 |
Angela Bertz is originally from London, and immigrated to Israel in the 1980's.
|
|
|
|
By Angela Bertz
November 13, 2004
Adam Weinstein was 14.
He was a computer genius and a bright 9th grade student. He liked to play basketball and the piano. His brother described him as a good soul who never cursed and had many friends. In fact on the 1st December 2001 this vibrant young teenager had been enjoying a night out with his friends. Just before 11.30 he spoke to his parents to tell them he was on his way home. Adam never spoke to his parents again. Shortly after that call two Palestinian homicide bombers detonated explosive belts and Adam along with 10 more youngsters were blown to pieces. The number of wounded was 180.
This is what Nelson Mandela former President of South Africa had to say about the man that was responsible for the death of Adam. "Yasser Arafat was one of the outstanding freedom fighters of this generation, one who gave his entire life to the cause of the Palestinian people. We honor his memory today."
Current South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed his "deepest regret" at the death of a "giant of the struggle of the poor and struggle of the oppressed."
Yasser Arafat once said "I now see the walls of Jerusalem, the mosques of Jerusalem, the churches of Jerusalem. My brothers! With blood and with spirit we will redeem you, Palestine! Yes, with blood and with spirit we will redeem you Palestine!"
Anya Kazachkov was 16.
Anna was a talented 11th grade student whose drawings now decorate the walls of her former school. Her mother described her daughter as full of life. She wanted to study, serve in the army and get married. Anya, born in Russia had only been in Israel for 2 years. On a balmy 1st June in 2001 Anya was excitedly waiting to go into a disco with her friends. Shortly before midnight a Palestinian ghoul shattered not only Anya but 19 other teenager's lives. One hundred more were wounded. Her mother overwhelmed with grief at her daughter's funerals two days later, screamed that all she wanted was to see her daughter's face one more time.
This is what French President Chirac had to say about the man that was responsible for the death of Anya: "With him disappears a man of courage and conviction who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights."
This is Yasser Arafat's message to Palestinian children. "Be a Shahid (Martyr)." Upon hearing the news of yet another suicide attack on Israeli civilians, he declared: "The heroic martyrdom operation [of the man] that turned his body into a bomb [is] the model of manhood and sacrifice for the sake of Allah and the homeland.?
Malka Roth was 15.
She was a beautiful girl devoted to her family and often helped her mother with her severely handicapped sister. Through her experience in the home she became devoted to the needs of special needs children. She was a gifted musician who played the classical flute. On August 9, 2002, with her best friend,she stopped for lunch at the Sbarro Pizza parlor in Jerusalem. Just before 2 pm a Palestinian detonated a 5-10 kg bomb packed with nails and shrapnel. Malka's parents received her phone back with a one inch nail embedded in it. Fourteen more innocent people, including her best friend, and five members of the same family were also killed. 132 were wounded.
This is what Kofi Annan had to say about the man responsible for the heinous death of Malka. Yasser Arafat "symbolized... the national aspirations of the Palestinian people." By signing the Oslo accords, "he took a giant step towards the realization of this vision. It is tragic that he did not live to see it fulfilled."
These are words spoken by Yasser Arafat: "We the PLO will concentrate all our efforts on splitting Israel psychologically into two camps. Within five years we will have six to seven million Arabs living on the West Bank and in Jerusalem. The PLO plans to eliminate the State of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian State. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion; Jews won't want to live among Arabs."
Shmuel Taubenfeld was three months old.
There is not much to be said for his short life other than he never had a chance to take his first step. He never spoke his first word. He would never have a first day at school. He would never know how the bees make honey. He probably never understood what it meant to smell a flower. On August 19th a Palestinian homicide bomber dressed as an orthodox Jew got on the same bus as him. Twenty two people were blown to pieces and 136 were wounded, many of them children and babies. Some of the victims had to have DNA to establish their identity. The Rabbi at the funeral of baby Shmuel said these poignant words "You will now be an angel who will protect us and strengthen us". He was buried alongside his mother, Goldie, in Jerusalem and survived by his father and 12 siblings.
This is what Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski had to say about the man that was responsible for the death of baby Shmuel: "The death of Yasser Arafat is a departure from political life of one of the most charismatic, one of the most colorful and controversial figures, both in the Middle East and the wider political world."
The Spanish government had the following to say: "The Spanish government expresses its great sadness at the death of Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian National Authority, and winner of the Nobel peace prize. Arafat's charismatic personality, the international status that he gave to the Palestinian nation and his unrelenting fight for recognition for his people makes him one of the most relevant leaders of our time," the statement read.
These are words spoken by Yasser Arafat: "They are waging open war against the Palestinian people...We must confront them, we must confront them, we must confront them. We must confront them in every sense of the word."
Elad Cohen was 20.
He was one month away from his 21st birthday. A neighbour described him as quiet and serious boy, who had very much wanted to serve in a combat unit, where he thrived, making many friends. On May 12, 2004 Elad along with 5 other soldiers was on a mission to destroy tunnels used by the Palestinians to smuggle weapons and ammunition to be used in deadly attacks against Israel. His armoured personnel carrier was hit by an anti tank rocket and he was blown to pieces. Later the people of Gaza raced through the streets with the torn body parts of these young soldiers. They later tried to use the return of these body parts to Israel, as bargaining chips.
This is what Chinese President Hu Jintao had to say about the man that was responsible for the death of Elad. He called Yasser Arafat "a brilliant leader" and "a great friend" of China.
These are the words of Yasser Arafat: "To Jerusalem we will march-millions of martyrs. And, O God, Master of the Universe, please let me be one of the martyrs. - Al-jihad, al-jihad, al-jihad, al-jihad, al-jihad, al-jihad" (Holy war, holy war, holy war, holy war, holy war, holy war.).
The last words of the day belong to senior apologist for Palestinian terrorism, Hannan Ashrawi. Commenting on the outpouring of grief at the funeral in Ramallah she described Arafat as a man of the people -- a great leader, a great statesman and a great father.
The funeral, she added, is "quintessential Arafat ... he would have loved it."
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
