Conflict in Mideast

Continuing bloodshed in Palestine

By Mazhar Khan Jadoon

It is the same pattern; a déjà vu of what normally happens when an overwhelmingly strong Israeli army retaliates on minor provocation and leaves behind a trail of blood and gore.

A ceasefire finally came into force Thursday in and around Gaza after a week of 1500 missile strikes that killed at least 155 Palestinians. How long will the truce hold when core of the conflict is untouched? Pushing the burning issue under wraps might risk turning the whole region into powder keg.

Announcement of the ceasefire sets off celebrations in Gaza, where thousands poured into the streets, firing guns into the air, honking horns and waving Palestinian, Hamas and Egyptian flags. Hamas celebrated it as their victory, while Israel also achieved what it wanted to. In Israel, however, small demonstrations were held in communities that were struck by rockets. Protesters said the military should have hit Hamas harder and some held signs demanding security and denouncing “agreements with terrorists”, says media reports.

The post-Arab Spring Egypt this time took a centre stage in resolving the conflict. Islamist President Muhammad Morsi emerged as the one regional leader who could ensure peace by brokering the ceasefire. Morsi, who has been in a flurry of meetings and conversation with the US and European governments, also earned the rare US praise for his role. But for how long can he resist the growing resentment among the rejuvenated Egyptians and Arabs demanding a firm ‘shut-up call’ to a chesty Israel.

The accord, according to media reports, calls on Israel to “stop all hostilities... in the land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals” and urges the Palestinian factions to end “rocket attacks and all attacks along the border”. Israel would be obliged to ease restrictions on Gaza residents under the accord which specified that “procedures of implementation shall be dealt with” 24 hours after the ceasefire went into effect on opening Gaza’s border crossings and allowing the free movement of people and goods. However, there is nothing in place to ensure that the accord is implemented or what penalty the violator will pay.

Whether Israel follows the accord or not, it is safe and strong until the United States watches its back and the impotent Arab League and Organistaion of Islamic Cooperation sit silently. A military elephant boozing on latest warfare technology will keep bulldozing the shanty settlements of poor Palestinians defending themselves with catapults.

It is pointless at this time to look for who started the war. The cost is too high. As senior journalist and expert on Middle East, Robert Fisk, puts it “one hundred Palestinians for one Israeli”. He writes, “The new exchange rate in Gaza for Palestinian and Israeli deaths has reached 16:1. It will rise, of course. The exchange rate in 2008-9 was 100:1.”

The graphic visuals of bleeding Palestinian women and children running for safety as Israeli jets and drones rained down missiles once again failed to give heart and courage to international powers to find a lasting solution. Nothing is new — the same aggressor, the same victim, the same wailing children and women and the same venue. For the last 64 years, Israel has been repeatedly creating terror by trying to exterminate the resilient Palestinians struggling to find some breathing space against an expansionist foe.

Emboldened by the Arab Spring and expecting support for its objectives, Hamas again fell in the trap and tried to test its rockets at a wrong place and at the wrong time. Hamas miscalculated the move and provided Israel another opportunity to test its ‘Iron Dome’ system. The success of the Iron Dome system means Hamas will have to wait for years to properly arm itself for taking Israel head on.

Operation Pillar of Defense proved that the expensive new defense system performed unexpectedly well against Hamas’ Fajr-5 missiles, intercepting some 85 per cent of the rockets that were launched at Israel by Hamas, according to the reports. The Dome is designed specifically to track and destroy rockets that are headed over populated areas. By the end of the week, there were reports of Israelis staying outside during air strikes to watch the Dome at work.

Events in the region are witness to the fact that Israel always rubbished peace deals whenever it wanted to test its military muscles, showing the neighbours around and the public at home that Israel is strong enough to guarantee its security.

In 2005, Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip and removed the thousands of Israelis who had settled in the territory. Since the Israeli withdrawal, Hamas has been engaged in, sometimes, a violent power struggle with its rival Palestinian organisation Fatah. On January 25, 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council. In 2007, Hamas overthrew Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip again giving Israel the opportunity to blockade Gaza.

In March 2008, the Israeli blockade of the city had caused the humanitarian situation in Gaza that has reached its worst point since Israel occupied the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War. In 2008, Israel launched strikes in response to alleged repetitive rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel. In January 2009, at least 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the “Operation Cast Lead”.

