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Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Gaza Evictees Act Improperly

For all the pain and sympathy I have for the people who lost their homes and whose lives were destroyed by the disengagement, I am dismayed by reports such as these:
A number of Gush Katif evictees and supporters disrupted a military ceremony at the Western Wall on Wednesday night.

They shouted “We won’t forget” and “We won’t forgive!” at the officers, some of whom took part in removing them forcibly form their homes.
I fail to see what disrupting the ceremony accomplishes, and would be curious as to why soldiers involved in the disengagement would be at a military ceremony at the Western Wall. Most ceremonies there are primarily new recruits getting sworn in; and as most of the disengagement soldiers were either retired or reservists, I can't fathom how a number of them could be at a ceremony.

Worse, though, is the allegations by Arutz-7, a news organization that serves an excellent service but has a tendency to exaggerate to the far right in some of its claims. [Even many friends of myself or my family who are more to the right have agreed on this point... 'Take the regular news and A-7, average them together, and you have what happened.'] But this claim is far worse than normal:
They were quickly carted off by police, some beaten without mercy. One female was arrested.
Beaten "without mercy"?! That sounds incredibly far-fetched and biased to me, and is more of an editorial type addition than a news report. The Jerusalem Post reports the story differently:
Several anti-disengagement activists disrupted an IDF ceremony at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem on Wednesday night, police said.

Five female teens were arrested and others were distanced from the scene after they unfurled a placard reading, "We will not forget, we will not forgive," while shouting and booing at the officers.
No mention of any 'beatings' are given. I think I'll trust the Post on this story.

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2 comments:

  1. You're far away from it all, disengaged, if you don't mind. Who are you to judge the victims of such cruelty? Did they bomb? murder? rape? Or did they just cry out in pain?

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  2. I'm sorry - I should have noted a portion where it says they physically disrupted the ceremony. The shouting I have no problem with, nor the signs.

    I was more annoyed at A7's assertions of people being 'beaten without mercy', and was curious why disengagement soldiers would be at a ceremony at the Kotel. The JPost's article seems a lot more accurate, and does not claim any of the soldiers took part in the disengagement.

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