WHAT'S ON BRITSKÉ LISTY

Devil's Advocates

8. 6. 2010 / Ghassan Khaled

Decency, objectivity, compassion, the ability to identify and engage in real democracy, the ability to take stands that are not dictated from abroad -- that would put Czech Republic at the center of interest of other countries, making the country an equal partner, instead of a notorious "best friend" of some big global player.

Former premier Mirek Topolánek said a couple of years ago that Israel is surrounded by barbarism and terror, referring to the Arab world. At the time, as a Palestinian I asked myself: what is the source of this hatred and unfriendly official Czech policies in relation to Palestinians and our fair fight against the occupation? To this day I am still unsuccessfully looking for an answer.

After the massacre at the Freedom flotilla ship, after the protests from the whole world against the inhuman way that Israel chose to solve the situation and after the reactions by Czech politicians, who constantly express support for Israel, despite all that, makes me ask once again that question. Why?

Senator Přemysl Sobotka's open position of support for Israel's actions against the activists from the Freedom flotilla, the stance of the Czech ambassador to Israel, as well as from the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, the position taken by the Czech officials at NATO and in the end the role played by the country's representants at the Commission for Human Rights in Geneve, defending Israel, force us to once again ask the same question: what have the Palestinians done to deserve such a cruel and ruthlessly condemned by Czech politicians?

A look into history shows that the former Czechoslovakia was after Great Britain the second largest originator of today's tragic situation in Palestine, so the country's responsibility is moral and even legal, and that not only about the situation of Palestinians in Gaza, but also about the various Palestinian refugee camps in the Palestinian territory, in Lebanon, in Syria and in Jordan.

Even though average Czechs show a certain support and understanding for the Palestinian cause, the local media constantly puts a negative light over the Palestinian fight for peace and independence, it misinforms, disrespects even basic human values and principles.

As if Czechs have forgotten their Velvet Revolution, which was in fact a battle against an occupation, just that the amount of victims was much smaller, than the amount of Palestinian victims.

And all that happens in the name of the horrors, which Jews went through during the Second World War and even long before, through the various pogroms, which however were not at all caused by Palestinians. By the way, we should keep in mind that the last pogrom directed by Czechs happened in December 1918 in Holešov and what followed was a fall in the number of Jews in Czechoslovakia to half of what was until then.

Is this the reason why nowadays Czech politicians agree with the evident genocide perpetrated by the Jewish State against another nation?

It is mainly Israel that was and still is the reason for the lack of peace in the Middle East, it is who brings fear and war to the region. Israel doesn't need protection from outside, today's Jews are not tested by hatred from European nations, which never offered any defense of that nation. It is instead an arrogant State which uses inadequate outside support for actions that go against all international conventions and commonly accepted moral principles.

It is a State which has its secret services ready to interfere wherever in the world they want, without regard to international laws, like using falsified passports from European citizens, as showed the recent Dubai Hamas member assassination episode. Israel is a country capable of committing State terrorism, the murder and kidnapping of foreign citizens in international waters.

. The former and the current Czech political representation should above all follow the interests of this country, instead of abuse the suffering of Palestinians for their own political goals. In the interests of Czech Republic as a small State, so many times also abused and was abandoned by other countries when in need, its politics are based on common politeness, because politesse is an asset that in the end everyone values.

Decency, objectivity, compassion, the ability to identify and engage in real democracy, the ability to take stands that are not dictated from abroad -- that would put Czech Republic at the center of interest of other countries, making the country an equal partner, instead of a notorious "best friend" of some big global player. Israel is, on top of it all, a type of ally that expects unconditional support, even the slightest criticism is cruelly and coldly punished.

Turkey had been one of Israel's biggest allies in the region and was criticized by other Islamic countries, but still Turkish citizens were the ones killed first at the Freedom flotilla, even before the ship entered Israeli waters. How can the Czech political scene deal with an attack against a ship with a Turkish flag, considering that Turkey is an ally of Israel? After all, Turkey is a member of NATO since 1952. Can Czech Republic have any allies at all? Can the country differentiate between what is right and what is not? Or does it solve only what momentarily advantageous? And what are the consequences on the country's citizens? Will they start acting the same way as their politicians in the international arena?

The practical consequence of this type of politics is shocking. Have Czech politicians perhaps forgot to listen the voice of the more influential countries, considering it supported an attack that the U.S. has condemned? What has the Czech ambassador in Israel done to help free the Czech journalists that have been taken from the ship, robbed of some of their belongings, incarcerated and humiliated? Shouldn't Czechs instead use the Palestinian example and start to present itself at least as equally self-confident?

The solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is very far and it is not fair to ask from Czech politics to find a way to solve it. As a small State it could help, though, rejecting those worse excesses committed by Israel, it could help to protect the weakest or at least help them survive the attacks from their stronger neighbor. To love Israel doesn't mean to hate Palestinians.

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