The recent “Operation Pillar of Defense” had two strategic goals — one, to neutralise the Hamas rocket capability and pulverize the already poor infrastructure of Gaza, literally pushing the Palestinians to stone age, and two, sending threatening signals to Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood came to power and forcing Morsi to play the security game on Israeli terms. However, the official version of the operation is always ‘peace’.

What else is the solution if not violence? Experts believe a United Nations mandated Palestinian state inclusive of all the occupied land with Jerusalem as its capital is the only permanent solution. Will Israel agree this time?

All is set for the vote on Palestinian statehood in the UN on November 29. Just before the Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was attempting to intimidate the Palestinians into quitting their bid. Reportedly, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor recently said that “they should change their request from a Non-Member State to a Non-Member Terrorist State.” Rumours were in the air when the operation began that the assassination of Hamas militant leader Ahmed Jabari was also an attempt aimed at torpedoing the UN bid to allow Palestinians have their own homeland.

confession

Confession of a journalist

By Mazhar Khan Jadoon

“I, artist and poet, wrote and taught without myself knowing what. For this I was paid money; I had excellent food, lodging, women, and society; and I had fame, which showed that what I taught was very good. And without noticing that we knew nothing, and that to the simplest of life’s questions: What is good and what is evil? we did not know how to reply, we all talked at the same time, not listening to one another, sometimes seconding and praising one another in order to be seconded and praised in turn,” said great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in his “Confession”.

After spending almost 20 years in journalism, I realised that I actually know nothing, though all my life I feigned as a man of letter. It is just the information that we journalists normally receive and pass on to others, just as a medium like computers and the papers on which we print. Observing the mess and chaos the society is in, I can, shamefully, admit the fact that I, as a journalist, has also contributed to it. I have skillfully avoided my basic responsibility to inform and educate people, and have been dexterous enough to fend off any criticism for that negligence. I am paid for what I do; that is all, and fair enough.

An old friend of mine helped me realise that I know nothing by putting some basic questions to me, like what is happening in the society, what is this violence for, whose war on terror is this, who is our friend and who is our enemy, what is happening in Balochistan, why there is so much poverty and inflation in our country? And he went on asking and I kept on replying. Arguments and counter arguments soon turned into a verbal war as different perspectives left us groping for consensus in the dark. “I don’t know” was the exhausting point.

Sounds funny, but do we journalists really know what is happening around us and why? We are yet to find time out of non-issues that make our headlines to focus on the matters that really hurt us. National Reconciliation Ordnance (NRO), memogate scandal, immunity or no immunity, contempt or no contempt, Mehran Bank scam, suo moto on this and suo moto on that are all we are left to deal with. Do these issues make any good for our toiling people?

Another journalist colleague is convinced that Osama was not in Abbottabad. It was all a well-scripted drama, he thinks. And why do you think so, I asked. “It was the biggest lie of the decade by a biggest power,” he continued, adding the Americans themselves shot down the chopper with all the 30 Marines on board who had taken part in the operation. “They also demolished the compound in Abbottabad to spoil any clue proving that Osama was not there.” What makes you think that Osama was there, he asked in turn. Because they (Americans) say so, I replied. “You are naïve,” he ended the debate.

We don’t know who the Pak army is fighting for. Is it for us, Pakistanis, or the Americans that pay it in cash and kinds. We don’t know who are carrying out suicide attacks and blasting off high value installations. We don’t know what is happening in Balochistan except that foreign hands are involved — another confession that we know nothing. We do have some guesswork and claims, but we do lack truth. Someone is wrong because someone is right. Who is right and who is wrong is left for a bloody war to decide in Pakistan. We keep silent and let the guns roar because both the right and the wrong have guns and we have the worthless life to fight with. We do profess professionalism, but in reality we follow different agendas thrown our way by those ‘who matter’.

Famous Austria writer and journalist Karl Kraus had aptly said, “How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.”

A very unsuccessful politician always comes to me for advice on politics for he thinks that I know a lot about politics. The day he realizes that my advices have made him a third grade politicians, we will be friends no more.

