Human Shield vs. Human Sacrifice

Israelis frequently react with understandable horror at lengths Palestinians will go to try and harm Israeli society. Suicide bombers have become a ubiquitous part of life in the region, and we have recently begun to see the use of both women and children as bombers. The following BBC article demonstrates the depths of hatred among Palestinians for Israel, as it focuses on a picture of a young Palestinian child dressed as a suicide bomber, but the slant of the article doesn't bother to touch the roots of the hatred:

Israeli prime ministerial spokesman David Baker said the picture was symptomatic of what he regarded as anti-Jewish indoctrination. "What is obvious is that Palestinians are feeding the hatred of Jews and Israelis to their children at the earliest possible age," he said. (for the rest of the article click here)

Obviously the sort of indoctrination that occurs is disturbing. The idea of teaching children to become suicide bombers is deplorable, but what the article fails to acknowledge is the environment that encourages such behaviour. In fact, it focuses on the outrage and indignation of Israelis over the suggested use of children as human bombs. But what about the use of children as human shields?

It seems rather ironic that the Israeli government will use images of exploited Palestinian children for propaganda purposes, while at the very same time their military engages in truly atrocious practices by using Palestinian children as human shields.

A photograph of a Palestinian boy tied to an Israeli police jeep has been handed to justice officials charged with investigating complaints over the use of "human shields" against demonstrators.

The boy, 13-year-old Mohammed Bedwan, and three adult protesters were tied to border police vehicles last week during one of what have become almost daily demonstrations against the routing of the Israeli government's barrier through Palestinian land. (for the rest of the article click here)

It is obviously important to remember that the people on both sides engaging in this sort of exploitation of children are only a tiny percentage of the population, while focusing on what they do makes for compelling news and propaganda.

But one of the lessons from this should be a recognition on both sides that members of their community are guilty of crimes. The Israelis complain bitterly about the inability of the Palestinian Authority to police its people, yet the Israeli government regularly lets their own people commit crimes for which they go unpunished. Of course, given the nature and depth of hatred, it may very well be that the two sides are incapable of beginning to resolve their differences without outside intervention.