An American-Palestinian Reflection on 9/11

An American-Palestinian Reflection on 9/11

By Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh

Ten years after September 11, 2001, we still have the choice of continuing
the same policies that lead to war and conflict or to insist on human rights
and hold violators accountable.

September brings back memories of atrocities ranging from the massacres of
Palestinians in Jordan September 1970, to the CIA's involvement in the coup
that installed General Pinochet in Chile (9/11/73), to the massacre of Sabra
and Shatila on 15 September 1982, and to the attacks of 11 September 2001 on
the US (my second home). These tragedies are demonstrably intertwined
beyond the coincidences of date and they each claimed the lives of hundreds
of civilian victims. I was with my late father during the first two of
these four events and his pain at hearing and seeing the news of these
events on TV remains etched in my memory. In Mid September 1970 and after
some Palestinian groups acted in ways that threatened his Hashemite rule in
Jordan, King Hussain declared martial law and sent his tanks to the refugee
camps. Routing the PLO out of Jordan meant "collateral damage" (the term
Israel and the US use) of massacres of hundreds of Palestinians. Horrific
stories of atrocities are recorded. Two years later, a CIA-led coup d'état
against the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende
succeeded to place a right-wing dictator by the name of Pinochet in power.
It was on September 11, 1973, that the government was toppled and Allende
was assassinated. The US-supported reign of terror that followed against
the Chilean people left thousands of murdered. Thousands were tortured and
thousands disappeared.

Ten years later, the US-supported Israeli army invaded Lebanon June 1982 to
route the PLO out of Lebanon. The invading army pounded cities and refugee
camps and killed thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians. Under a
deal arranged by Israel's patrons in Washington, the PLO was forced out of
Lebanon on 1 Sept. 1982 in exchange for promises that refugees would not be
harmed. US promises were not kept and Israel was given US weapons and
diplomatic cover to commit further acts of violence. A ruthless General
known to Israelis as the bulldozer (because nothing stood in his way)
commanded Israel’s invading army. On 11 September 1982 he announced that
the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila had 2000 "terrorists" and unleashed
mercenaries to do his ghastly deed. The 150 Phalangist killers who went
into the camps on September 15 not only received Israeli salaries and
weapons but a direct Green light (the camp was surrounded by Israeli
soldiers, and Israeli floodlights allowed continuation of the massacre
throughout the night). For 40 hours straight, women were machine-gunned,
children's throats were slit, and elderly men were hacked to death.
Estimates of the number of victims ranged from 750 (Israeli figure) to 2500
(Red Cross figure).

I was living near New York on 11 September 2001. The horror was felt first
because for many of us, friends and relatives were in New York City and we
were very worried for them and for the country as a whole. The attacks also
killed many Arabs and Muslims. Immediately, the Zionist strategy was
developed and implemented to blame Arabs and Muslims and use the attacks to
bolster Israeli colonial activities. Some 2000 Palestinian civilians were
killed by Israeli forces in the two years that followed the attack (and the
Palestinian groups killed over 500 Israelis in retaliation). Later, the
commission of inquiry into the events hid many facts; the most important of
which is what any crime investigator asks about-- the real motive of the
crime. US policy in support of apartheid Israel was (and to a large extent
continues to be) a taboo subject. But the official attempts to stifle
discussion and force the US public to be consumers rather than citizens
largely failed. (Bush's speech after the events told citizens to simply go
shopping and leave things to him and his government). People actually had a
gut feeling that there are things they are not being told and they looked
for sources of information.