Punjab police

Change they need

While there is a debate on police uniform, there are opinions that its education and humane working hours that are likely to affect attitudes

By Mazhar Khan Jadoon

Dozens of club-wielding angry protesters blocked a road in Misri Shah on the night of April 10, burning tyres and blocking traffic. This time the charged group was not out on the road wailing against loadshedding or hike in fuel prices, rather they were marching towards the Misri Shah police station to thrash some policemen there to avenge the killing of a youth who was shot in the head by cops at a checkpoint. This is not the first time hapless masses took to street condemning trigger-happy Punjab police.

One comes across a very common sight on city roads that cops of patrolling squad are ducking behind a wall or a tree waiting for the right moment to hound and fleece a motorcyclist or a commuter. These cops are always at the wrong place at the wrong time to wrong innocent citizens. The only thing they won’t do is their duty — to give people protection and some sense of security.

After exhausting all other potential and probable ways to rein in the most dreaded Punjab police, Inspector General of Punjab Police Haji Habeebur Rehman has come up with another idea to make his force people-friendly — change the colour of police uniform. The Punjab police are notorious for brutality and violence and the mere sight of black shirts and yellow pants, sends shivers down the spine of humble and law-abiding citizens.

“It is the dark uniform which makes them grumpy and hot-headed,” Rehman had told a press conference at Rahim Yar Khan District Police Office (DPO). “Punjab has a hot climate and black shirts absorb extra heat in summer and make policemen cranky and ill-tempered.”

The IGP must have put in a lot of effort to research and discover the impact of colours on human mind and body. Black colour is considered authoritative and powerful because it evokes strong emotions. Negativity, sometime, is also bracketed with black colour. Popular phrases like ‘black sheep’ and ‘black day’ have been coined in line with the traits of black colour.

Colour therapist Dr Mohsin Mahmood supports the police chief’s idea, contending that the colour of police uniform should be changed if you want an amiable police. “Black shirts cause aggression and gloom. It is also a mourning colour.” Dr Mahmood believes yellow colour of pants causes depression as it is a jaundiced colour. “Red badges also cause violence and anger.”

What if not black and khaki? The Inspector General had constituted a four-member committee to propose alternative colours for police uniforms. He has also sought input from regional police officers. Reportedly, the proposal has drawn a mixed reaction from force within the department — some saying it will help them win public support while others saying it is waste of time and money.

While the search for a more amiable and friendly uniform is on, the colour therapist suggests that the uniform should be either light blue or light green and the colour of badges should be golden.

Citizens, however, are reluctant to buy the idea. Some of the citizens TNS talked to spurned the plan, saying instead of changing the uniform, police need to be educated, trained and taught ethics to improve its performance. “A wolf in the garb of sheep will be more dangerous. Police should change their behaviour, not the uniform,” opines Muhammad Akram, a businessman.

The rotten thana culture has its roots in colonial history that used police as a brutal force to crush and tame people into obedience. Rampant corruption and political exigencies also have had their share in ruining the image of police.

The Punjab police has also set up 100 model police stations with educated officers and latest gadgets — CCTV cameras, computers, latest mobile phones and vehicle trackers — in a bid to change the traditional thana culture and to strengthen the trust and confidence between the public and the police.

“People are scared of police. Instead of serving and protecting the poor masses, our police only serve their political bosses and criminals,” laments a school teacher, Akhtar Ali. “Uniform will not change their mindset and behaviour. The move will only cause the police budget to swell manifold as changing the uniform for the whole force of the most populated province will cost the government dearly.” Criminals are more comfortable to deal with police while law-abiding citizens avoid even passing in front of a police station, opines Ali.

Dr Aasia Mujtaba, a psychologist, thinks changing the uniform will, somehow, help revive the image of police. “Black colour evokes aggression and is used in aggressive games as it promotes competition. Dark colours are gloomy and should not be used in uniforms.”

How does all this exercise make a low ranker feel different? A policeman, standing under the scorching sun for the last two hours to salute a VVIP passing by, laments “give us some relief in our long duty hours. We need humane duty hours, not a change in uniform. It’s not the black shirt that makes us cranky rather it’s our long duty hours without any break that kill us.”

Dr Mujtaba says, “People will psychologically respond in a better way to a police in new attire. We tend to appreciate change and people will be more friendly towards a light blue or white uniform. White colour represents peace while light blue colour evokes a soothing effect on nerves.” She, however, says the new uniform will change the view and perception of people and not that of police. “Education and better training is the key to better police.”