From: Ali Abunimah
To: morning@npr.org
Subject: Gradstein's Israeli conception of "violence"

June 12, 2001

Dear NPR News,

Linda Gradstein's account of the latest toings and froings of the the CIA director in the Middle East on Morning Edition today was wretched. Asked by Bob Edwards if a complete end to violence was likely, Gradstein answered that it wasn't because "first of all radical groups like hamas and islamic jihad have vowed to continue" their actions. Gradstein also said that several mortars had been fired by Palestinians. Thus Gradstein framed all continuing violence as originating with Palestinians.

She mentioned in the mildest and most empathetic possible terms that following the tragic death of an Israeli settler's baby who had been hit a few days before by a stone, that there is "increasing frustration among Jewish settlers," who say "If the government is not going to take care of us, we will take care of ourselves." This is certainly a polite way to describe the gangs of fanatic vigilantes and thugs who have been throwing stones and shooting at Palestinians, ever since the Intifada began (before their alleged "frustration"), burning Palestinians homes, fields and greenhouses, and intimidating and harassing Palestinians in every way. In the past forty eight hours there are reports of widespread attacks by settlers against Palestinians and their property. One example is the case of Murad Said from Battir village in the occupied West Bank, who according to the usually reliable reports of the Palestine Media Center was attacked by armed settlers on Monday night and was treated for stab wounds and wounds from razor blades. Gradstein spoke as if such settler actions were merely a possibility rather than a regular fact of life which requires no Palestinian "provocations."

Gradstein made no mention at all of the continued widespread violence being carried out by the occupation forces which makes a complete mockery of the claim that Israel is observing some sort of "ceasefire." On Saturday three Palestinian women were killed when Israeli tanks fired illegal flechette shells (which contain deadly steel darts) at their tent, and there have been a number of other reports of indiscriminate shooting by the occupation forces at Palestinian civilians. On Monday a 25-year old Islamic Jihad activist was critically wounded by a car bomb in Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank, in an attack that strongly resembles an attempted extra-judicial execution by Israeli undercover agents.

Ever since the Israeli "ceasefire" was declared, occupation forces have continued to sweep and bulldoze large areas of Palestinian land and to demolish houses. In the latest form of collective punishment, Palestinian students are being systematically prevented from reaching their schools by the occupation forces in order to sit their year-end exams, and in the past week occupation troops have fired on students who have attempted to reach Bir Zeit university.

In addition, sick Palestinians are continuing to die because they are refused permission to pass through Israeli roadblocks in the occupied territories according to a report released by B'Tselem today. Haaretz citing the B'Tselem report today said that:

"In one incident recorded by B'Tselem on June 7, an IDF soldier manning a roadblock ordered a Palestinian on his way to dialysis treatment to turn back, saying there was no entry. In another case, an 11-year-old girl in need of hospitalization was held up at a roadblock near Nablus for 45-minutes, even though the soldiers saw her vomit and that she was obviously in pain. The girl died before she reached the hospital, B'Tselem said." (B'Tselem: IDF Roadblocks cost Palestinian lives, June 12, 2001). All of this forms part of the daily experience of life under occupation.

To not mention all of this in a four minute segment is understandable, but not to mention any of it is not. Gradstein's complete failure to mention any of these facts demonstrates beyond any doubt that she has internalized and accepted the Israeli argument that "violence" is an exclusively Palestinian phenomenon (except of course when Israeli soldiers and settlers are driven by their "frustration" to "retaliate") and not an inherent and integral feature of occupation. Occupation cannot exist or be maintained without violence, coercion and brutality. To expect that to happen is like expecting fish to swim through sand.

Sincerely,

Ali Abunimah
http://www.abunimah.org