DAVID & GOLIATH

Israel is a facist state

Israel is a facist and racist state. There is no doubt. Israel must be stopped. The Israeli war machine must be stopped. their next target will be Iran, no doubt. Human life means nothing to the Israeli fachist state. They are arrogant and inhuman. The women who are running the show are even worse than the men. No person in the world can witness the misery and the brutal killing of Palestinians. This state has become worse than Hitler's. We must all burn the Israeli flag because it stands for Facism. Racism is in its worse form in Israel. it is worse than Germany and South Africa.

Aryan blood!

Thanks dear II. Normally, judging by my appearance and name (both first and last non-Arabic), I'm normally perceived as East Eurpean or Italian when I'm outside Iran! But, I always present myself as Iranian, not Persian, Azari, or Kurdish -- which are the main components of my make up! Even when I visit the U.S., I proudly whip out the Iranian passport and sit through the finger-printing and Q&A period, for I know it's the U.S. border guard who is belittled by his/her behaviour when all the personal information is exchanged at the end!

However, there are insecure people who can not deal with their ethnicity and the realities of the complex world they live in, hence subconsciously in search of an escape from this hunting shaddow of Iranian identity! Many seek refuge and comfort in the delusions of faux grandiose of the pre-Islamic past. When these Arab savages had not yet conquered the Persian kingdom and tainted the "Pure Aryan" blood. They find Arabs to blame for their identity crises, and they want them to go away from their lives!

Consequently, they find the solution in distancing themselves from Iran and anything realted to ME and Arabs. Instead, they see the remedy in calling themselves Persian vs. Iranian (sounding non-middle eastern, therfore less vilified) and adopting anglo-saxon names such as Frank, Fred, Tony as opposed to Ali, Mohammad, Hassan... And when it comes to ME and its policies, they pretend that it has nothing to do with them (and as at this instance they assume the Iranian identity) and Iranians.

Nonetheless, in the eye of the prejudied redneck, they still are the same "camel jockies" as the rest of the Middle Easterns regardless of their persistant claims to the contrary!!

Ajam: A very good post

That Persian vs Iranian thing is soooooo true. It is amazing. Some don't do it on purpose, but some do, and you can tell. I always introduce myself as Iranian and certainly say "or Persian". I guess it all depends. If you don't like the person with whom you're talking, say this - "Persian? Oh, I thought you were Indian." That gets them revvvv'd up! Of course this is only a joke. Seriously though, it is sad ... this Persian v Iranian issue is just one small thing indicating just how divided we are in an environment, a foreign environment.

neutered Charlatan

Oh dear, don't get yourself so worked up over a brainless Mammad. Do not get agitated because of a silly comment by Mammad. Do not waste your time for using boldface and italic words. Your masterpiece can be read. Spend your energy in better ways.

And, how do you brainy but neutered charlatan know that I have not cared? Oh, I know. Because you do not read!

And brainy, you still have not answered my question about U.S.-supported terrorism in Iran. Oh, I know. Your brain stops functioning when it comes to your terrorists.

Mammad

Israel and us

We have a duty and an obligation to stand by the Palestinians whether we are Iranians- secular or religious, Bahais or Jews or Christians. This war is immoral.

Here is part of an editorial in the Washington Post of Dec. 31, 2008, written by a Israeli citizen, Julia Chaitin of the town of Negev just 20 kilometers from Gaza:

"This was is wrong. It is wrong because it cannot achieve its manifest goals-longer term normal life fro the residnts of hte Negev region. The war is morally wrong because most of the victims are Palestinian and Israeli civlians whose only 'crime' is that they live in Negev or Gaza. This war is wrong because it is not heading toward a viable solution of the conflice but is instead creating more hatred and greater determination on the part of both peoples to harm one another.
And so this is an unnecessary, cruel and cynical war-a war that could have been avoided if our leaders had shown courage druing the months of the cease-fire to truly work toward creating better lives for the people whose only crime is that they live in the south.....
We will know peace only when we accept the fact that the Palestinians in the Gaza strip have every right to lives of dignity. We will know peace only when we recognize that we must negotiate with Hamas, our enemy, even if we are devastated that the Palestinians did not elect a more moderate party to lead them. We will know peace only when our leaders stop considering our lives cheap and expendable....

