16 August 2005 (Tuesday)
make it stop
From Ha'aretz
One police officer was wounded when settlers threw acid in his eyes. The officer began shouting, "I can't see!" Rioters sprayed another policeman with gas and he suffered from burns on his back.Youths also assaulted senior officers and journalists present at the scene, destroying a camera of a Reuters photographer, throwing paint and cleaning fluids at an army colonel, and breaking the glasses of another journalist. Two settlers were also lightly wounded during in the clashes.
It seems that the these clashes sprung up when zealous teenagers (many of whom are not actual residents of Gush Katif) prevented the entry of empty shipping containers. The army and police had negotiated with leaders of the community to allow the passage of these shipping containers, which were being trucked in for use by other families who wished to leave voluntarily. The rioting teenagers acted of their own accord.
Okay, kids, let's get a few things straight. You say: Jews don't expel Jews. Great. I say: Jews don't prevent Jews from living where they want, including moving from one home to another, if that is their choice. Furthermore, Jews don't throw acid into the eyes of Israeli police officers. Or, y'know, anyone, for that matter.
Before you teach your children about political protest, you need to teach them a little bit about basic respect.
Kfar Darom leaders said Thursday night that media reports of youth throwing acid on policemen were totally incorrect. They said the expulsion opponents threw oil and paint at Kfar Darom and that no one was injured, despite media claims that policemen suffered burns...
Yaakov - First, numerous news outlets have reported and continue to report protestors attacking soldiors and police officers with paint, oil, cleaning fluids, water bottles, watermelons, eggs, and "caustic liquids." (Technically speaking, something caustic is a base, not an acid, so I'll retract the acid comment. Still hurts, though.) Second, even if "only" oil and paint were thrown, that doesn't make it OK. Both of those substances can be dangerous to certain parts of the body, and furthermore can cause serious accidents leading to greater phsyical harm to all parties involved.
Finally, most of the violence (as this is) has been perpetrated by "shipped in" demonstrators, not the actual settlers being displaced. In fact, most settlers have limited themselves to verbal confrontation and passive resistance (refusing to pack, insisting on being carried out of their homes). Furthermore, many of these settlers have been requesting that the teen and young adult protestors not act violently. I have far less tolerance for these potentially injurious acts when they are being committed by "outsiders" against the will of the people on whose behalf they claim to be fighting.
