Israel’s Victim Kaleidoscope 09 October 2002 Charlotte West
Earlier this year Canada’s renowned National Post columnist Christie Blatchford covered the trial of the Dooleys, a couple charged with killing their little boy. It was a heartbreaking story.
Randall and his brother Teego had recently left their aunt in the Caribbean to fulfill their dream of living with their daddy in Canada. But soon the dream turned into a living nightmare. Step-mom Marcia Dooley, repeatedly forced Randall to eat foods he could not tolerate, and when he threw up, made him eat his own vomit. He became stick thin. She beat him mercilessly for all kinds of “reasons”. Within months he could barely move, suffering numerous broken bones, cracked ribs, broken arms, swallowed teeth, bruises, and scars. Either sheer fear, or the beatings, had made him incontinent so she then insisted he wear a diaper. All throughout, Marcia cried piteously to her husband that she couldn’t take much more of Randall’s shenanigans. Her husband would console her, choosing to believe that she was the victim. One evening she had Randall in a tub of freezing water to which she had been periodically adding ice cubes, when her husband essentially said ‘That boy’s going to get us into trouble. Better leave him alone tonight.’ Marcia sent his brother Teego for more ice. She plunked the cubes into the water, turned off the bathroom light and went to bed, leaving the little boy in a tub of freezing water in the dark, so frozen and weak that he was now unable to get out. He would have died there, but his brother, only slightly older, managed to fish him out, get him into pajamas, and into his bed. Alone, in the night, in his damp soiled Batman pajamas, Randall died anyway. In the morning, far from being remorseful, the murderer, Marcia Dooley, told police Randall Dooley killed himself. Her complicit husband supported her, claiming his son must have somehow killed himself through all his misbehaviors.
Today the world witnesses Israel too, continually accused of misbehavior to explain the horrors forced upon it. Like Marcia crying bitterly to her husband, for decades, we have been bombarded with images of Palestinians as victims proliferating from the highly controlled Palestinian press. The result has been an effective eclipse of Israel’s victimhood. Israel’s victimhood? Israel is the victimizer, the bully, the big bad guy, isn’t it? Israel has clear military superiority over the Palestinians. Therefore, how can Israel possibly be the victim?
See for yourself. Picturing Israel’s scenarios of late are like turning a victim kaleidoscope. Shake the tube. Israel vilified at Durban. Shake. Israel smeared with hatred oozing from the Arab press. Shake. Israel slandered with a Jenin massacre it did not commit. Shake. Israel gagged abroad, its conservative statesmen’s words muzzled by menacing Palestinians and their supporters. Shake. Israel boycotted, or its goods slapped with prominent “Made In Israel” signs, the product equivalent of yellow armbands, to warn off purchasers and close down Israeli businesses. Shake. Israel framed for Palestinians murdering Mohammed al Dura, as their intifadah-launching PR ploy. Shake. Israel sobbing alone, burying its dead, 613 so far, hospitals patching the changed remains of 4,200 wounded. Shake. An Israeli singer shouted down, Israeli workers mowed down, Israel down on its knees in supplication to the UN, the EU, the US. Israel voted down, condemned. Shake. A Jew’s throat slit. A Jew shot dead. A Passover seder bombed. A synagogue tour bombed. A bat mitzvah bombed. A bar mitzvah bombed. Shake. A disco bombed. A busload of people bombed. Another busload of people bombed. Another busload … Shake. A synagogue desecrated. A cemetery desecrated. Shake. A café massacre. A restaurant massacre. A pizza shop massacre. A Palestinian art exhibit glorifying a pizza shop massacre. Leftist Israeli professors, joining Palestinians in telling worldwide audiences that suicide bombings are legitimate “expressions” for what Israel supposedly did, or for existing at all. A yarmulke clad Jew knifed dead outside a kosher pizza shop in Canada.
When all the scenarios to which Israel has been subjected in the past year or two are collected together, it becomes obvious that Israel’s abuse is physical, social, psychological, economic and spiritual, and being enacted on a global scale. Israel indeed has military might and could squelch the Palestinians in no time. But it does not do so, perhaps for moral reasons, perhaps because its Arab neighbors or world opinion intimidates it. The bottom line is that it matters not how much military might Israel has stashed in its closets if, for whatever reason, the doors are locked against using it.
Randall Dooley also had access to significant powers - a school full of teachers, guidance counselors, police, and other authorities. The educational systems and the children´s aid systems are infinitely more powerful than a hate-filled little step-mom like Marcia Dooley. But Randall could not call on the full force of his resources either, for whatever reason. So the issue of who theoretically has more "military might" is a moot point when discussing Israel´s victimization. At best it is only one very small piece of the puzzle. Israel’s abuse is multi faceted, global, vicious, and relentless.
Like Marcia blamed Randall, Palestinians blame Israel for bringing the abuse, about 14,000 terror attacks so far, on itself. “NOW look what you made me do to you” is a charge abusers commonly hurl at victims. Of course, like some victims, there Israelis, such as leftist professors, who buy into it and blame themselves. And, like Randall’s complicit dad, Hanan Ashrawi, and other Palestinian terror apologists suggest sparing Israel for now, not out of empathy, but only because the abuse, in this case, suicide bombing, is ”getting them into trouble” in world opinion, and so is now deemed ineffective at furthering their agenda.
Bystanders who recognize what is happening feel helpless and powerless and stricken with grief. Some try to sneak a crumb of sustenance to Israel past its tormentors, perhaps a contract, a tourist mission visit, a supportive word, or a distracting fun trip to the moon. But they know these kindnesses, when noticed by the tormentors, will be targeted and Israel will have to “pay” with more beatings. Meanwhile official “authorities” when contacted, push plans forcing Israel to “make painful concessions” to appease its terrorizers.
Shake. And now the latest image: Israel promising to take a murderous beating from Iraq and only to hit back once more Israelis die. But if somehow something goes wrong and Israel instead of just being wounded, dies under the attack, its tormentors will no doubt tell the world that Israel finally killed itself with all its shenanigans. Just like Randall Dooley. -------------------------------------------------------- Charlotte West is a writer based in Arizona and can be reached at [email protected]
