Mideast * Support iranian.com * FAQ * Write for Iranian.com * Editorial policy Children of genocide Happy Passover, my friend. May we see peace soon April 12, 2002 The Iranian An old friend of mine, who is Jewish American, sent me a Noruz greeting. In her response, I said to her I hope this year will be the end of bloodshed in the Middle East among Israelis and Palestinians. My friend is a filmmaker. She made her first film, Partisans of Vilna, about the Jewish resistance in a small town in Poland. The film shows how Jews took up arms and fought against the Nazi occupiers. Today, tragically, we are witnessing the appalling aggression of Israeli soldiers whose close ancestors were victims of genocide. How can they not see the similarities of their actions against Palestinians in the holy land? Acts of terror against Israeli citizens are deplored by all, especially when victims are innocent civilians, many of whom are youngsters. But at the same time, how can one ignore the terrorizing of the whole Palestinian nation? Today we are witnessing tanks and armored vehicles bulldozing Palestinian cities and conducting door-to-door searches to arrest "terrorists" -- creating fear and terror among the Palestinian people. Fifty years ago, it was the Nazi forces who hunted Jews door-to-door. How sad and unfair the turn of events have been. Fascist-minded Israeli politicians such as Sharon and Netanyahu claim Yasser Arafat is irrelevant. But the truth is that to the Palestinians, and the rest of the world, Arafat is very much relevant. A young activist from New York visited Arafat in Ramallah and used himself as a human shield to guard Palestinian children so they could get food. He is an American Jew. Other Jewish right-wingers have threatened his family with death. We see the courage of such people in understanding the plight of the Palestinians, who are now under siege by the invading Israeli army which has humiliated and killed innocent people under the guise of fighting terrorism. Suicide bombings only began when Prime Minister Sharon, ignoring UN resolutions, continued building Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories. In this whole affair, no doubt, Sharon will be the loser. I just hope that if and when there is peace in the region, Palestinians and Israelis will rid themselves of those who have created only hatred among them. Happy Passover, my friend. May we see peace soon. Comment for The Iranian letters section Comment for the writer Fariba Amini ALSO By Fariba Amini Amini's features index RELATED Palestinians will not go away Conflicts between peoples contain more elements than can be eliminated by force By Edward Said Human nature The one reality that drives the Middle East mess is "occupation" By Farhad Radmehrian Martyrdom is for lesser men The apparent flaw within Palestinian polity is their inability to perceive the ground realities By Iqbal Latif Desperate times Israeli actions have gotten way out of hand, even for their best friend to tolerate By Jahanshah Javid The basic equation The real fight is against forces of reason in both societies By Shahriar Zangeneh SECTIONS * Recent * Covers * Writers * All sections

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