From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Thu Aug 15 2002 - 00:11:03 MDT
On 14 Aug 2002 at 17:55, Archibald Scatflinger wrote:
The radical Islamic Palestinians hope and pray to Allah that their
adversary is hamstrung by just such ethics, which they themselves
ignore, with their deity's blessing.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jon Marshall" <jmarshal@OL.COM.AU>
> To: <CYBERMIND@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 4:26 PM
> Subject: [Fwd: The ethics of revenge - by a father who lost his son to
> terror]
>
>
> > In a world were it seems clear that the governments of the US,
> > Britain and Australia are itching to bomb people in Iraq for no
> > particular reason other than it is there. I found this moving. I've
> > no idea of course whether its genuine, but there is some hope
> > perhaps.
> >
> > jon
> >
> > shniad@sfu.ca wrote:
> > >
> > > The ethics of revenge - by a father who lost his son to terror
> > >
> > > A speech made by Yitzhak Frankenthal, Chairman of the Families
> > > Forum, at
> a
> > > rally in Jerusalem on Saturday, July 27, 2002, outside the Prime
> Minister's
> > > residence.
> > >
> > > My beloved son Arik, my own flesh and blood, was murdered by
> Palestinians.
> > > My tall blue-eyed golden-haired son who was always smiling with
> > > the innocence of a child and the understanding of an adult. My
> > > son. If to
> hit
> > > his killers, innocent Palestinian children and other civilians
> > > would
> have to
> > > be killed, I would ask the security forces to wait for another
> opportunity.
> > > If the security forces were to kill innocent Palestinians as well,
> > > I
> would
> > > tell them they were no better than my son's killers.
> > >
> > > My beloved son Arik was murdered by a Palestinian. Should the
> > > security forces have information of this murderer's whereabouts,
> > > and should it
> turn
> > > out that he was surrounded by innocent children and other
> > > Palestinian civilians, then - even if the security forces knew
> > > that the killer was planning another murderous attack that was to
> > > be launched within hours
> and
> > > they now had the choice of curbing a terror attack that would kill
> innocent
> > > Israeli civilians but at the cost of hitting innocent
> > > Palestinians, I
> would
> > > tell the security forces not to seek revenge but to try to avoid
> > > and
> prevent
> > > the death of innocent civilians, be they Israelis or Palestinians.
> > >
> > > I would rather have the finger that pushes the trigger or the
> > > button
> that
> > > drops the bomb tremble before it kills my son's murderer, than for
> innocent
> > > civilians to be killed. I would say to the security forces: do not
> > > kill
> the
> > > killer. Rather, bring him before an Israeli court. You are not the
> > > judiciary. Your only motivation should not be vengeance, but the
> prevention
> > > of any injury to innocent civilians.
> > >
> > > Ethics are not black and white - they are all white. Ethics have
> > > to be
> free
> > > of vengefulness and rashness. Every act must be carefully weighed
> > > before
> a
> > > decision is made to see whether it meets the strict ethical
> > > criteria.
> Ethics
> > > cannot be left to the discretion of anyone who is frivolous or
> > > trigger-happy. Our ethics are hanging by a thread, at the mercy of
> > > every soldier and politician. I am not at all sure that I am
> > > willing to
> delegate
> > > my ethics to them.
> > >
> > > It is unethical to kill innocent Israeli or Palestinian women and
> children.
> > > It is also unethical to control another nation and to lead it to
> > > lose
> its
> > > humaneness. It is patently unethical to drop a bomb that kills
> > > innocent Palestinians. It is blatantly unethical to wreak
> > > vengeance upon innocent bystanders. It is, on the other hand,
> > > supremely ethical to prevent the
> death
> > > of any human being. But if such prevention causes the futile death
> > > of others, the ethical foundation for such prevention is lost.
> > >
> > > A nation that cannot draw the line is doomed to eventually apply
> unethical
> > > measures against its own people. The worst in my mind is not what
> > > has already happened but what I am sure one day will. And it will
> > > - because ethics are now being twisted and the political and
> > > military leadership
> does
> > > not even have the most basic integrity to say: "we are sorry".
> > >
> > > We lost sight of our ethics long before the suicide bombings. The
> breaking
> > > point was when we started to control another nation. My son Arik
> > > was
> born
> > > into a democracy with a chance for a decent, settled life. Arik's
> > > killer
> was
> > > born into an appalling occupation, into an ethical chaos. Had my
> > > son
> been
> > > born in his stead, he may have ended up doing the same. Had I
> > > myself
> been
> > > born into the political and ethical chaos that is the
> > > Palestinians'
> daily
> > > reality, I would certainly have tried to kill and hurt the
> > > occupier; had
> I
> > > not, I would have betrayed my essence as a free man. Let all the
> > > self-righteous who speak of ruthless Palestinian murderers take a
> > > hard
> look
> > > in the mirror and ask themselves what they would have done had
> > > they been
> the
> > > ones living under occupation. I can say for myself that I, Yitzhak
> > > Frankenthal, would have undoubtedly become a freedom fighter and
> > > would
> have
> > > killed as many on the other side as I possibly could. It is this
> depraved
> > > hypocrisy that pushes the Palestinians to fight us relentlessly.
> > > Our
> double
> > > standard that allows us to boast the highest military ethics,
> > > while the
> same
> > > military slays innocent children. This lack of ethics is bound to
> corrupt
> > > us.
> > >
> > > My son Arik was murdered when he was a soldier by Palestinian
> > > fighters
> who
> > > believed in the ethical basis of their struggle against the
> > > occupation.
> My
> > > son Arik was not murdered because he was Jewish but because he is
> > > part
> of
> > > the nation that occupies the territory of another.
> > >
> > > I know these are concepts that are unpalatable, but I must voice
> > > them
> loud
> > > and clear, because they come from my heart - the heart of a father
> > > whose
> son
> > > did not get to live because his people were blinded with power. As
> > > much
> as I
> > > would like to do so, I cannot say that the Palestinians are to
> > > blame for
> my
> > > son's death. That would be the easy way out, but it is we,
> > > Israelis, who
> are
> > > to blame because of the occupation. Anyone who refuses to heed
> > > this
> awful
> > > truth will eventually lead to our destruction.
> > >
> > > The Palestinians cannot drive us away - they have long
> > > acknowledged our existence. They have been ready to make peace
> > > with us; it is we who are unwilling to make peace with them. It is
> > > we who insist on maintaining
> our
> > > control over them; it is we who escalate the situation in the
> > > region and feed the cycle of bloodshed. I regret to say it, but
> > > the blame is
> entirely
> > > ours.
> > >
> > > I do not mean to absolve the Palestinians and by no means justify
> attacks
> > > against Israeli civilians. No attack against civilians can be
> > > condoned.
> But
> > > as an occupation force it is we who trample over human dignity, it
> > > is we
> who
> > > crush the liberty of Palestinians and it is we who push an entire
> > > nation
> to
> > > crazy acts of despair. Finally, I call on my brothers and sisters
> > > in the settlements - see what we have come to.
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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>
>
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