Osama bin Laden's threatening statement yesterday only reinforces the awareness we all have that an aching grievance undealt-with invites extremist response. Tim McVeigh was executed, yes, but even the federal government understood that he acted in part because of a grave injustice in the FBI's destruction of Randy Weaver's family in Ruby Ridge, Idaho. My down-under friend Glenn Condell has written two letters lately to Julia Gillard, his member of Parliament in New South Wales, Australia. Both emphasize the likely danger to Australians, including Jews, of his government's blind support for Israel's behavior. How long before this becomes a refrain in our grassroots? Excerpts below. First the sober letter:
other day but he is on holidays and like Mr Obama, is keeping his head
down on an atrocity that to be silent about is to be complicit in. So I
redirect this plea to you:
If our government and media continue to fearfully accede to the Israel Lobby and its determination to enlist our support for Israeli state terrorism, we put our children's future safety at risk from Islamic terrorism.
We must do our bit to oppose Israel's continuing theft of Palestinian land and their collective punishment
of communities containing members who resist. At least to the extent of
clearing our throat and proclaiming our disgust at Israel's murderous
behaviour, so that in any future scenario in which the power ratios
differ from the present, we do not present an attractive target, as a
supporter of such outrages.
I am aware of the difficulties involved
in being so courageous, but at some stage an Australian leader will
have to come to the conclusion that a line in the sand must be drawn
for our own safety. We could also take some comfort from doing the
right thing.
Glenn Condell
Sydney
And here's from his rant:
that condemns the war crimes Israel commits on innocent and defenseless
people, and demands it halt the ongoing construction of illegal
settlements, which feed the resentment that leads to Qassams in Sderot
(many Gazans in fact are the grandchildren of Palestinians who had
their property in Sderot and Ashkelon stolen by Jewish terror gangs in
1948).
Where do I find such representation here in Australia, or
indeed anywhere in the West? If this murder continues, at some point
the heat will be on you pollies from below. You will remove your feet
from the fire only when they are in danger of being burned off. It
would be nice to see one of you, or preferably both, exercise some
leadership before we get to that stage, because if it does go that far,
the people most likely to suffer will be Jews. I consider it part of
your responsibility to protect the Jewish community from the prospect
of a recrudescence of anti-Semitism, and the very best way to do that
would be to warn Israel that it’s behaviour is enhancing it where it
already exists, and worse, creating it afresh in minds hitherto
innocent of it.
Here is a statement from the President of the UN
General Assembly (from Dec 27; well before the latest outrage at the UN
school) which might help steel you for what I realise would be a very
courageous course of action.
Please
remember that you are not just managing an economy, you are both
representing and leading this nation. If we as a nation continue to
play dead on this issue, it will come back to haunt us, or more likely
our children. I urge you to visit say the al-Jazeera website and watch
some of the awful carnage that we, with our harmless bromides and
careful 'balance' are party to. I find myself reduced to using a word I
tend to avoid – it's un-Australian. For me, anyone or any group or any
nation that supports these Israeli crimes is a monster, while any that
lack the moral fibre to clearly condemn Israel's behaviour are
appeasers. I hope you ensure Australia avoids both.
