In a recent article at Jerusalem Post, entitled: Resist the Rush to Judgment, the following statement was made:

• The last thing this society needs is more polarization, more radicalization, spurred by whichever element, and for whatever reason. What we most need are cool heads and moderation, even at the price of passing up political gain.

Notice those last few words: "even at the price of passing up political gain".

These are such important words to note in this era of ideologues and ideologies pushing for power, often at the expense of the truth. As I wrote in the article entitled: What is Truth? A Political Camera Angle!

• What is the truth? Nobody cares what the truth is. They care for nothing more than the camera angle that spotlights their particular issue, guilt, power lust or self righteousness.

The Jerusalem Post article from which the opening words above were quoted, was about the death of a Palestinian youth, and the immediate cry on the world stage that he had been 'shot' by Jewish Settlers.  As it transpired however, this was not the truth.

• Last week, the media both at home and abroad swallowed - hook, line and sinker - allegations propagated as fact by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) to the effect that on September 27, a young shepherd from Akrabeh, south of Nablus, had been shot and abducted by settlers from Gitit in the Jordan Valley.
  
  The fact that Gitit, near Mechora, is hardly an extremist hotbed didn't serve to mitigate the instantaneous condemnation. But then both police forensic teams and the autopsy performed on 19-year-old Yihya Atta Bani-Minya revealed that not only were there no signs of the victim having been shot, death was in fact caused by his having handled an unexploded 40mm-shell.

On October 6th I published an article on International Politics and today a Chinese student sent me an email in response to it. One of the thoughts expressed was that in the past Countries in the Soviet Block were brothers but that now NATO has "swallowed" these countries up.

Give the nature of communist ideology we can hardly blame the student for having the expressed perspective. People digest whatever is fed them. We in the west tend to 'look down on' people in communist countries because we consider that they are a 'duped' people.  But what then must we say of ourselves, if rather than being seekers of truth, or at least of the facts, we prefer to jump onto ideological bandwagons; making accusations solely because that is what our ideology requires.  As my students are oft to quote (amongst many other things), "There are always two sides to every coin".

In Israel, the Jerusalem-based human rights organization B'Tselem, has been providing video cameras to Palestinians to provide proof to the world of Israeli Atrocities.

• Image Makers by Larry Derfner (Oct 2, 2008)
• Last July 7, Salaam Amira turned that camera on the anti-security fence protest taking place at her village, Ni'lin, and captured a soldier shooting a blindfolded, bound young Palestinian man in the foot at point-blank range. Two weeks later, a B'Tselem field-worker learned about the videotape, it became international news and the IDF had a major scandal on its hands.

There is no denying the reality of some of the abuses taking place in the Middle East, but as this same story recounts:

• AND THEN there is the question of whether B'Tselem gives a fair picture of what's going in the West Bank. After all, it does not have video activists filming Palestinian terrorism, which is certainly a big part of the picture. It has no videotape, for instance, of the Palestinian who stabbed the boy in Yitzhar prior to the settlers' rampage. Nor does it have videotape of the Palestinian woman who recently threw acid in the eye of a soldier at a checkpoint.

It may suit our political agenda to show only one side of the coin, but if we are going to play the victim card, ignoring the reality that we ourselves create victims, then how can we plead for justice?  The real question to be answered is this: "Do politically motived groups even care about justice?"

"Are they not really just point scoring?"

Let me ask you: "When you think of the Palestinian / Israeli conflict, how many sides to the conflict do you think there are?"

Most would answer: "Two! The Israelis and the Palestinians!"

When we talk about the oppression, victimization and suffering of the Palestinian People, whose fault do we think it is? Have we ever considered a different perspective? Have we ever considered that the lack of Palestinian Statehood (the reason for the conflict) is but a political game played by fanatics who would rather their people bleed and die than see peace with Israel?

"Absolute Rubbish!" I hear you say. But let's stop to look at a few things.

There are not two parties in the Palestinian Conflict - there are Three.  Hamas and Fatah who war with each other, and Israel with whom everyone wars.  While everyone is concerned about the atrocities that Israelis do commit as well as those allegedly committed, Palestinians are constantly being killed by Palestinians. Whilst Israel is a democratic state, the Palestinian future lies at the mercy of totalitarian political zealots.

You think not?  What then do you say to the fact that peace between Fatah and Hamas is proving impossible because of the 'power lust' of different leaders?  Major Fatah assault on Hamas close: By Yaakov Katz October 5th 2008

• There are signs that Fatah is preparing to launch a major operation against Hamas in the West Bank in the coming weeks ahead of expected turmoil when Mahmoud Abbas's term as PA president ends in January, a top IDF officer has told The Jerusalem Post.
  
  Abbas's presidential term is scheduled to end on January 9, and the IDF Central Command is preparing for the possibility that Hamas will try to take advantage of political instability in Ramallah to take over West Bank towns and cities.
  
  In the absence of elections or a compromise with Hamas, according to the Palestinian Authority constitution, Abbas will be replaced by the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Abdel Aziz Dweik, a member of Hamas who has been in an Israeli prison since August 2006.
  
  The senior IDF officer said there was evidence that Fatah forces were planning a widespread West Bank operation against Hamas infrastructure and terrorist cells to weaken the Islamist group ahead of potential clashes in January.

Right now, the issue of Peace with Israel and an end to Palestinian Suffering is the furtherest thing from the minds of those seeking power in Palestine. In July of 2006 both here (Corruption in Palestine: A People Deceived by Their Leaders) and here  (Israel - Palestine 2006: This War Must not be in Vain by Steven Shamrak) it was pointed out that the Palestinian leadership has never done what it has promised it's people.

• Israel's last resort by Mortimer Zuckerman, N.Y.DailyNews July 14,2006
  The Palestinians have given the lie to virtually all the scenarios so hopefully envisaged by their friends. They did not construct schools, roads and hospitals; they made no effort to turn Gaza into a thriving state. They elected a radical Islamic Hamas government. They permitted the smuggling of huge quantities of weapons and terrorists while creating new bases for terror. Palestinian society has descended ever more into advanced anarchy.

So concerned have other Arab states become that Egypt is once again trying to resolve the inter-party fighting in Palestine. (Note: Inter-Party, not Fighting between Israel and Palestinians). Egypt seeks way to end Fatah-Hamas rift. Oct 6, 2008 By Khaled Abu Toameh.

• A senior Hamas delegation is scheduled to arrive in Cairo Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials on ways of ending the Hamas-Fatah power struggle.
  
  Hamas was invited to Cairo as part of Egypt's efforts to achieve "national reconciliation" among all the Palestinian factions.
  
  The proposals call for the establishment of a new government consisting solely of independent figures, reconstructing the Palestinian security forces, ending Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and reforming the PLO.
  
  Zahar, the Hamas leader from the Gaza Strip, said that previous attempts to end the crisis failed "due to pressure from outside forces." He claimed that the US and Israel were exerting pressure on Fatah not to patch up its differences with Hamas.

When Political, or for that matter, Religious Ideology takes precedence over the lives and well being of citizens, how can such an ideology be said to be worthwhile?

When 'Victims' must lie to maintain their victim status, how can we truly call them victims?

When we prefer ideology to truth, how then can we call ourselves enlightened humanitarians?

When we look down on people in communist countries for blindly believing what they are told, when we ourselves will not believe anything that does not suit our ideology, how can we consider ourselves superior?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion and an ideology; but not at the expense of the truth!