Julia Chaitin-senior lecturer in the Dept of Social work at Sapir Academic College and program developer at teh Negev Institute for strategies of Peace and Development.

Re internal conflicts

Of course Israel has many objectives in that regard. Chief among them the possibility of Iran getting involved. But if that didn't work, the next best thing would be the internal conflict among Gazans. Meaning that it hopes by killing enough Gazans and choking their livelihood, the people in Gaza may eventually rise against Hamas and do Israel a big favor... And the strange thing is that Israel actually thinks that in absence of Hamas its problems go away!

When mammad goes to the City!

If you cared about the examples counted in the list then you had understood very well that the best way for you to avoid exposing yourself would be silence, but as usual people like you are not capable to self control, they must move the move, dance the dance, it is not synthesis of an intellectual plan or analysis, it is a cultural reflex built deep in their peripheral nerve system.

You have never cared about what happens to Darfure, you have never cared about what happens in Sri-Lanka, you ha´ve never cared about what happens to Iranian Kurds, Iranian women, Iranian Jews, sunnis, bahaiis, You have never shouted about what which is happening to people in Sistan, in Abadan, you just are not capable to that. Your cerebral capacity is limited to what it has been exposed to, and your inherent anti-americanism and your  unconditional support for what ever which smells arab or Islam!

You have never cared about milions of addicts, milions of jobless, tens of milions of oppressed and spressed women in Iran, you have neithe the courage to condemn it!

But yes you care about Hamas, despite the fast that Arabs and palestinians don't wellcome your support, yes you condemn Israel, not more than i do, but you do it because they are jews, they are not Mosles, i condemn them of different reasons, and i defend them against your racist and religious hatred towards them.

As i mentioned before, Charlatanism has no sex, in your case it seems as if it can be brainless too!

As expected ...

I've said this before and will say it again ... Israel is thinking about the long-term. Not long-term peace, but the result of long-term internal conflicts among Palestinians and arabs. Once in a while Israel gets its hands dirty and kills them directly, but usually, its just to cause stir and have them kill themselves. Israel wants all Palestinians out. During the so-called truce or peace times, it continued blocking imports/exports in the Gaza and the West Bank. When you make people hungry and frustrated for so many years, those people will resort to fanatic acts. It is human nature and Israel knows it.

Hamas is now alone without the Fata. So once this Gaza attack fades away, look for Hamas to begin, again, accusing/blaming Fata for the bloodshed and lack of any help. Israel knows this. Expect the Hezbollah to take action within the next 12 months. Israel knows this, and wants this. Expect Egypt to be stuck in the middle not knowing whether to stand on the sideline or help Palestinians, as it will not be able to handle another mass immigration of Palestinians. This will create more stir/accusations/frustration among arab citizens, putting govt stability at risk. The same can be said for Jordan and Lebonan. Syria will be in this, although it has had no part. The same with our non-arab Iran. All of this instability, this uncertainty, this risk, this bloodshed, will create opportunity for Israel to pitch to the US an attack on Syria/Lebonan/Iran. And it will be the same pitch - "freedom, democracy, safety, anti-terrorism, etc, etc, etc".

You see Israel is and has been good at initiating bloodshed and then saying "he did it first" ... just like good 'ol 1st grade. Unfortunately, arabs continue to fall for it ... then again, I would say that I'd get pretty pissed too if someone just barged into my house and unlawfully took it away.

Israel will make the pitch via the nicely installed neocons in the Obama administration - Hillary Clinton and Rahm Israel Emanuel, via the AIPAC power and $.

I just wish that our lawmakers and the White House had the guts that Reagan and Bush Sr. had, when they told Israel "NO". The US is not the most powerful country in the world! The US is the most powerful WEAPON in the world, utilized very efficiently and profitably by the most powerful country in the world, israel. Its as simple as that. Even the new president that promised 'changes' did and will continue to get bought out by those people. Its just amazing!

Persian vs. Iranian

Dear Mahhad, when you say "We care as much as the rest of the world does, which is exploding in anger over what is happening.", you should bear in mind that American media, which is the only news source to some on Iranian.com, do not necessarily have the same news coverage as the rest of the world.

