(Your Voice in a World where Zionism, Steel, and Fire have turned Justice Mute)
Rachel Corrie Lights the Way to the World
by Nabila Harb\ FAV co-Editor
Now that the shameful U.S./British invasion of Iraq is underway, it is vital that the people of the United States, its supposed 'allies' in this crime against humanity and the entire world refuse to acknowledge the U.S. war as a 'fait accompli' and instead act unequivocally and immediately to halt these aggressions. Calling it an operation to 'disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger,' Bush once more attempted to convince a world that had rejected his definitions and his proposals to accept his fantasy vision of war. The idea that this war is nothing more than a 'surgical strike' against Saddam Hussein personally rather than a war against Iraq is utter rubbish, of course, and even if that were the case, the proposed assassination of a world leader constitutes the crime of murder, apart from being in contravention of a host of international laws. In this context, it is ironic to note that it was the United States itself that condemned Iran in 1984 for seeking to eliminate the same leader, Saddam Hussein, declaring that 'for one nation to target the President of another would be inconsistent with accepted norms of behaviour among nations.' (This, incidentally, was when Donald Rumsfeld was the U.S. envoy to Iraq.)
In any case, one has seen the results of U.S. 'surgical strikes' as well as Zionist 'surgical strikes' too often to be misled by the ridiculous medical analogy. A surgical strike in military terms involves the dropping of bombs on civilians and the aim of obliterating the target of the 'strike' whatever the cost in what is called 'collateral damage'. 'Collateral damage' usually means the death of mothers, sisters, old people, children, livestock, homes and property as well as the possible murder of the target or his/her alleged associates or supporters.
The U.N. made the ultimate fatal error that allowed the invasion of Iraq to begin. It did refuse to endorse an American invasion of Iraq and it was this refusal that made the real 'axis of evil' in the form of the U.S./United Kingdom/Spain forego the proposed U.N. vote on the war. On the other hand, by pulling the U.N. inspectors out of Iraq, the U.N. basically gave a 'green light' to the United States for its invasion. If the U.N. had any backbone or courage, it not only would have kept the inspectors in Iraq but would mobilise a temporary international 'peace-keeping force' purely and simply to keep the peace by preventing any U.S. invasion from taking place. True opposition to the invasion of Iraq has to be concrete and effective. By withdrawing the inspectors from Iraq, the United Nations capitulated to American pressure. By bringing the 'Oil for Food' programme to a halt, the U.N. effectively abandoned the Iraqi people in every practical sense as well as failing to deliver food for which Iraq actually paid in advance.
One is aware of the dangers of being a 'human shield' against the forces of injustice and aggression. An American citizen, Rachel Corrie, with the highest and noblest motivations, sought to prevent Zionist slaughter and terrorism towards the Palestinian people and was blatantly murdered by the Zionists. Indeed, when the U.S. issued declarations to its citizens not only to leave Iraq, but to leave Zionist-Occupied Palestine as well, it was obvious that the U.S. was warning its citizens of the probable consequences of any attempt to stand in the way of U.S. or Zionist murderous aims. Human shields, whatever their citizenship and however peaceful their actions, will be murdered by the U.S. and the Zionists, whenever they stand in the way.
Is this a reason for individuals to flee from Iraq and Occupied Palestine? On the contrary, it is a compelling reason for massive support for Iraq and Palestine in the form of international human shields. One must not be intimidated or threatened into acquiescence of the murderous programme either against Iraq or the Palestinian people. Rachel Corrie is a shining example of an individual who showed herself willing to defend the cause of Palestinian justice, WHATEVER THE PRICE.
One would like to believe that Rachel Corrie represents the true American spirit, the spirit of justice and freedom, the spirit that is being subverted, perverted and broken by the Bush administration and its Zionist allies. The American people should be outraged by this blatant act of murder. The international community should be outraged. Outrage must be expressed not through words, but through deeds. The murder of Rachel Corrie by the Zionists is a clear statement of intention by the Zionist entity: if any one dares to stand for justice, that individual or nation will be annihilated.
Instead of retreating in fear, the citizens of the world must stand fast in Iraq and in Palestine and in every place where either American or Zionist forces seek to impose their will. This is the time for steadfastness. The decision by the United Nations to withdraw its inspectors from Iraq was the ultimate act of cowardice and allowed the U.S. to begin its murderous campaign of aggression.
Is it too late now then to act? Will the American people be cowed into submitting to the invasion of Iraq by propaganda declaring opposition to the war to be 'unpatriotic or 'un-American' or far worse, with threats of being possibly arrested and prosecuted as 'enemies of the U.S.' for any declarations made against this crime against humanity? Will the U.N. as well as other powers opposed to this war confine itself now to expressions of gloom and doom?
There are many paths to defeat but victory for the cause of justice can be won only through steadfast adherence to the narrow path of courage. The narrow path of courage, which is the path of justice, has been likened to the blade of a sword or the edge of a knife. It is intimidating and daunting to the human spirit, but it is the only path that spans the abyss and leads to ultimate safety. If the world turns away from this path now, in the name of 'self-preservation' or 'safety', there will be no safety for any one. The 'safety' offered by the U.S. and its 'allies' and/or the Zionists in exchange for capitulation to their murderous plans is an illusion.
After all, one need only to look at the history of American foreign policy to see how precarious so-called 'friendship' with the U.S. really is. The contribution of the French people, including Lafayette, to the American Revolution is forgotten as soon as the French oppose the will of the U.S. with respect to Iraq. Moreover, when the price of friendship is a de facto of invasion of U.S. troops on the soil of a sovereign nation, that price should be considered far too high for any nation with any aspirations of self-determination. What sort of 'friendship' can be forged through force of arms and intimidation?
As far as Palestine is concerned, one need look only at the history of the Zionist invasion and occupation of Palestine to see how little value is attached to the lives of any one who stood in its way, whether deliberate or unwittingly. It is the Zionists who declared that the life of a single Jew in Palestine was worth any number of lives in Europe at the time of the Second World War. It is the Zionists who declared that Nazism in Germany would work to the benefit of the Zionist cause. It is the Zionists who murdered fellow Jews throughout the Arab Nation and world in order to force Jewish communities to 'emigrate' to Palestine.
In the name of humanity, in the name of justice, in the cause of freedom itself, the world must deliver its own ultimatum NOW to the U.S. and the Zionists. If more human shields are required, then more human shields must volunteer from every corner of the globe to act against these foreign aggressors. As it is obvious that any human shield will be annihilated by the invaders, ACTIVE RESISTANCE IS REQUIRED IN THE NAME OF SELF-DEFENCE APART FROM ANY OTHER GOAL. A HUMAN SHIELD MUST BE A SWORD AS WELL.
The invasion of Iraq must be stopped. The continuing Zionist invasion of Palestine and the holocaust against the Palestinian people must be stopped. When resistance must be made against forces like the U.S. military and the Zionists who not only possess weapons of mass destruction but the clear determination to use them, then that resistance has to be unconditional in order to be effective