"Abraham Lincoln suggested we should destroy our enemies by making them our friends. Churchill said , 'People will treat you as you treat them.'"

MASSACHUSETTS (1/21) - "Real armies attack armies, but the mighty Israeli army is ganging up on the refugees camps and murdering women and children...It is not a heroic act to use state of the art machines of death against impoverished civilians who even have a hard time securing food for their kids." - the Mayor of Khan Younis, Husni Zurub

While people around the world were out celebrating the Christmas season and ringing in the New Year-- the Israeli Army were out spilling more Palestinian blood for a few dozen handmade missiles launchers in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp. This was the Israeli army's third murderous assault on the Khan Younis Refugee Camp in the past weeks. The army's latest assault left 11 people dead and scores wounded from their own use of shell fire and missile launchers.

A week earlier, the Israeli Army's went into the Khan Younis Refugee Camp again and left another dozen or more people dead, with over 50 civilians wounded--many seriously, and made over 30 families homeless when they demolished their homes. Prior to this the army perpetrated another murderous assault on the camp that caused more death and destruction in its path.

Like many people around the world I am both shocked and outraged by the Israeli army's violence. I find it heart breaking to see the pictures of young families left stranded on the street with just the clothes on their back when the army demolished their homes. Then to read about the shocking brutality the army inflicted upon the Palestinian militants (some were mere boys 15--17 years old) with their 21st century weaponry .What a terrible reflection upon the Christmas message:

"Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men".

Where in the world is the Israeli army's humanity? What could be more central to all human beings than the security and comfort of a home? How can demolishing houses make Israel more secure? Indeed, how can murdering militants and young children be serving Israel honorably ? How can they live with themselves? Indeed, how can the Israeli government send out their sons and daughters to kill Palestinian sons and daughters? Where is their humanity?

An American soldier said in Michael Moore's film 9/11 "When you kill someone you kill a part of yourself". At least, this soldier recognized the man on the other end of his gun was a man like himself. Could it be the Israeli soldiers have dehumanized their fellow kind to mere targets?

Abraham Lincoln suggested we should destroy our enemies by making them our friends. Churchill said , "People will treat you as you treat them". Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) said,"A man's feeling of good-will towards others is the strongest magnet for drawing good-will towards himself".

Nevertheless the Israeli army's murderous assault on the Klan Younis Refugee Camp was another war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Fourth Geneva Convention was adopted and ratified in 1951 by the Israeli government to govern the army's conduct in the territories. However, the present government and the army fails to fully apply its standards and therefore violates international law daily. Although, I must commend the efforts of the Attorney General for urging the government to comply with the law. So far this has not occurred.

Still, why can't the Israeli army act in accordance with the rule of law and just arrest the militants? This would certainly spare harming anyone or damaging property too. Since when is it appropriate for the army to bomb militants in their homes, on the streets, in their cars or indeed to target kill anyone. This is not how a civil society operates.

Yet it never ceases to amaze me how the Israeli Army along with Alan Dershowitz attempts to justify the army's brutality under the pretense of "self defense" when in fact, I feel it is premeditated murder. The army's "stimulus and response" tactic is a perfect example of a misuse of the law. This strategy is based upon the principle of engaging the militants and then attacking them with overwhelming force of the army's 21 st century weaponry. There is nothing "self defense" about this. But Exodus 20:13 is very clear about G-d's commandment:

"You shall not kill"

Under the terms of the 4th Geneva Convention the army's primary responsibility in the territories is the protection of civilian--which they have failed repeatedly to do. This becomes quite evident when one reviews the vital statistics from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

The number of deaths from the Second Intifada was 3,128 deaths. Of this number, 2,678 (85.6%)were civilians. How atrocious. Of the total deaths (3,128), 593 were children . In addition, the Israeli army wounded over 50, 000 Palestinian civilians. 10,000 of these victims were children. According to the Israeli committee against house demolitions, the Israeli army demolished over 5,000 homes and left 70,000 people homeless or displaced.

No wonder the Human Rights Director, Mr. Kenneth Roth could note in his report, Razing Rafah last October, "Israel has violated international law by failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants and it did not live up to its responsibilities as an occupying power to protect civilians under its control".

According to our American laws such as the FAA (the (Foreign Assistance Act) and AECA (Arms Export Control Act), the government is strictly forbidden from giving military assistance to any country that violates internationall recognized Human Rights and International law.The State Department's 2001 human rights reports:

"Israeli security units often used excessive force against Palestinian demonstators including live fire...impeded the provision of medical assistance to Palestinians civilians by their strict enforcement of internal closures, which reportedly contributed to at least 32 deaths. Israeli security forces harassed and abused Palestinian pedestrians and drivers who were attempting to pass through more than 130 Israeli-controlled checkpoints".

We are violating our own laws and credibility providing unrestricted military aid to Israel and are in complicity with Israel's violations.

If the current peace process does not succeed--individual groups in the US will feel they have no option left but to continue their boycott of Israel. There is also a growing consensus among peace groups to join the boycott too.

Mr. Sharon will have to make hard choices and begin the political process in a serious manner. He can no longer say one thing and do another. As Gush Shalom reported last week: while Mr. Sharon was talking in the media about the "disengagement" plan from Gaza--he was endorsing settlement build up in the West Bank. What a gross double standard.

The continual denial by the Israeli leadership and army that the violence they are perpetrating against the Palestinian people in the territories and their shocking disregard for Palestinian peoples' human rights, civil rights and political rights is the root causes of this conflict--is no longer acceptable. Indeed, it's a misuse of our American goodwill and military aid.

Still, I feel what the Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish said about the occupation reveals the harsh reality:

“The Occupation doesn’t content itself with depriving us of the primary conditions of freedom, but goes onto deprive us of the bare essentials of a dignified human life, by declaring constant war on our bodies, and our dreams, on the people and the houses and the trees, and by committing crimes of war. It does not promise us anything more than the apartheid system, and the capacity of the sword to defeat the soul”.

Presently, I have little confidence in the Israeli army to be fair and just towards the Palestinian people. I hope the army will work to restore my confidence by fully complying with the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention and by calling its members into account for their conduct and violations. All too often, I hear people complain--how the soldiers act with impunity.

Indeed, the Israeli army's deadly incursions into the Palestinian territories such as: Operation Rainbow, Days of Repentenance and Klan Younis should be brought before the international tribunal. I believe these incursions were a shocking misuse and abuse of military power.

Like the mayor of Khan Younis Husni Zurub said: "Real armies attack armies, but the mighty Israeli army is ganging up on the refugees camps and murdering women and children...It is not a heroic act to use state of the art machines of death against impoverished civilians who even have a hard time securing food for their kids".

Although Christmas is over I still wish the Israeli army were still "the most moral army". I wish , I wish...