The Unfortunate Jews of Gaza
Welcome to life as a Jew in uneasy accommodation toward life in a Muslim or Eastern European country. Where it is always wise to keep a low profile, where comporting oneself carefully, living tremulously, tentatively, discreetly, may be no guarantee of safety, let alone security.Anti-Semitism has its way of raising its diseased head at any time. And woe betide the Jew therein present when irritations of one kind or another erupt. Life can be so tenuous, so fleeting.
Jews in Gaza? Well, in a sense. It is, in fact, the diminishing numbers of Christians living within Gaza who are their Jews; scorned, deprecated, slandered and attacked. Their institutions, their schools, libraries, community centres, their places of worship. People abducted, maltreated, fearful of complaint. Properties trashed, burned out, destroyed, be they vehicles, buildings and their furnishings - or books.
The latest, where unidentified gunmen blew up the YMCA library in the Gaza Strip, temporarily abducting two guards, stealing a vehicle, looting the offices, destroying all of the books, was a response to the presence of Christians in the midst of Palestinian Muslims. Actually, a response - attested to by confidential sources - to the reprinting of the Muhammad cartoons in Denmark this past week.
You see, one can never know, as representatives of a detested minority having no social rights, no legal protections in a stronghold of fundamentalist detractors of minorities when you will become the latest target of revenge-at-a-remove. Walk softly and carry a big helping of hope, but nothing will protect you for you are vulnerable. Christian or Jew.
Al-Qaeda-associated terror groups have targeted Christians - largely Greek Orthodox, in Gaza - over the past several years, with the intention of driving them entirely out of the Strip. Their presence, quite simply, is anathema in the opinion of the jihadists, and the Christians can do nothing whatever to protect themselves, other than to remain alert, and to try not to upset anyone by protesting.
Not protest the desecration of a church. The Christian Palestinians subject to fire bombings, property seizures, assaults and death threats have no champions in the Palestinian Territories. When asked by visitors if they are treated well, they respond that they enjoy very good relations with their Muslim brethren. To respond otherwise is to bring further assaults upon themselves.
Eventually they will all leave, as the opportunities arise. As other countries permit them to migrate where their rights will be assured, where they will be able to claim all the assurances of legal protection under a universal law for all citizens within an adopted country.
For the present, those who are left, a mere few thousand, they will persevere. Never able to relax their vigilance, never knowing when the next blow will be struck against them. Not a very nice way to live.
Within a landscape that was once primarily theirs. The crucible of Christianity. What unblessed irony. What torment. The better to test one's faith.
Ask the Jews, they know. It's why the State of Israel exists.
Labels: Middle East, Religion, Terrorism
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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