Postscript Sow Wind, harvest Storm

 "All war is a symtom of man's failure as a thinking animal." John Steinbeck.   "Lies often appear more logic and appealing than the truth, because the lier has the big advantage to know in advance what the audiance wants to hear." Hannah Arendt.  " An African can not be a foreigner in African country."  Ubuntu African Proverb.                                                    Scientists discovered that the intelligence of the human race is not only no longer increasing, but actually decreasing. In German parliament a discussion about the war in Gaza and the terrible Marsarce on 7th October. One German MP said the people " were killed because they are Jews." As simple as that, nobody pointed out that there is a history to it, unbelievable suffering of Palestinians, a brutal occupation force (read the reports of international human rights organisations and see the documentary "Breaking the Silence", made by ex - forces members), a desire to take revenge led to this horrible massacre on innocent folks. And now Israel (not supported by all its citizens) takes terrible unlimited revenge on innocent Palestinians. That has nothing to do with the constantly quoted "right of self-defence". Besides, if anybody has this right, then surely the people whose land is illegally occupied. Half a million settlers, most of them ultra orthodox with extrem attitudes, live occording to international law illegally on Palestinian land. Settlers have recently killed six Palestinians in the West Bank, they repeatedly burn very old valuable olive trees, threaten to kill and shoot at Palestinian farmers who want to harvest their olives. France 24 showed a video, no mention on German news or "ntv". Limited information leads to double standards. All lifes matter! In Gaza hospitals without fuel for generators, incubators, supply of oxygen for the severely sick, no electricity in operating theatres, premature babies forced to die, doctors overwhelmed, close to a nervous breakdown, no water, no anesthesia, no medication, medical staff having to fear for their life, attacks on ambulances - are such circumstances acceptable? Haven't we achieved already internationally valid laws to be observed for the protection of civilians? Aren't ambulances, the Red Cross (and the equivalent in Arabic countries), UN schools, hospitals, UN employees, journalists supposed to be protected? Humanity seems to be taking a big step backwards. Violance creates violance. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, leaves half the world blind and toothless. But anyhow, the "an eye for...." demand was made to say: Don't let your revenge get out of proportions. Does the Moslim or Judaism religion justify hatred of the other religion? As a matter of fact there are many simularities, even more than with the Christian religion. Halal is the equivalent of Kosher (though kosher is even more strict). "Tahara" means pure in Hebrew and Arabic. Islam requires Muslims to respect people of all faiths, and this clearly includes followers of Judaism. Doesn't happen? Well it did in the south of Spain, El Andalus, 9th-12th century, The Golden Age, which ended sadly when backward Christians took over and the church created hell in a former paradise. Listening to Netanyahu, I feel he learned a lot from D. Trump: Deny the obvious, even when caught with a smoking gun, say you never touched a gun. Repeat your lies over and over again, make your audience confused and wonder whether you are perhaps speaking the truth? Don't trust your eyes, trust my words..... Not all Israelians and other Jewish folks support Netanyahu and his politcs. Moslims all over the world need to understand this. (For heavens sake no witch hunt). Hadar Morag, an Israelian filmmaker, said: When my grandmother arrived here, after the Holocaust, the Jewish Agency promised her a house, she had nothing, her whole famly was exterminated. She waited a long time in a tent." Then she was given a house, fully furnished, with the plates of the Palestinian owners still there. She left and declared that she wants to move back to her tent." I will never do to anyone else, what was done to me. " Hadar Morag asks: "How could we become what we opposed?" 

