Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: The illusion of victory

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The illusion of victory
If Hamas is destroyed, a more radical group will replace it. Israel's 
security depends on wiser action
          o Daniel Barenboim
          o The Guardian, Thursday 1 January 2009
          o Article history
I have just three wishes for the coming year. The first is for the Israeli 
government to realise once and for all that the Middle East conflict cannot 
be solved by military means. The second is for Hamas to realise that its 
interests are not served by violence, and Israel is here to stay. And the 
third is for the world to acknowledge that this conflict is unlike any other 
in history. It is uniquely intricate and sensitive - a conflict between two 
peoples who are both deeply convinced of their right to live on the same 
very small piece of land. This is why neither diplomacy nor military action 
can resolve this conflict.
The developments of the last few days are extremely worrisome to me for 
reasons of humane and political natures. While it is self-evident that 
Israel has the right to defend itself, that it cannot and should not 
tolerate missile attacks on its citizens, its army's relentless and brutal 
bombardment of Gaza has raised a few important questions in my mind.
The first question is if Israel's government has the right to make all 
Palestinians culpable for the actions of Hamas. Is the entire population of 
Gaza to be held responsible for the sins of a terrorist organisation? We, 
the Jewish people, should know and feel even more acutely than other 
populations that the murder of innocent civilians is inhumane and 
unacceptable. The Israeli military has very weakly argued that the Gaza 
Strip is so overpopulated it is impossible to avoid civilian deaths during 
operations.
The feebleness of this argument leads to my next questions: if civilian 
deaths are unavoidable, what is the purpose of the bombardment? What, if 
any, is the logic behind the violence, and what does Israel hope to achieve 
through it? If the aim is to destroy Hamas then the most important question 
to ask is whether this is attainable. If not, then the whole attack is not 
only cruel, barbaric and reprehensible, it is senseless.
If, on the other hand, it really is possible to destroy Hamas through 
military operations, how does Israel envisage the reaction in Gaza once this 
has been accomplished? One and a half million Gaza residents will not 
suddenly go down on their knees in reverence for the power of the Israeli 
army. We must not forget that before Hamas was elected by the Palestinians, 
it was encouraged by Israel as a tactic to weaken Yasser Arafat. Israel's 
recent history leads me to believe that if Hamas is bombed out of existence, 
another group will most certainly take its place, a group that would be more 
radical, more violent, and more full of hatred towards Israel.
Israel cannot afford a military defeat for fear of disappearing from the 
map, yet history has proved that every military victory has left Israel in a 
weaker political position because of the emergence of radical groups. I do 
not underestimate the difficulty of the decisions the Israeli government 
must make every day, nor do I underestimate the importance of Israel's 
security. Nevertheless, I stand behind my conviction that the only truly 
viable plan for long-term security is to gain the acceptance of all our 
neighbours. I wish for a return in the year 2009 of the famous intelligence 
always ascribed to the Jews. I wish for a return of King Solomon's wisdom to 
Israel's decision-makers that they might use it to understand that 
Palestinians and Israelis have equal human rights.
Palestinian violence torments Israelis and does not serve the Palestinian 
cause; Israeli retaliation is inhuman, immoral, and does not guarantee 
security. The destinies of the two peoples are inextricably linked, obliging 
them to live side by side. They have to decide if they want to make of this 
a blessing or a curse.
. Daniel Barenboim is a pianist and conductor, and a UN messenger of peace 
danielbarenboim.com
 

 security depends on wiser action
beh non ci vuole un genio per sapere che nessun movimento politico è stato 
distrutto con le bombe 

eliomassimi ha scritto:
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Non dice questo, minchiazz.
Dice che gli unici gruppi che i palestinesi sono disposti a sostenere, 
sia nella buona che nella cattiva fortuna, sono gruppi radicali dedicati 
alla guerra totale e finale con Israele.
Non una grande premessa di pace. Ma in effetti una lettura abbastanza 
realistica della storia per come è effettivamente stata fino ad ora.
Tb

 ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:gjjgc7$vol$1...@news.motzarella.org...
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 radical, more violent, and more full of hatred towards Israel."
è duro di comprendonio...

outis ha scritto:
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Grazie della esatta citazione.
Tb

 ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:gjjjqe$9kd$2...@news.motzarella.org...
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Non c'è di che. Quando posso dare una mano...