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18/12/2008
From Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Sakharov Prize 2001
Message from Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Sakharov Prize 2001, shared with Izzat Ghazzawi
to Mr Hans Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament;
Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament;
and the Sakharov Prize winners
on the occasion of the
20th Anniversary of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
Dear President,
Dear Vice President,
Dear Sakharov Prize winners,
I apologize for not being able to attend such an important event.
These words are dedicated to the heroes of Gaza, the mothers and fathers and children, the teachers and doctors and nurses who are proving every day and every hour that no fortified wall can imprison the free spirit of humanity and no form of violence can subdue life.
The pogrom being carried out by the thugs of the Occupation army against the residents of the Gaza Strip is known to everyone and yet the world is impotent as always. I call upon all of us, who have won a privilege as well as duty by receiving the Sakharov prize, to arise and go to Gaza and any other city of oppression and slaughter; to defy all blockades and high walls and not to give up until all barriers are broken.
When Jewish poet Bialik wrote after the Pogrom against the Jews in Kishiniev,
"Satan has not yet created Vengeance for the blood of a small child,"
It did not occur to him that the child would be a Palestinian child from
Gaza and his slaughterers would be Jewish soldiers. And when he wrote:
Let the blood pierce
through the abyss! Let the blood seep
down into the depths of darkness, and
eat away there, in the dark, and breach
all the rotting foundations of the earth.
He did not imagine that those foundations would be the foundations of the state of Israel. That the Jewish and Democratic State of Israel would demagogically use the expression "blood on his hands" to justify its refusal to release freedom fighters, children and peace leaders from the worst of prisons, while immersing all of us in the blood of innocent babes up to our necks, up to our nostrils, so that every breath we take sends red bubbles of blood into the air of the Holy Land.
But the siege of Gaza is only one of many sieges imposed today in the world by democratic powers as well as by non-democratic ones. All those sieges are meant for one purpose: to silence the voice of freedom and justice.
My co-laureate of the Sakharov Prize, Prof. Izzat Gazzawi, who died of humiliation less than two years after receiving this prestigious award, wrote to me just before his heart surrendered, that he believed the Israeli soldiers who came to his house every night to break furniture and frighten the children wanted to silence his voice. I have vowed then as I believe we should all vow every day, to do everything within our power so that his and other such brave voices will not be silenced.
Today, when the most enlightened civilizations commit the most heinous crimes against innocent defenseless people out of greed, megalomania and pure racism we should listen once more to Bialik's cry from a hundred years ago:
"And I, my heart is dead, no longer is there prayer
on my lips;
All strength is gone, and
hope is no more.
Until when,
How much longer,
Until when?"
And then follow the example of people like Hu Jia, today's laureate of the Sakharov prize who is held in prison for dedicating every moment of his life to end the miseries of the family of man.
With my best regards,
Nurit Peled-Elhanan
15.12 2008
16:23 Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this
Comments
dear nurit.there are still israelis like you that I can be proud of. that in spite of you personal loss. you didnot loose the empathy for those who suffer because of israel state terror against the palestinians, continuing the activity of your late father ,who meant so much to the peace camp in israel.
yours sincerely, yehoshua rosin.rehovot, israel.
Posted by: yehoshua rosin | 21/12/2008
It's too much to hope that the world will retrench from its path of evil and wickedness, even during this season of goodwill. But men and women of conscience everywhere can and should do everything they can to mitigate the effects of the evils of governments, democratic or otherwise.
Posted by: John Duqesa | 23/12/2008
Dear Nurit,
You conveniently overlook the facts:
Without going into a long history of Muslims have denied Jews the right to the city ,Jerusalem,they built in the name of Judaism, well before the creation of Islam,some 2400 years,and the country they built,and the entitlement to Israel that Muslims usurped from Jews by going to the extent to building their own temples on known Jewish holy ground in an attempt to undermine Jewish Nationalism in the 7th century,here are some current facts you choose to over look.
Inspite of never having entitlement or evidence of statehood,Palestinians were offered a state of their own in 1947.We know the history of Muslim pogroms on Jews and the refusal to allow Jews in their own land.which led to the refusal of thhe Arab world,using the excuse of Palestinians,to refuse a state for Jews and Palestinians.
Recent history:The Arab world has ehtnically cleansed over 850,000 Jews from all Arab/Muslim countries.You are silent.
