Kafr Qana

I have just heard the terrible news about the tragedy in Kafr Qana, and rushed to write this post. The civilized and relatively calm discussion we have started here has quickly become more important to me than I had originally imagined it would. I hope we will not let it die along with those innocent children.


I think it is important that you know how I feel about this terrible event. While I remain proud of the Israeli soldiers for protecting my life with theirs - I am ashamed of the Israeli Army for not doing more to avoid such brutal killings of innocent children.

I hope that you, my Arab partners to this discussion, are ashamed of Hizballa for its cruel use of innocent children as human shields - as living shelters for protecting the rockets they fire at my children.

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As more people express interest in joining this discussion, there is a danger we will lose the way it has been conducted up to now. I therefore wish to propose a small rule for joining:

If you consider joining, please start by taking a look at Zeinobia's post - the one that got this discussion started - and ask yourself this: If you are Israeli - ask yourself if you identify with Zeinobia's question. If you are Arab - please imagine that this child is Israeli, and then ask yourself if you can still identify with her question. If your answer is yes - this means we share at least one common value, and that is a basis for dialogue. By all means, please join us.

-I.B.


P.S., to Zeinobia, Blue, EngineeringChange, march14yuppi and Mohamed Maher: I haven't forgotten that I owe you more answers. This is just an "emergency post" from my side.

-I.B.