These are mainly the same people who introduces themselves as "Persian" as opposed to Iranin in a desperate hope to avoid being associated with the ME as Iraq is! In their state of make believe, they identify themselves with the glorious Persian past that has nothing to do with the underdeveloped ME of today. Hence, they do not consider the problems of the ME as those of the Iranian people.

Moreovre, they wish that it all could go away and a chic and presentable people could replace the backward/terrorist Arabs so they can boast about the region they're living in in Xmas parties and gatherings! And in thir mind, Israel is just moving in that direction!! Can you blame them?!!

Humanism has no border

We care because we are human.

We care because human rights are universal values.

We care about Gaza as much as we care about Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Darfur, Somalia, etc. Are the innocent people of those nations "Islamic terrorists" too?

We care as much as the rest of the world does, which is exploding in anger over what is happening. Since you are not blind, you can read the newspapers everywhere and the internet to see it for yourself.

We care about Gaza not more or less than what is happening in Iran because, once again, human rights are universal values.

We care because occupied people have a right to resist the occupiers, just as Iranian people cared about and defended Iran when Iraq, with West's support, attacked Iran.

We care because caring about human rights has nothing to do with Islam. A singnificant fraction of Palestinians are, in fact, Christian. We care about Jewish people too who are victims of real terrorist attacks. 

We care because if we do not, who is to say the same will not happen to Iran if Israel and/or US would not attempt to do the same, if they thought they can get away with it? US is already supporting the terrorists MEK and Jundallah to carry out terrorist attacks in Iran.

Since you care so much about Iran, why don't you raise your voice about the real "Islamic" terrorists, supported by the US, such as Jundallah, the MEK, etc. who are attacking Iran?

Since we care, why don't you enlighten us about "the real nature of the conflicts," that you claim you know and the rest do not? 

Indeed, charlatanism has no sex. The best evidence for it is you 

Mammad

CHARLATANISM HAS NO SEX

First of all, why should we as IRANIANS care more about what happens in Gaza  than anywhere else?

I have never seen so many humanitarian intellectuals from our beloved country to surface and announce their sadnedd about what happens in Darfur,Congo, Zimbabve, Colombia, Nigeria, Guinea,Serilanka,.......

But they are always there when a bunch of Islamist terrorists commit suicide attacks or commit collateral suicide attacks , meaning, attacking Israel to force it to attack Palestinian terrorists sheltering among civilians, leading to killing of some innocent number of civilian people!

Those terrorists count on reflex reactions of this kind, liberals, masked anti-semits, supporters of IRI, brain washed islamists, religious or cultural racists, suddenly crying out their agony for what is happening to poor Palestinians.  I am sure if Palestinians were not moslems, then these Iranian would not care att all for what happening there!

Still they themselves are the victims of Islam and Islamization since 1400 years ago, they are subject to crimes of Islam, Pure and real Islam under IRI, still they care about their brothers in Palestine. They forget that even Palestinans themselves consider Iranains as second class, as worse than dogs, as less worthy than even Jews, they forget that Palestians have supported Saddam, have supported the resolutions of Community of Arab countries calling for the Iranian islands in Persian gulf to be an intgral part of UAE.

Still, when you ask of these Iranian intellectuals supporting Palestinian cause, they have no worthy knowledge about the real nature of the conflict, the real history of Palesinian and jews living in that area, and how the palestinian cause has been abused by all arab dictators and IRI just for internal affairs.

It is somehow perplexing but comic, victims of Islam (IRANIANS), supporting Agents of ISLAM (PAlestinian Terrorists and IRI),Forgetting about the crimes happening in our own country by IRI, focusing on a problem which is not ours, and even is not really a problem the way they present it!

She says Israelis are shelling civilians, then wyh of 400 victims just 60 are civilians? Isn't it so that the Terrorists are using civilians as a shield?

And still, when did you cry about what happens to your own countrymen, when did you cry out about Darfure,..........?

Apparently your problem is not Justice, violence,....you are ideologically too blinded to see the real, or even feel human!

