deterioration.
> > Israelis and Palestinians desperately need the awakening of the
> international community's public opinion and a reversal in the
> global attitude. These are needed both in order to save our lives
> (literally), and preserve our hope in a better future.
> >
>
> > * Dr. Lev Grinberg is a political socio
logist, and Director of the
> Humphrey Institute for Social Research at Ben Gurion University
> >