The reason I am saying this is that I was challenged today with the question of whether or not soldiers in the Israeli army have a choice or not. Are they merely a force of power used in missions to kill and overpower people or do they have the heart to make decisions on their own? Personally, I would like to think that they had that opportunity to decide for themselves, but from what I've read, witnessed and heard, I find that hardly plausible.It takes a man to say yes to committing to an army, to fulfill the every demand and requirement burdened upon him, and to have the courage to believe that his superiors will always make the better decisions for the benefit of his people and country. What happens in Israel, however, is not the same case. Conscription is not a voluntary choice, it is a strict requirement for males and females at the age of 18. Those that choose elsewise choose persecution by the government or even death. Thus, they are left with no choice, and I would like to say, brainwashed into believing that Israel is right, Arabs and Muslims, and anyone who opposes the Zionist government are a threat to the stability and existence of Israel.
It is sarcastic I say "existence" of Israel when the state was actually formed as a result of betrayal of the Arabs by the British, when the land was supposed to be part of a greater Arab state as promised, and is based actually on the fact that it was the home of Judaism around 3000 years ago. If my memory serves me correctly, I recall it was professor Norman Finkelstein who said: "If I came to your house and told you that my family, according to my book, lived here 3000 years ago, would you pack up and leave?" The mere creation of Israel has created havoc in the Middle East, refugees are swarming everywhere. It is amazing that that the Middle East used to be home for all three heavenly religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where people were living side by side in a brotherly way. Don't get me wrong however, the creation of Israel is past me, my country, Jordan, has made peace, and I stay by it. Peace in the region is indeed what I would like to see.
The Gaza Flotilla raid was, in my opinion, a selfish act of cruelty, terror, and stupidity committed by the State of Israel. It shows to what extent the Zionist government is ready to go to keep the people of Gaza in a state of isolation, malnutrition, and underdevelopment. As far as I've heard up to 20 innocent civilian activists were killed as a result of this massacre. The flotilla clearly didn't contain any weapons, as stated by the IDF and later dismissed as pictures that were taken back in 2006, the link of which can be found on my twitter account. Let alone the attack took place in international waters, making it a war crime by definition. I was honestly surprised to see Barack Obama, the man who so many people had faith in, dismiss the event and call for further investigations to be done by Israel. I must say, great choice choosing the state who committed the act to "further investigate".
I have also been recently challenged by the question of "What do I benefit of when I post and tweet about events occurring in Gaza, it's not like I'm stopping any offenses or influencing world leaders." My reply to that will be awareness, it is of critical importance that awareness of the incidents that are happening does spread, and the unfiltered, unedited reports reach the public blankly enough for them to realize that these offenses must not go by unnoticed, and something must indeed be done to help these people.
