The Monster America Created

Edna Yaghi’s Column

Under the cover of bombing skinny Afghan people to smithereens, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon continues waging his bloody war against the Palestinian people.

Our prestigious UN Secretary General Kofi Anan, the winner of the Noble Peace Prize, does nothing to stop this ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

And while the US Secretary of State Colin Powell demands the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, Sharon gleefully defies Powell’s demands knowing he can get away with whatever he wishes to, including murder. After all, Israel is the Frankenstein monster that America created, protects, and condones. Every time a UN resolution is drafted condemning Israeli atrocities, the US is the first country to use its veto.

Every day more and more Palestinians are murdered, and many more are wounded. The dead include mothers, fathers, and children. The other day a deaf man was shot and killed when he went out to buy food for his 5 starving children. And yesterday a mother of nine children was killed. Israeli armored tanks and vehicles roll into Palestinian West Bank towns to crush, burn out, and slaughter Palestinian civilians.

In Beit Reema today, more than 9 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers and dozens lay injured and bleeding in the streets unattended.

Military jeeps invaded the small village and Apache helicopters fired randomly at residential homes in the area. Houses have been bulldozed and set on fire. Furthermore, Israeli soldiers have been conducting house-to-house searches and have been arresting Palestinian males.

At the time this article is being written, no Palestinian is allowed to enter or leave the village of Beit Reema. No ambulances have been allowed to enter the village and attend to the victims. The same situation is recurring in other West Bank towns and villages.

Fierce gun battles have broken out in other West Bank areas, but light arms are nothing against tanks, bulldozers and helicopter shelling.

Every West Bank city is under siege and the lives of all Palestinians are at risk. The situation there is very critical and mere condemnation of Israeli atrocities does not save lives or prevent the injury of the innocent. So far, 21 Palestinians have been murdered today.

Clearly, the Israeli soldiers have no mercy, no compassion and no respect for the property, lives and well being of the Palestinian people. Sharon defies international calls for the withdrawal of his troops from Palestinian areas and he declares as any monster would that he will continue his slaughter until he is satisfied. But Sharon is a pathological killer and he likes nothing better than to massacre Arab civilians regardless of the country of their origin.