The occupation corrupts from above

[Darranar]

The lie we were told about the Air Force's bombing
of the Nusseirat refugee camp has very long
tentacles. These tentacles start from the very
highest echelons and do not skip over any sector
of Israeli society. Their roots are planted deep
in the territories, fed by the poison of the
occupation.

Without lies, it would be
impossible to talk about
peace with the Palestinians
for 36 years while at the
same time seizing more and
more Palestinian land.
Without lies, it would be
impossible to claim that
there is no partner for the
road map, while at the same

time injecting more and more money into
outposts that the road map calls for
dismantling. Without lies, it would be
impossible to promise "painful concessions" in
exchange for peace, while at the same time
terming people who concluded such an agreement
"traitors."

Politicians who lie for the sake of ideology or
political interests are nothing out of the
ordinary. Yitzhak Shamir declared openly that
"it is permissible to lie for the sake of the
Land of Israel." When George W. Bush began his
war on Iraq, he and the politicians who
surround him flooded the American public with
falsehoods. The problem is that in Israel,
lying has become the norm among the working
levels of the army, the legal establishment and
the diplomatic corps. Lying has become a way of
life for commanders and soldiers, lawyers and
clerks, most of whom are far from having
right-wing views and many of whom loathe the
occupation.

While the politicians lie in order to perpetuate
the occupation, the workers learn to lie in
order to justify it. Israel Defense Forces
soldiers have become used to seeing settlers
prepare a road to yet another outpost in the
morning, and then hearing on the radio in the
evening that the defense minister and the prime
minister "vehemently deny" the existence of any
new outposts. So what do they do? They say
(perhaps even to themselves) that this is a
"security road."

Haaretz

[sam sarrha]

1. reminds me about Red Cloud and the Old Chiefs walking out of a meeting

with the army and the government after forcing them to sign another treaty giving up more of the Sacred Black Hills... Red Cloud was walking out with the rest of the Chiefs and stooped down and made a small ball out of mud.. he walked back to the Government man and handed him the mud ball..and said,"here you forgot a piece of our land".