The Seattle Times engages the question that the New York Times won't: Where is the Palestinian Gandhi. And Huwaida Arraf answers in this Op-Ed, by giving a list of people who have been killed by the Israelis while pursuing non-violent protest, from Rachel Corrie to Bassem Abu Rahme. The point:
When village residents gather weekly to protest, they use various
creative methods of nonviolent resistance, including carrying mirrors
up to the soldiers to show them "the face of occupation" or dressing as
various politicians and wearing blindfolds to symbolize the world's
blind eye to their struggle. The Israeli military meets them and their
Israeli and international supporters with tear gas, grenades, and
bullets.
Eyewitness accounts and a YouTube video of Bassem's killing attest
to the fact that Bassem was not engaged in any kind of violent action
when a soldier decided to fire a high-velocity tear gas canister —
designed to be shot in the air or from a great distance — directly at
his chest, fatally wounding him. In fact, just before he was shot,
Bassem is heard calling to soldiers to stop shooting as a woman had
been injured. Far too often, Israel tries to silence dissent by using
disproportionate and sometimes lethal force against demonstrators.
My own response. When Americans, Where is the Palestinian Gandhi, the best answer is: Wait, why put the onus on someone else; where is your own protest movement? If something is so unjust that it requires a Gandhi, then why are you tolerating your country's support for it.
