Sharon, a past-master at Machiavellian provocation, triggered the second intifada when, with an escort of 1000 soldiers, he "visited" Al Aksa mosque in September, 2000 -- the visit was followed next day by the shooting of Palestinian demonstrators at the mosque by Israeli troops. Sharon's aim as Housing Minister in the 1970s, as Defense Minister during Israel's invasion of Lebanon, and now as Israel's Prime Minister, is permanent colonization of the territories, permanent expansion of Israel's borders, permanent retention and expansion of the settlements. It is clear that this project not only destroys Palestinian society, but also Israel's economy and its political and moral fabric; as well as the stability of the entire region.

As a Jew old enough to remember a childhood just after World War II I am filled with a mix of grief, helplessness, despair and anger as Israel, pretending to act in my name and using the Holocaust to exonerate its crimes, proceeds with a clear effort to obliterate the economy, the social, political and cultural institutions, and the entire infrastructure of the Palestinian people. Those who do not speak out against the abominations these horrors are complicit by their silence. Those who exonerate Israel for committing them are guilty by association.

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by ELLEN CANTAROWI

© 2002 (Middle East News Online).

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