Opinion
 

Misleaders lead to more murders

By David C. Salinas

Just over a week ago Israeli forces killed Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and a couple of his bodyguards with three missiles, and intensified a battle that has already seen more than enough bloodshed. Now I don't mean to say that Yassin was a good man -- he was the founder of the terrorist organization, Hamas, which has killed hundreds of people. But what does murdering an elderly, quadriplegic man do to further the peace process in the Middle East? Apparently it caused a teenager to strap a bomb to his chest and try to kill as many people as possible, including himself. Instead of thinking about girls or sports, this kid was contemplating suicide in an attempt to help his people's "cause." Unfortunately other children have been successful in this "mission."

Just imagine being a Palestinian child who sees nothing but violence and oppression, and has the belief that there is nothing left to do other than end your own life along with the lives of others around you. Now imagine being an Israeli child who kisses their parents goodbye as they go to school, not knowing if they'll return that night. Imagine being afraid to go to a mall because you may be blown up by the person standing next to you. In this conflict we are always too quick to vilify one side or the other, but it's important to remember that a majority of these people have nothing to do with this violence -- they are the victims. The leaders, on both sides, are the villains in this horrific situation.

The people to blame are the leaders -- I should say the misleaders -- like Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, who have done nothing for the people they pretend to defend. We all know that Yasser Arafat, the leader of the terrorist group the Palestinian Liberation Organization, has been involved in the deaths of numerous innocent people, but many don't know about Ariel Sharon's destructive past.

In 1953, Sharon joined the Haganah, an underground military organization, and was given command of "Unit 101." His unit took part in the demolition of refugee camps, killing innocent people, including the elderly, women and children. In a village in Qibya he led a group that blew up 45 houses, killing 69 civilians, two-thirds of whom were women and children. This could not be chalked up to the miserable concept of "collateral damage" either.

So the first solution to this conflict might be to not let men who deal in violence lead the way to peace. Quite frankly, they wouldn't know how to get there. Over their lifetime, the answer to violence has been more violence. This vicious cycle hasn't seemed to affect them personally, so they, and groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, will perpetuate the bloodshed until they are removed from the process.

The next step is to find moderate, secular-thinking people and put them in charge of both sides. Of course this should be done as democratically as possible, but a little pushing and prodding by the United Nations wouldn't hurt. Then, and only then, can we get to some sort of compromise. The word "compromise" is thrown around a lot, but it's what is most needed here. Neither side can get exactly what they want, but if you give Palestinians a fair share of the land they desire, and give the Israelis the peace and security they want, I'm sure the people would be content, if not happy. Remember, it's not the people at large who have been causing the problems here.

I know this issue is more complex than I might realize, but I know you can't solve complexity with violence. For every Sheik Ahmad Yassin you kill, you create 100 more men like him, who are younger, angrier and more violent. They can't bomb their way out of this problem; they'll have to think their way out. I don't believe any of the current leaders there, or here for that matter, can come close to solving this problem. But someone needs to, and fast. Because no child, Israeli or Palestinian, should ever wake up from a nightmare only to realize their reality is much worse.

Salinas, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at davidcsalinas@yahoo.com.