Let's Win Back Our Humanity
By Imraan Ahmed
03 June, 2014
Countercurrents.org
“As long as there is illegal occupation, there will be resistance and a fight for freedom”
As I sit here trying to determine if I'm angry, frustrated, heartbroken or just extremely, extremely sad I can't help but wonder: “Is humanity really evolving over time?” Are we learning from our past mistakes, taking accountability for our actions or looking at ourselves squarely in the mirror and asking “Is this the best version of me?” I am horrified by the events unfolding in Gaza and the broader Middle East region at the current time. Carnage endures all over this region and the thread that binds all of this madness together is the quest for Western Superpower…
As long as the world is driven by the West's ideals and values this sad reality we see in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt and everywhere else the Western world is invested will continue...Why can we not hold the United States, Israel and their allies to account for the wretched state they are leaving the countries of our brothers and sisters in. Iraq and Afghanistan are plagued with civil unrest and uprisings. So too Syria, Libya and Egypt and then we have Gaza. Poor little Gaza, of just under 2 million people trapped in an open-air prison, gasping for air, water, food and humanitarian aid…
The Western quest for power and empire has given us the worst of history's social ills including slavery, racism, colonization, military warfare and yes I will say it, even the HOLOCAUST. That undeniable suffering inflicted on a helpless people, (a people who should understand subjugation and dehumanization more than most) appears to spur those in power in Israel on to more evil rather than on working to eradicate and defeat it. I cannot understand that any Israeli Jew can display a human condition that allows them to oppress and de-humanise the very people that saved them from oppression. Surely this is as clear an example of the pure evil of humanity as can exist in the world today.
History will not remember our generation as characterising man's evolution into something great or something meaningful. How can it? Our modern world is perpetrating the same evil in the 21 st century that previous “less evolved” civilisations were guilty of in the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Except now we have made it easier to kill, exploit and destroy and we have figured out how to lie and brainwash citizens into suspended disbelief and inaction. Mind control, media propaganda and “war on terror” semantics have been added to the deadly arsenal of years gone by. I would venture to say that the addition of these 3 political weapons to the physical artillery have done much to make the current horrors even more despicable than that which came before
The rhetoric from Washington and the United Nations during the current conflict has been nothing short of disgusting. Yet we allow them to proclaim themselves as the "leaders of the free world" and the best example of the evolution of humankind. During the worst days of the current Gaza conflict, President Obama and most of Europe were more pre-occupied with restoring the Russian agenda than stopping the bloodshed in Gaza. President Obama currently defends Ukraine's right to "territorial integrity", sovereignty and the right to live peacefully with their neighbours. At the same time he fails to recognise the Palestinian's right to do the same.
How have we evolved if we still struggle with a basic tenet of Human Rights, that of learning to value every human life equally. Western ideologies and values have taken us many more steps backwards than anybody dares to admit and challenge. Capitalism, win at all costs, survival of the fittest is what our future leaders get taught not humanity, compassion and care. But we have to wake up. Fight, Boycott. Write. Petition. March in solidarity. Scream. Debate. STOP and regain our humanity before it is too late.
Today's events in Gaza made me hit my tipping point, realizing that a line had been crossed which I can no longer silently accept. The ungodly wielding of the propaganda machine, the mind control and the war on terror semantics on the day of the proposed 3 day humanitarian ceasefire made me realize how much we have regressed as a society. The insult to our intelligence by these political gun-slingers is something which no self-respecting human should silently bear. So I write this article, it is not entirely factual, and is very much driven by emotion but I hope to maybe get 1, 2, 10 or 100 people to just reflect on what exactly is going on behind the scenes of this ghastly conflict.
On propaganda, mind control and “War on terror” semantics…
Why does anyone trust John Kerry to negotiate a humanitarian ceasefire the day after his country authorizes a multi- million dollar arms and weapons deal for Israel. It's like he's blatantly standing there saying "brown people! go care for your wounded & bury your dead for 3 days until we load Israel up with weapons again, OK". Israel is blaming Hamas for not abiding by the ceasefire, does anyone consider how angry they would be if they saw the soldiers that massacred their people standing in front of them. By all accounts, Israeli soldiers are indoctrinated to be arrogant, cold and calculated yet we expect an oppressed fighter to show them restraint? To watch them smirk while they “continue with their defensive strategy during the ceasefire” whilst at the same time Hamas is asked by Kerry to lay down their weapons and stop defending themselves.
Surely we must ask whether this supposed breach of the ceasefire was perpetrated by a couple of blood-thirsty zealots if it even occurred at all. Is it even possible for Hamas or any other body to control each and every member of its resistance movement? This impossible feat was expected of Hamas in a country whose infrastructure has been crippled, lacking electricity and cell-phone reception. THE CARRIER PIGEONS WERE NEVER GOING TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS IN TIME ISRAEL, YOU ALWAYS KNEW THAT. How can the Western double standards ask us to castigate the fighters responsible for attacking a possibly arrogant, indoctrinated soldier from the army responsible for inflicting the most gruesome of crimes on their people, sisters, mothers and children…
On the day that Israel desperately needs an excuse to keep up the destruction, we hear that Hamas resorted to suicide bombings and kidnapping a soldier FOR THE FIRST TIME in this conflict...This is too convenient. This is propaganda. This is mind control. This is “war on terror” semantics at its worst. The engine is always running and they know exactly when to refuel. This deflection and sleight of hand caused the UN secretary-general, Ban-Ki-Moon to bellow from the hilltops for the unconditional release of ONE Israeli soldier (ALIVE) on the same day that ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY more palestinians are DEAD...
