Has anyone seen the documentary called "Checkpoint" on Sundance? Here is a review which talks about it: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3232.shtml I watched this documentary and felt disgusted about how Israelis conduct themselves at these checkpoints. I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be fair at all. I'll tell you one thing, though. If I were on the receiving end of that day in and day out, then I don't think I would be too happy, either. That would wear me down fast, too. It's not to hard to imagine where a militant comes from in many cases. He comes from the checkpoints. Isn't the checkpoint bad enough? It is much worse than it has to, and should, be. Anyway, it was a thought provoking documentary that has me a little disgusted with Israel. Are they no better than this? Would I want to be treated that way if I were born a Palestinian? Like I don't belong anywhere nor can I go anywhere? I saw them being treated like cattle basically. All were treated like terrorists. The fact that the Israeli soldiers and policemen behaved this way ON CAMERA knowingly shows just how arrogant they are or have become. I hope it's not all like that. I couldn't live under that. The behavior was ironically like those who oppressed the Israelis. In a sense, they have become the bad guys. I'll be glad when those checkpoints are gone for good for both sides. I don't see that happening anytime soon.
There is another very good documentary that comes on Sundance every once in a while, called 'The Inner Tour'. It is actually made by an Israeli Jew, and is about a group of Palestinians taking a 3 day chartered bus tour through areas that each of them used to live in Israel. Some of the older bus riders share stories of how their land was taken from them and what crops they used to grow. One part of the movie that I always remember is the Palestinian kids being so elated to go to the beach and jump in the water (all the coastal land is Israeli territory and most Palestinians have never seen the ocean). The ending with the old man literally running out of the bus off a freeway when he sees his old farmland is something you don't forget as well. I don't agree with these suicide bombers one bit, but I can see what their rationale is. In the context that these kids are growing up often 2 and 3 generations already into the occupation, they must feel like they really have no other options. They are born into a culture of poverty, often living 10 to 15 to a room without running water or steady electricity. There are no jobs because there is no real business being done in a war zone. They have no future to look forward to. So someone who decides to go blow himself up has clearly lost all hope. But I believe the Israeli govt. is actually willing to take these losses. They look forward to future generations ahead. As part of the bigger picture, they likely would be successful in eventually ethnically cleansing the Palestinians out one way or another. They make it into a simple war of attrition, in which they have the resources to survive much better than the Palestinians over the long haul. The key is to slowly but deliberately retain more land with each passing decade (which has been more recently accomplished via settlement expansion).
It's an ugly, never-ending cycle between the two sides. They both act tribal and both have committed their share of atrocities, with the difference being that the Israelis are much more superior militarily, are well-backed financially by the US, and backed politically with the unwavering American "veto" on the UNSC.
Terrible. But, I guess if the Palastinians weren't targeting their civilians with suicide bombings none of it would be necessary. Also, how about Arafat's wife refusing to give the PLO the money that Arafat stole as it's leader. Great man my ass....PFFT... DD
There were no suicide bombings from 1994 to 2000, and yet these same checkpoints and conditions were in place during that period. There were no suicide bombings for many years early on in the occupation, when in fact Palestinians were instead embracing Civil Disobedience adopted from MLK/Gandhi. So your attempt to provide cause/justification/rationale is essentially, baseless.
