See also Eyewitness to Ramallah Lynching by Palestinians
Special Dispatch - Israel
October 17, 2000
No. 140
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Israeli Journalist on the Ramallah Lynchings
The brutal October 11, 2000 murder of two Israeli soldiers, and the mutilation of their bodies by a Palestinian mob, caused a great deal of anguish in Israel. On October 13, 2000, Ron Mayberg a leading journalist, and a central voice in the Israeli peace camp - published the following article, entitled "We Shall Not Forget, We Shall Not Forgive," in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv expressing his fury with the Palestinian actions.
"Human dignity has been a missing element in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its beginning. From the moment enemy casualties are laying on the ground, one is duty-bound to treat them under an obligation to the only quality that separates us from the animals: you shall not mutilate corpses; you shall not drag them around your city squares; you shall not unleash your rage on them; it is your duty and obligation to give them a proper and dignified burial."
"Following the effective and damaging utilization of the shocking and unnecessary death of [the Palestinian boy] Muhammad Al-Dora for propaganda purposes, the Palestinians stripped off the mask used to conceal their true faces since the beginning of the Oslo Accords. The lynching of the two Israeli soldiers [whose only fault was to take] a wrong turn, displayed in the most horrific, infuriating and obtuse fashion, in an animalistic and debased form, reminded us of those days when Israeli leaders used to call [the Palestinians] 'two-legged animals' and Arafat 'the man with hair on his face.'"
"Up until [the time of] that inhuman lynch mob, the media was discussing the Israeli Left's confusion, lack of direction, stuttering, and helplessness. For the most part, the Israeli Left is made of graduates of elite military units and reserve army officers. Other activists are battle-tired. For a moment that could last forever, the splits joined together into a single Israeli entity: vengeful, soul-sprained, void of a partner, and whose heart was not mourning the harsh IDF reactions."
"The mob lynch in Ramallah will go into the pages of history as a turning point in the current conflict, and as an irremovable stain on the entire peace process. Our counterparts were exposed in their fullest murderous ugliness and set the process back to the days of [the PLO terror attacks in] Munich and Avivim. They left us traumatized, fist-clenched and apprehensive, awaiting [Hamas leader] Muhammad Dif's1 bombs to go off in our town centers."
"For those who were wondering how we could erase the shame of those images of the dead child, this job was taken care of by others. It would be best if Israel forever guarded those images of the mutilated soldiers.We will never forget or forgive that which the Palestinians did to us yesterday. The state of Israel was established so that we will no longer have to witness Jewish corpses desecrated."
Endnotes:
1 Muhammad Dif is responsible for 1996 suicide attacks which killed dozens of Israelis. He was recently released from jail by the PA.
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