Our activism before 2001 for Palestinian human rights meant that we were in
the spotlight (both in the negative and positive sense) after the attacks.
Just in the six months after the horrific attacks, I gave over 40 lectures
and interviewed and appeared in media over 50 times. More than any other
time in my life in the US, I experienced directly both the goodness of the
US public and the treachery and meanness of those who only cared for
Israel. In my upcoming book about my life in the US, I devote some pages to
describe these things. Both the kindness and curiosity of average US
citizens and the attacks carried on us by those in the political Zionist
camp. We were subjected to email spams, computer hacking, mail fraud, FBI
investigations that came from Zionist sources, physical and verbal attacks,
and to deluge of letters calling us names (from terrorists to anti-Semites)
sent to media, politicians, and even our academic colleagues. Not only did
we weather that but we got strengthened in our resolve and much of it
backfired on the aggressors and gained us even more sympathy among the
American public.

Here we are 10 years after 11 September 2001 and we still have choices.
Thanks to US/Israeli miscalculations and stupidity, Iran is stronger than
ever as a regional power. The dictatorial governments of the friends of
Israel are toppled by popular revolt (Egypt, Tunisia) or about to be toppled
(Yemen). Others in the so-called "moderate" camp have been weakened or had
to reassess their positions (Jordan, the Palestinian Authority in
Ramallah). And while the US policy tried to balance things by working to
remove dictators who are less friendly to it (Gaddafi in Libya and Assad in
Syria), the outcome is far from certain (and people there may still get to
decide).

But there are also other changes related to the stupidity of US/Israeli
policies after 11 September 2001. Israeli forces executed nine Turkish
citizens (one of them also US citizen) in a humanitarian ship in
international waters and Israel refused to apologize. Turkey now expelled
the Zionist ambassador and cut trade and military ties with Israel.
Egyptian activists managed to enter the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and the
staff had to flee with the ambassador on his way to Tel Aviv. The carrot
and stick approach with the Palestinian authority was used successfully in
the past to force compliance with US and Israeli demands. Now it seems to
have begun to fail. David Hale and Tony Blair failed to get their way as
spokespersons for Israeli policy to force a retreat in the issue of going to
the UN to recognize a Palestinian state in the 22% of historic Palestine
that was occupied in 1967. They are now trying to get a language that
abrogates Palestinian rights (especially the right of return).

Thus, at the 10th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, questions abound about
how Israel and neocons took US policy in the past 10 years in directions
that strengthened adversaries, promoted war, wrecked the American economy,
and destroyed the sympathy and solidarity shown by people around the world
to the US. Ten years after September 11, 2001, we still have the choice of
continuing the same policies that lead to war and conflict or to insist on
human rights and hold violators accountable.

On this sad anniversary, the US government can no longer afford to remain a
vassal and occupied country whose congress stands obediently to applause a
war criminal like Netanyahu. People shake their heads as they see 81 US
Congressmen and Congresswomen take a propaganda trip to Israel during their
August recess instead of spending the time dealing with the economic
destruction in their own districts caused in part by the lobby that paid for
their trip. People wonder how a proud country like the US could allow
Israel to get away with attacking a US ship in international waters
killing 34 US servicemen. How could this government then appoint lobbyists
for Israel as US ambassadors to Israel (e.g. Martin Indyk) and US envoys to
the Middle East (e.g. Dennis Ross)? Is it any wonder that we now learn that
previous US Secretary of Defense Bill Gates had big differences on issues of
policy? Many US officials now speak out while still in office not just after
they leave office. It is urgent and critical.

On this sad anniversary, there are a lot of "what if" scenarios being
discussed and healthy reflections around the world. For example, what if
the US and Israel obeyed international law? What if we did not illegally
invade and occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? What if Israel was forced to comply
with UN resolutions on withdrawal from illegally occupied areas and forced
to allow the ethnically-cleansed Palestinians to return to their homes and
lands? In short what if we did not send the message that might makes right
but rather that rights make things right? Would that not have been the most
rational response to extremists whether they are wearing Turbans or wearing
Kippas or wearing crosses?
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On the anniversary of 9/11: Robert Fisk writes that "For 10 years, we've
lied to ourselves to avoid asking the one real question"
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-for-10-years-weve-lied-
to-ourselves-to-avoid-asking-the-one-real-question-2348438.html

Arundhati Roy on September 11
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3091094076615820821#