"You have begun eating your young:" A response to assault at Amona-Part I
"You have begun eating your young:" A response to assault at Amona-Part I
by Onnie Schiffmiller, An American Israeli, mother of two teen age children living in Israel.
These are comments on the assault, protests and violence that occurred at the outpost in Judea destroyed by Israeli police on orders of the Supreme Court and implemented by the interim government of acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The author is a talented American Israeli writer and parent of two teen age children, Onnie Schiffmiller. The response to Ms. Schiffmiller's comments by regular IsraPundit contributor, Jerry Gordon, on the disaster at Amona have been posted elsewhere on this weblog in Part II.
____________________________________________________________________
Hi Jerry,
I hope all is well with you.
All of us were horrified to watch the pictures coming out of Amona yesterday - horrified to see how much blood was spilled and the lack of discipline on the part of the police. Maybe if the foreign press was there, as it was in Gaza, behavior would have been better. However, as someone who firmly believes that we will live to regret the Gaza Disengagement, I don't think that the police are the only ones at fault.
1. As I write this response, one policeman still lies in serious condition as the result of a brick being thrown down on his head. Throwing bricks, puncturing tires, throwing glass bottles filled with paint is not civil disobedience - it is criminal behavior. If we are going to demand stiff punishments for Palestinians who throw stones (as we should) we cannot excuse the same behavior simply because the protesters are Jewish youth.
2. Knesset members Arye Eldad, Efi Eitam and Benny Elon, were injured in the violence. It was awful to turn on the news to see Efi Eitam's face covered in blood. No one has accused of them partaking in the violence and, while I do not think they should have been there, I do not for one minute believe that they deserved to suffer injuries. However, they are members of the Knesset and, knowing that the protests would be violent, should have stood with those protesting peacefully in different parts of the country - away from the violence. These children had been displaying acts of violence for days. No one expected the Amona evacuation to be peaceful. As members of the National Union Party which has consistently opposed evacuations, their presence gave tacit approval for the acts that ensued. They could have been more effective joining one of the many civil protests that sprang up throughout the country yesterday.
3. Where are the parents? Where are the teachers? Where are the rabbis? I cannot emphasize enough how proud I was to see Israeli youth forgoing days at the beach and days on the soccer fields to protest the Gaza Evacuation this past summer. Despite heat and great emotions, the majority of teenagers displayed compassion, dedication and dignity that inspired citizens on both sides of the issue. However, the teenagers in Amona have become increasingly violent. I know I'm stating the obvious but a brick thrown by a 13 year old inures just as much as one thrown by a 25 year old. What concerns me more about the children of Amona is the same thing that concerned me about the thousands of teenagers who flowed into Gaza from other parts of the country during the Evacuation itself - There are a lot of children in this country who are unsupervised because either their parents can't or don't want to set limits with them. "Go, do whatever you want. Just don't give the police your name if you get caught." We may want to hear it but it was a massage given to some of the children ultimately arrested in Gaza. Parents are either not taking responsibility for their children or are using them as pawns. I don't say this is true for all parents. But the increasing violence of protesters speaks to a problem much larger than the legitimacy of the settlements and/or their evacuations.
The same can be said of the increasingly radicalized fringe of rabbis and teachers who are sending a message, either directly or indirectly, that violent protest is acceptable. When did it become acceptable for Jewish youth to mask their faces and attack police and soldiers? We scream that Palestinian mothers, teachers, and imams don't care about their children because they let them put on masks and throw stones at armed soldiers. What do we say about Jewish mothers who allow the same behavior?
It appears that the police reverted to violence from the beginning and eliminated any chance for a peaceful resolution, but I think that the protesters were complicit in the violence that erupted yesterday.
I know we may not agree on this issue, but I look forward to your comments.
Shabbat Shalom,
Onnie
Posted by Jerry Gordon at February 3, 2006 05:03 AM
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"You have begun eating your young:" A response to assault at Amona-Part I
by Onnie Schiffmiller, An American Israeli, mother of two teen age children living in Israel.
These are comments on the assault, protests and violence that occurred at the outpost in Judea destroyed by Israeli police on orders of the Supreme Court and implemented by the interim government of acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The author is a talented American Israeli writer and parent of two teen age children, Onnie Schiffmiller. The response to Ms. Schiffmiller's comments by regular IsraPundit contributor, Jerry Gordon, on the disaster at Amona have been posted elsewhere on this weblog in Part II.
____________________________________________________________________
Hi Jerry,
I hope all is well with you.
All of us were horrified to watch the pictures coming out of Amona yesterday - horrified to see how much blood was spilled and the lack of discipline on the part of the police. Maybe if the foreign press was there, as it was in Gaza, behavior would have been better. However, as someone who firmly believes that we will live to regret the Gaza Disengagement, I don't think that the police are the only ones at fault.
1. As I write this response, one policeman still lies in serious condition as the result of a brick being thrown down on his head. Throwing bricks, puncturing tires, throwing glass bottles filled with paint is not civil disobedience - it is criminal behavior. If we are going to demand stiff punishments for Palestinians who throw stones (as we should) we cannot excuse the same behavior simply because the protesters are Jewish youth.
2. Knesset members Arye Eldad, Efi Eitam and Benny Elon, were injured in the violence. It was awful to turn on the news to see Efi Eitam's face covered in blood. No one has accused of them partaking in the violence and, while I do not think they should have been there, I do not for one minute believe that they deserved to suffer injuries. However, they are members of the Knesset and, knowing that the protests would be violent, should have stood with those protesting peacefully in different parts of the country - away from the violence. These children had been displaying acts of violence for days. No one expected the Amona evacuation to be peaceful. As members of the National Union Party which has consistently opposed evacuations, their presence gave tacit approval for the acts that ensued. They could have been more effective joining one of the many civil protests that sprang up throughout the country yesterday.
3. Where are the parents? Where are the teachers? Where are the rabbis? I cannot emphasize enough how proud I was to see Israeli youth forgoing days at the beach and days on the soccer fields to protest the Gaza Evacuation this past summer. Despite heat and great emotions, the majority of teenagers displayed compassion, dedication and dignity that inspired citizens on both sides of the issue. However, the teenagers in Amona have become increasingly violent. I know I'm stating the obvious but a brick thrown by a 13 year old inures just as much as one thrown by a 25 year old. What concerns me more about the children of Amona is the same thing that concerned me about the thousands of teenagers who flowed into Gaza from other parts of the country during the Evacuation itself - There are a lot of children in this country who are unsupervised because either their parents can't or don't want to set limits with them. "Go, do whatever you want. Just don't give the police your name if you get caught." We may want to hear it but it was a massage given to some of the children ultimately arrested in Gaza. Parents are either not taking responsibility for their children or are using them as pawns. I don't say this is true for all parents. But the increasing violence of protesters speaks to a problem much larger than the legitimacy of the settlements and/or their evacuations.
The same can be said of the increasingly radicalized fringe of rabbis and teachers who are sending a message, either directly or indirectly, that violent protest is acceptable. When did it become acceptable for Jewish youth to mask their faces and attack police and soldiers? We scream that Palestinian mothers, teachers, and imams don't care about their children because they let them put on masks and throw stones at armed soldiers. What do we say about Jewish mothers who allow the same behavior?
It appears that the police reverted to violence from the beginning and eliminated any chance for a peaceful resolution, but I think that the protesters were complicit in the violence that erupted yesterday.
I know we may not agree on this issue, but I look forward to your comments.
Shabbat Shalom,
Onnie
Posted by Jerry Gordon at February 3, 2006 05:03 AM