Sow Wind, Harvest Storm

 "When you bury the past, make sure you avoid friends that know your graveside." Ubuntu African Proverb. " Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the world ."  Wilhelm Faulkner.                                                                 We keep hearing about Israel's legal right to defend itself, strange, in several European countries and US, it seems to be seen as a right that doesn't exist for Palestinians. The other day Netanyahu advised that "all civilized countries support Israel." (Reminds me of Gandhi who visited UK and when asked what does he think of civilization in the western world, replied: "I think it would be a good idea.") But what does "self defence" stand for? If being attacked it is acceptable to defend yourself or others in a Reasonable manner, using Reasonable force to prevent the attacker from causing further harm or injuries. This means, if you e. g. kill a burglar in your house, there should and in most countries would, be an investigation whether you absolutely needed to kill him. Now that more than 10.300 Palestinians are killed, among them many women and 4.204 children, 88 UN employees and 30 journalists, is this legal self defence? How many of those killed and those injured (23.000) were actually attacking Israel? Did the patients in the Al Chud and Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, many severely sick, thus unable to get up, represent a threat to Israel? Dr. Mads Gilbert and another doctor who worked for many years in the aforementioned hospitals, stated that they received many threats and were warned by Israelian authorities /military that they would be classified as terrorists and killed if they don't leave. Interesting definition of terrorists. Netanyahu justifies Israelian strike on an prior announced ambulance convey in front of the largest hospital in Gaza with there being an important Hamas terrorist on site (who in their opinion must be eliminated) and bunkers (many counties have shelter bunkers, is that a crime?) as well as tunnels used by Hamas terrorists, who would carry out their attacks from the hospital. So Israel killed at least 50 Palestinians in order to terminate the life of one Hamas member. Is this acceptable occording to the Tanakh (Torah)? An extract of the Ten comandments: "Do not commit murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies. Do not be envious of others." YHWH (God) told Moses that if these rules are not followed, YHWH would punish people who disobeyed these. The commandments aim to help Jews to become better people, treat others with respect, show solidarity with the poor and helpless, brotherly assistance to those in need. Not unlike the demands of the Quran and Bible. Israel as a religious state, how does it all fit together? Settlers are all too often Extremists, used to getting away with murder in an Apartheid state, presently attacking Palestinian villages in the  West Bank. Israel proudly declares that they have now succeeded in dividing Gaza in 2 parts, North and South, like Korea or formally East and West Germany? Gaza is very small, less than the size of the German town Cologne. 25 000 tons of bombs have meanwhile been dropped there, more than in any previous wars. Do they want to make Gaza a graveyard? UN chief Antonio Guerres said that it is becoming a graveyard for children (less valuable than hostages )? Why doesn't Israel allow independent monitors? I remember a time when Israelian forces on purpose broke bones of Palestinians with stones. The at the time American minister of foreign affairs, Henry Kissinger, advised the Israelian government to learn from apartheid state South Africa and make sure there are no journalists etc. on site. At least South Africa learned from history, like the Irish, as well as some South American states, and now support Palestine. High time to end the illegal occupation and stop the war crimes. Why should Palestinians pay for the crimes of Nazis? It is a sad truth that most countries are capable of committing terrible crimes. The Nuernberg trials after the war, where several big nazis (not enough, the DDR was more thorough than West Germany) were held accountable ( death penalty) were a brilliant idea, judges from America, Russia, Great Britain and France. In my opinion, unfortunately not even those countries learned from history. At least we now have the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Den Haag. Germany's unlimited support for Israel is understandable, but being blind reference the atrocities/war crimes, is it a real help? Quite a few Israeli and other Jews consider Netanyahu a threat to their safety. He clings on to power because he would go to prison in Israel for corruption and money laundering when he loses his immunity, his wife also participated. If I am on the highway to hell, I would hope my real friends would tell me so and try to stop me!!! I believe several other European countries and US support Israel because of a bad conscience, their lack of help for jews (not just from Germany, Hitler also transported jews from many other occupied European countries) during that horrible Nazi period. Many knew of the Nazi crimes, some even of the Holocaust, but pretended they didn't. Even the pope was informed, Rolf Hochmuth wrote a play about it: "Der Stellvertreter" (The Deputy, meaning God's deputy, the pope), also published as a book, well worth reading. Most stages at the time refused to play it, a subject considered too hot. As a child I believed that these unspeakable Nazi crimes, hell on earth, would cause Jewish folks to become extra sensible to human sufferings, make them a mountain of empathy. Now I wish to shout from every mountain: Palestinians are not Nazis, don't take revenge on them.