+

@aziz:

It may be that your Lord will now have mercy on you; but if you return to mischief, We too will return to Punishment, and remember We Have made Hell a prison for the disbelievers. (17.10)

[If you're gonna quote scripture, at least read the 'fine print' ... ]

@ajam:

There is only one governing power. It is transnational and nation states are subordinate to this power. Those $$$ billions are merely *funneled* through the United States government. US gets those from International Bankers. The "s***y little" country is a project of the Rothschilds. The overall facade of the 'protective power' changes (c.f. its history) but the bottom line is that the uber cabal wants it there and so it remains. The USA side show is to paint America in a bad light.

[Who funded Iraq War? China. Put that through your head and give its a whirl or two ..]

Israel's Propaganda vs Facts

Thank you so much Ms. Amini for an excellent article. 

To those who care about reading about both sides of the arguments, I suggest to read the following article

www.huffingtonpost.com/mustafa-barghouti/palestines-guernica-and-t_b_153958.html

by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of Palestine National Initiative, and a man dedicated to non-violent resistance to Israel's occupation. He provides point-by-point response to Israel's propaganda. I am not claiming that what he says is correct or incorrect, rather that just read what he has to say. You make the judgement call.

In the age of internet and global connection, Israel cannot no longer hide anything, even though it has banned journalists from entering Gaza. It cannot hide the fact that it has attacked a hospital, a prison, a university, and several mosques.

And to those who try to find any excuse to attack the IRI: Regardless of the nature of the IRI, the root cause of what is going on has absolutely positively nothing to do with the IRI, and has everything to do with occupation of Palestinian territories and what Israel does to Palestinian people. These problems started long before the IRI was around.

Mammad

-?!

Anonymous IAM, how many times has the U.S. come to Israel's rescue to veto the U.N. resolutions condemning Israeli crimes?! In most instances U.S. is the only country in the world that votes in favour of Isarel's criminal conducts, while every other country (including Europeans) having voted in its conedemnation or at least a in abstention?!

And let's not get into that $20B yearly handouts covered up under military, financial, industrial, agricultural... exchanges! It's a part of the deal... you scratch my back, I scratch your...!

Dear Ms. Amini,

Very well said, and I would not worry about those who label you an "Antisemite". I dare say that IDF and the Israeli Government are the biggest Antisemites known to mankind. After all, who are all these Arabs in the Gaza Strip, but Semites who are being bombarded their Semite brothers!! All problems and sufferings in the world stem from ignorance.

Let's hope that in 2009, against all odds, wisdom prevails.

lets not take sides!

Lets not be a parrots and repeat everything that IRI says. Words and slogans like Zionism and just think of this situation as a war between 2 countries and not to think of this as a religious war and get all hyped up.This a simple equation.Hammas is shooting rockets and Israel is responding.If Hammas is smart they know how strong Israel is militarily and what they are capable of doing if they unleash all their air power and Hammas should have known what Israel did to Lebanon and take lessons unless they are told what to do from Iran.

Dwell securely in the land of promise

For the mostly moslem Iranian Hamvatans:

Quote:<< And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)">>unquote

I did not make it up: This is Surah 17 verse 104 in the Holy Quran.
(//quranexplorer.com/ )

After looking up the first reference check this out:

Cyrus the Great figures in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as the patron and deliverer of the Jews. He is mentioned twenty-three times by name and alluded to several times more. [1] From these statements it appears that Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, was the monarch under whom the captivity of the Jews ended, for in the first year of his reign he was prompted by Yahweh to make a decree that the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt and that such Jews as cared to might return to their land for this purpose. Moreover, he showed his interest in the project by sending back with them the sacred vessels which had been taken from the temple and a considerable sum of money to buy building materials with.

-

Enough of the big brother b.s. Who gave nukes to the zionists? France. Who gave them submarines? Germany. Who is quietly cheering them on right now? House of Saud. How come UK, France, China, and Russia all sign on the dotted line when it comes to sanctioning IRI? The world powers want that part of the world to be exactly as it is. "Israel" would be shut down immediately if EU had decided to boycott them years ago. Wake up. USA is a bankrupt nation that gets its spending money from Beijing and Riadh. There is *already* a one world government, but the psychological path of acceptance for the unwashed masses must pass through a great conflagration. Its a new year. Make a resolution to start thinking free from the mental straightjackets of ideology and received wisdom.

