of the Irish underground, who left behind moving songs ("Shoot me like an Irish soldier / Do not hang me like a dog; / For I fought for Ireland's freedom / On that dark September morn
The fiction that freedom fighters are common criminals is necessary for the legitimization of a colonial regime, and makes it easier for a soldier to shoot people. It is, of course, twisted. Common criminals act in their own interest. Freedom fighters or "terrorists," like most soldiers, believe that they are serving their people or cause.
One paradox of the situation is that the Israeli government is negodating with people who themselves have served time in Israeli prisons. When our leaders speak about the need to strengthen the "moderate" Palestinian elements, they mainly mean these.
That is a feature of the Palestinian situation, which I doubt exists in other occupied countries. People who have spent five, ten and even 20 years in Israeli prisons, and who have every reason in the world to hate our guts, are quite open to contact with Israelis.
Since I know some of them, and some have become close friends, I have wondered many times about this.
At international conferences I have met Irish activists. After several pints of Guinness they have told me that they know no greater joy in life than killing Englishmen. I was reminded of the song of our poet Nathan Alterman, who prayed to God "Give me hatred gray like a sack" (for the Nazis). After hundreds of years of oppression, that's how they felt.
Of course, my Palestinian friends hate the Israeli occupation. But they do not hate all Israelis, just for being Israelis. In prison, most of them have learned good Hebrew and listened to Israeli radio, read Israeli newspapers, and watched Israeli TV. They know that there are all kinds of Israelis, just as there are all kinds of Palestinians. Israeli democracy, which allows members of the Knesset to vilify their prime minister, has made a deep impression on them. When the Israeli government showed a readiness to negotiate with Palestinians, the best partners were to be found among these ex-prisoners.
That is also true for the prisoners that are to be released now. If Marwan Barghouti is released, he will be a natural partner in any peace effort.43
I shall be very happy when both he and Gilad Shalit are free.
June 14, 2003
A week after the ship of peace was solemnly launched on its perilous voyage from Aqaba harbor, it was hit by a torpedo. It is not yet clear