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Palestinians Want to Die Standing Despite Israeli Threats
JERUSALEM, May 20 (Islamonline) - As Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened Sunday to use the entire Israeli army against the Palestinian uprising, Palestinians in the occupied Gaza and the West Bank say Israeli threats can only back fire and they were increasingly convinced that they wanted to die as "martyrs."
"Death besets us everywhere anyway, " said university student Naila Seiam. "The world is not moving a finger to help save us. The Zionists don't differentiate between a child, an old man or a woman in their attacks. Therefore there is no reason for us to be afraid. Let's die standing. Let's die in more martyr operations."
Seiam is one of thousands of Palestinian civilians who, under repetitive Israeli military hits, came to the belief that the sole way to deal with Israel's excessive use of military might is to strike back with the one thing they have - martyr operations.
"We are not afraid how brutal Israel will be in its reaction to our martyr operations," said Maeed Abu Wadi, another university student. "Since we are going to die anyway and that they want to kill us no matter what, then why not die fighting."
Sharon has threatened to throw Israel's full military arsenal against the Palestinians, despite international condemnation of his F-16 air strikes on West Bank towns that lead to the death of at least 12 Palestinians on Friday.
Israel used the American-made fighter jets for the first time since it occupied Palestinian and other Arab land in 1967.
"We will do everything necessary and use everything we have to protect Israeli citizens," Sharon was quoted as saying in an interview with the Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
On Saturday, Israeli helicopter gunships carried out further attacks on Palestinian security offices in the West Bank, despite international calls for restraint. Buildings were rocketed in the towns of Tulkarm and Jenin, wounding at least 30 people, and in separate incidents, three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops.
But as both sides show determination to continue the battle, Palestinians said they wanted to see the death of more Israelis because of the lack of international protection for the Palestinian civilians.
At least 570 Palestinians have died since they started an uprising against Israeli encroachment on Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Thousands others have been injured, many of them permanently.
Daily Israeli shootings, beatings and closure of West Bank and Gaza towns have become a way of life for Palestinians, many of them publicly expressing a desire for vengeance not to see Israelis bleeding but to see just done for the Palestinian deaths.
"It always pleases me to see Israelis killed, not out of pleasure to see their blood but out of a desire to take revenge for our martyrs," Abu Wadi said.
A civil defense officer, Saleh al-Tawil, said he noticed that more and more Palestinians are putting their fears aside by trying to ferry the casualties who fall under Israeli fire and by giving medical aid to those injured at the flash points.
"We know that our uprising does scare the Israelis," Tawil said. "Children see the fear in Israeli soldiers eyes even when they are firing from their well-protected armored vehicles. It shows from the way they randomly shoot at us. They are very scared."
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas claimed responsibility Friday for a martyr operation in the coastal city of Natanya which resulted in the death of six Israelis and the injury of 100 people.
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