Noble sentiments...

I second Iranian Reader. Those are my exact feelings which I couldn't express any better than you did. Well said!

and thanks Fariba for the article.

IRANdokht

The enabler!

Dear FA, the main qestion should be as to how Israel can engage in such barbaric acts of violence with total impundence?! How could zionists cheer the Israeli army on to commit such atrocities in utter disregard for the global public opinion?! And the answer is, the BIG BROTHER, who acts as the anabler to this brutal and otherwise, morbid entity!

Nevertheless, Israel knows that its expansionist design is a race against time, for as the American pwer declines, so will Israel's impunity. Hece the rush for destruction!

Free Palestine

Fariba Amini is, as usual, right on target. Israel can of course retaliate to Hamas's provocations, but the retaliations must be proportional and within the boundaries of what international law permits. The mass murder of nearly 400 people is not justified; it is a criminal attack for which its perpetrators must be brought to account. Further, we should remember that none of this would be happening had Israel chosen to obey Resolution 242 and withdraw completely from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, leaving the Palestinians to control their own destiny. Israel's insistence on keeping the occupied lands in defiance of world opinion and the will of the occupied peoples will ensure that this war will go on for many years longer.

Today, I am a Jew

sympathizing with the nation of Israel for defending herself against a bunch of barbaric Islamic terrorists.

Unlike the Shah's Army that gave in to the Islamic and Leftist terrorists like Fariba Amini and her comrades in 1979, the Israeli nation and Army don't give in to the criminals!? Thanks to their brilliance and resilience.

Indeed, I am a Jew today!

Israel

There are stones and there were stones before.
Kids used stones and they were shot to death.
Then the suicide bombings started. At some point Saddam was blamed. Saddam is long gone and the suicide bombings still continue.

There was a time when Yasser Arafat was no longer suited to be negotiated with. Arafat is long gone (only we know whether he really died of natural causes or not?!!!) Rabin and Arafat tried to make peace and it was one of them who got rid of Rabin.

Now it is Hamas who must be uprooted. If we talk about democracy, the Palestinians in Gaza picked Hamas whether we like it or not.

next it will be Abbas's turn. He will be the fall guy too.

Israel does not want a justified solution to this problem. They want their way or the highway.

The people in Gaza and in the West Bank are the same people: they are all Palestinians.

a few days ago there was an editorial in Israel's major newspaper criticizing this immoral behavior.

Israel cannot have peace and security if it does not give the same to the Palestinians. most of the settlers came fresh from Brooklyn. How many homes do you need while the original population is displaced and lives in shanty towns or in refugee camps? What gives them the right just because it was written some thousands of years ago in a holy book? This mentality is artocious.

If Israel wants peace they should not use their military machinery on the people of the Midlde East either in Southern Lebanon or in Gaza or next in Iran.

How would we feel if Israel decides to bomb Iran's nuclear facilites even if we don't like the regime in Tehran? how would we feel if innocent Iranians are killed?

There is no justification in killing people on either side. Violence has never been uprooted with violence.

Noble sentiments, undoubtedly

This is a sincere and sensible piece and there have been a few of them on this site. But, to be quite honest, I for one am so terribly angry and grieved that no noble sentiments, no kind sincerety, or attempts at "seeing things from both sides" rings true to me. I am speechless. I am NOT silenced but I am speechless the way one becomes speechless at certain moments of deep horror.

I have a feeling that a lot of us around the world are speechless right now. But not for long. This atrocity, these despicable crimes that are only part of an even more despicable machination of deceit, this obscene orgy thrown by the some of the vilest humans who ever lived, these attempts to domineer over reality and truth... all this stuff IS registering with people. If Jewish people don't speak up against this now they will forever forfeit their right to speak against the Nazis.

they are not "stones", they

they are not "stones", they are "rockets"
they are not all civilians, most of them were security forces employed by Hamas

Salve the Fatah and Hamas problem and you will have peace..even without Israel, they can not get along

they don't bomb them and give them food, they bomb their corrupt and (you can fill the blank) government and give food to the civilians...

Wars and killing innocent people are the last thing in anyones mind, but as a government official, you have to protect and guarantee the safety of your people...