In 2005 Israel left Gaza,forced 8000 Israelis to leave,than gave GAZANS 4000 Green houses,producing a revenue of 200 million dollars a year,GUSH KATIF.In response Palestinians burned down ALL SYNAGOGUES,and PILLAGED to their detriment a 200 MILLION DOLLAR business GUSH KATIF.And of course they continued the rokcket attacks against ISRAELI CIVILIANS which began in 2001 and numbers over 10,000 rockets to date from 2005 alone.
Certainly you are aware of HAMAS COVENANT which states clearly "THERE IS NO ROOM FOR A JEWISH STATE IN AN ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST".Hamas stands firmly behind this COVENANT and has made it public on the BBC and other MEDIA that they will not abandon their ISLAMIC AMBITIONS.
AL JAZEERA recently polled their patrons the following question
:Is Israel justified in its continuing blockade of the Gaza Strip?
Yes (74.97%) No (25.03%)
http://www.aljazeera.com/vote/vote.php?voteid=396
On becoming aware of the results of a poll that is consistent wiith freedom of speech and democracy,MONA BAKER ,an anti Israel,anti Jewish website(who only supports Jews when they turn on Jews)SENT OUT AN "URGENT"EMAIL TO ALL OF ITS MEMBERS TRYING TO GET THEM TO "FIX"THE VOTE AGAINST ISRAEL.I AM THE RECIPIENT OF THAT EMAIL.AN EMAIL WHICH DISCREDITS DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH.MOST OF THE READERS OF AL JAZEERA ARE MUSLIM/ARAB.THE BBC HAD A FORUM ON GAZA AND HAMAS,AND THE MAJORITY OF THE AUDIENCE BLAMED HAMAS FOR THE SIEGE AND THE VIOLENCE BETWEEN NOT ONLY HAMAS AND ISRAEL BUT HAMAS AND THE PA.
There is a campaign of misinformation levelled against Israel by Palestinin terror groups and organizations such as MONA BAKER.The misinformation is pervasive and extends to countries like Iran who hold sickening (anti principles of Islam) HOLOCAUST DENIAL CONFERENCES.For instance it is well known that HAMAS took a HUDNA inorder to build over 1000 tunnels.These tunnels access MARIJUANA where $4 million, were smuggled through tunnels into Gaza from Egypt.
115 arrests of dealers and growers, and more than 200 kilograms of marijuana, 340 blocks of hashish and 2,340 marijuana plants.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/932638.html
The appearances of shortages of food,are overwhelmingly a tactic of misinformation used by the anti Israel movement.If that were not a ffact why is it that they are siilent in regard to GUSH KATIF,when GUSH KATIF used to supply Israel with 75% of its produce?And now is in the hands of Palestinians?
Ironically even CHRISTIANS have been persecuted in silence by Islamic terror groups like HAMAS both in Gaza and West BANK.Palestinian Christians have been decimated in Gaza,where there remains fewer than 3000.Many are threatened and some are murdered and denied any rights because like the JEWS they are NON MUSLIM.
http://www.truveo.com/Disenfrancisemant-of-Christians-in-Bethlehem/id/1879960449
Right now there are over 60,000 Christians travelling to Israel as tourists.Ironically less than 500 Christians were allowed safe entry to Betheleham.No one can say that Christians are denied freedom in Israel.In east Jerusalem Christian Palestinians are being attacked and persecuted by Muslims.
To conclude this letter is a world from a well known Palestinian and ex terrorist.
"The Holocaust never ended but the victims have decided to defend themselves.The occupation is in the minds of Children who are taught hatred."Why is it that on June 4th 1967 I was a Jordanian and overnight I became a Palestinian?"
Wahid Shoebat
Posted by: Ahmad Yaqeen | 24/12/2008
listen to the tears of children
Posted by: adam breasley | 01/01/2009
Wow, thank you for reminding us that Jerusalem belonged to the jews before the muslims lived there....
Then dear person who added this long "history-lecture" comment : you should also claim that Australia should be given back to the aborigenes, America to the Indians, and so on !!!!!! Till where do we have to go back in time to justify a new holocaust? Did you forget what happened to our grand parents occupied by the german ? What's the difference in Gaza between both facts ????
And what does the al jazeera votes have to do ? Are you comparing a democratic government (israel is called so) to religious countries ? Is it correct to do so? Maybe it is, because Israel is acting like terrorists : their mass killing cannot be justified by anything in History, anything in Religion books, BY NOTHING .
Know that your kids or grand kids might have to study someday "the second holocaust : how the palestinians were murdered by an army".
I am proud of Nurit's letter : may other people from the jewish community find the way to peaceful thoughts too.
Yours truly, Lila Benmery
Posted by: Lila | 14/01/2009
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