The United Nations should hang its head in shame for allowing the double standards and the lies, hypocrisy and war-mongering to continue under its watch…
Despite Hamas's denial that they broke the ceasefire and no independent evidence that the suicide mission occurred or that a soldier had indeed been captured, the world has already accepted that Hamas broke the truce. The words from Hamas's al quasam brigades:
"We have lost contact with the group of fighters that took part in the ambush and we believe they were all killed in the (Israeli) bombardment. Assuming that they managed to seize the soldier during combat, we assess that he was also killed in the incident," the statement said.
These words mean nothing without a powerful media propaganda machine backing it:
Obama, Kerry, Moon and Netanyahu, the so-called protectors of the Free world, the beacons of moral democracies proclaim guilt without a shred of evidence. It is almost as if each and every part of the ceasefire collapse was orchestrated and responses were prepared long in advance. This was done with full knowledge that the excuses Israel sought for continued violence could even be attained under the pretense of a “humanitarian ceasefire”.
It is no secret that the West views suicide bombing as the best rationale for its War on terror and terrorists. Couple this with the supposed capture of an Israeli soldier and voila Israel gets what it always wanted, with full support of the UN and USA. The capture of an Israeli soldier allows the implementation of the Israeli army's HANNIBAL Directive. I hope the irony of the name is not lost on you the reader as it implies “we will eat our own” if it means removing a soldier from an enemy's grasp. The Directive implies the following:
The Hannibal Directive ( Hebrew : ???? ?????? ? ) or “ Hannibal Procedure ” is a secret directive of the Israel Defense Forces with the purpose of preventing Israeli soldiers being captured by enemy forces in the course of combat.
The order, drawn up in 1986 by a group of top Israeli officers, states that at the time of a kidnapping the main mission becomes forcing the release of the abducted soldiers from their kidnappers, even if that means injury to Israeli soldiers.
The order allows commanders to take whatever action is necessary, including endangering the life of an abducted soldier, to foil the abduction, however it does not allow for a soldier to be killed in order to prevent his abduction, according to the IDF chief of staff, Benny Gantz
Yes people your eyes are not deceiving you, these are the policies of the most “moral army in the modern world” backed by the “leaders of the free world”. Is it any wonder then that such a complete lack of respect for the sanctity of human life has been shown by these very same people for the last 25 days and even further back since 1948.
It is almost as if Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu and Ban-ki Moon held a meeting or conference to decide what direction the propaganda machine would take around the ceasefire. The scenario I will depict below is entirely fictional but I urge you to consider that it may in fact very well have happened. I have seen too many examples of media spin-doctoring, biased reporting and deliberate attempts to brain wash the public (a la Sean Hannity of Fox News) to not believe that the scenario below is possible.
Benjamin: Ok, Mr. President and Mr. Secretary-general we need 4 things to continue the onslaught
• We need there to be no future talk of a truce or ceasefire with those barbarians
• We need to make it appear as if an Israeli Soldier has been captured so that we are able to do whatever it takes to finish them off and keep up the attack.
• We need to remind the world who the terrorists are and deflect attention from what we are doing
• We need to use our War on terror language to force the message, brainwash the public and inhibit people from asking questions.
Barack Obama: I'll call them barbaric and get my staff to do the same. We will also make it appear as if Hamas was using the ceasefire for their own agendas and not Israel.
Ban-ki-Moon – I'll keep shouting for the release of the ONE prisoner, so that the world is reminded of Israel's “legitimate reason” for continuing the violence. It will be good to deflect attention away from the UN Schools, the hospitals and mosques and the civilian casualties.
Barack Obama: Oh yes, one more thing: I recommend you use a suicide bomber as the ceasefire breaker. The American public hates suicide bombers and those words spark hatred and anger towards Hamas.
Now look at these well scripted and consistent thought out statements in the immediate aftermath of the breaking of the ceasefire:
Barack Obama:
Text:
US president Barack Obama blamed Hamas for the swift collapse of the latest Gaza ceasefire, accusing the Palestinian group of launching a "barbaric" attack.
Subtext
“they behave as if they are not human and are always to blame ” ONE OF THEM BROKE THE CEASEFIRE
White House spokesman Josh Earnest
TEXT
"Apparently, Hamas individuals used the cover of a humanitarian ceasefire to attack Israeli soldiers and even to take one hostage. That would be a rather barbaric violation of the ceasefire."
SUBTEXT
“Like the President said they are barbarians and they use dishonest methods” ONE OF THEM BROKE THE CEASEFIRE
Barack Obama:
Text:
“it would be "very hard" to get another truce in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas showed it was serious about laying down its arms and could be trusted to keep its word .
Subtext
“only the USA and our friend Israel can use weapons and warfare and we always keep our word” ONE OF THEM BROKE THE CEASEFIRE
Benjamin Netanyahu
TEXT
"Israel will take all necessary steps against those who call for its annihilation and terrorize its citizens, the Palestinians had blatantly breached the humanitarian ceasefire " and attacked Israeli soldiers”
Subtext
Israel will use its weapons and military and we have every right to , ONE OF THEM BROKE THE CEASEFIRE
The legitimate fight for freedom from oppression, for the lifting of the siege on Gaza and the West bank, will eventually triumph over the evil that is currently devastating it in the name of democracy and the free world. When that day comes, make sure that you are one of those who was mobilized from your inaction, who opened your eyes, raised your voice, spread the truth and played a part in liberating the world from its disgusting ways. Freedom for Palestine, Freedom for Humanity
Imraan Ahmed is a 30 year old South African working as an accountant but very concerned with world affairs, international politics and economics and social development.
Comments are moderated