It is a very difficult task to write in a hostile and threatening and non-democratic atmosphere.

In this kind of situation, it is very east to find those who are writing for benefits regardless of the content or the honesty of their writings.

On the other side, it is very difficult for the populace to understand the situation in a country where the media, and even the government, are directed toward one end. In this atmosphere, you find many honest people are reluctant to write due to the fear of being labeled or persecuted.

The rational dialogue never prospers in an atmosphere of terror or threat.

Mr. Taysir Khatib wrote an article entitled “Peace must be reached in the Mideast.” He wrote about many different issues to prove his opinion, regardless of their truth.

It is true that the Prophet Mohammed ordered his soldiers not to kill a child, old people, or even a tree. On the other side, the Quran and the prophet told us about the meaning of peace.

Peace should be based on justice and equivalency of power. These two parts are inseparable in the Islamic meaning of peace. You cannot go for peace when you are in a weaker position.

For sure, the stronger opponent will impose his commands and this will not be peace, but domination.

In addition, peace does not mean that you do not strengthen your position and military power, especially when you are dealing with an enemy who has a long history of not respecting any laws or agreement. You should be strong enough to keep peace alive.

The former Israeli prime minister, Mr. Rabin, initiated this new era of violence by assassinating Fathi El-Shakaki, one of the Islamic Jihad leaders, in Malta.

The peaceful Prime minister Peres, who made a big profit from his peaceful book, gave the order to assassinate Yehia Ayyash, the Palestinian engineers in the so-called Palestinian areas.

As a reaction, there were some suicide bombs. My friend Khatib, thinking that he was talking about the GSB, forgot the massacres of Sabra and Shatila orchestrated by the green light of President Reagan and carried out by the Israeli army and the Maronite militia.

In three days, more than 1,000 civilians (women, old people and children) were slaughtered completely. After the 1967 war, Israel killed more than 1,000 innocent Egyptian mine workers and some prisoners of war who were captured in the war.

Ironically, some Israelis who were involved in the killing of the Egyptians confessed that they had to follow the orders sent to them from Rabin and the military leaders that time. This was published in the front pages of some Israeli newspapers during 1995. You can go to the Jerusalem Post to read about it.

For sure, the media here never talked about it, or talked very little.

After the assassination of Mr. Ayyash, all the Western media talked for more than three weeks about how beautiful and wonderful the operation was. On the other hand, they talked only about the Islamic terrorism when the suicide bombs started.

It was also inseparable to host Fouad Ajami and the so-called experts in terrorism, who are benefit-oriented individuals, to reflect their grudge and hatred.

The present killing of the civilian Lebanese came directly after the peace conference in Egypt.

It seems it gave Israel the green light to carry out its new attack, equipped with $100 million and some new sophisticated weapons paid by the American tax payers.

The Western media have ignored the fact the Hizballah, similar to Hamas, is a liberation movement and not a terrorist one.

They are similar to the French liberation movement that fought the Germans during the second world war, and was labeled as a terrorist movement.

All the media have ignored the fact that Israel has been occupying Lebanese land since 1982. No one in this world can deny any people to liberate and defend their country, but it can be only for Israel.

In the same article, Mr. Khatib accused Hamas as being a creator for Israel. Hamas, my friend, was fighting Israel in the time when the PLO fighters were busy fighting each other in Beirut.

The Intifada was a fruit of the internal resistance of those who were, and still, suffering the occupation. Sheikh Yasin, Hamas leader, and thousands of his followers are still in the Israeli jails.

If it were the case, like what Mr. Khatib discovered, they (both Hamas and Israel) should have cooperated together in the past and present time.

My friend, Israel does not want peace. War is the only reason to unify the Israeli citizens who came from all over the world to steal other people’s land. There is no religion in the world that can justify stealing other people’s property, because they have different religions or because they are weaker.

In general, Israel wants to swallow the new Peres Middle East in gradual steps. Ironically, the number of Israeli spies who were arrested by Egyptian intelligence during the so-called peace period is higher than the number arrested during the war time.

Peace does not mean giving Israel free hands to do whatever it wants, starting from killing the non-Israeli people to conducting nuclear explosions in the desert.

Ironically, no one protests against the recent Israeli nuclear explosions in the Middle East; protests only were against France to conduct the same act. It is the rationality of irrationality.

It was clear from the beginning that the American government took a biased position in the recent conflict and initiated the green light for killing innocent civilians in Lebanon. To me, the shuttle trips of Mr. Christopher “Columbus” is just a scenario of dancing for peace.

In a recent lecture at ISU, a student from southern Sudan said that, “I can understand well why the Palestinians carried these suicide bombs against Israeli civilians.”

Similarly, I can understand the reason for the hostility against the Americans in the Middle East.

Imanuel Kant, the German philosopher, called for applying the ethical principles for all equally, and he forgot to mention “with the exception of Israel.”

The chosen people by God are those who have responsibility towards humanity. In addition, those who “claimed” they suffered the holocaust should not make the others suffer similarly.

Sami El-Ghamrini is a graduate student for the Dept. of Ag. Education and Studies.