| April 13, 2003 | Sunday | Safar 10, 1424 |
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Israel’s killing spree
The other side of spring
LOOTING and plundering in Iraqi cities now seem to have reached epidemic proportions bordering on anarchy. Normal life in Baghdad, Basra and now Mosul has ceased to exist. That even hospitals should be ransacked and denuded of everything that can be carried away — from drugs and syringes to hospital beds and x-ray machines — speaks of an emotional dam burst of anger and long-suffered deprivation of the Iraqi people, on the one hand and the inability of the “liberators” to give a modicum of normal life to the “liberated”, on the other. Since the Baathist government’s state apparatus has collapsed, and there are no law enforcement agencies in sight, the occupying powers owe it to the people of Iraq to create the basic conditions in which normal life can be carried on.
The US and Britain had launched this war with some lofty promises — like recovering weapons of mass destruction, ridding the Iraqi people of tyranny, and giving them democracy. War, death and destruction, we were told, were unavoidable if the Iraqis were to have a life in freedom and democracy. However, while the first part of the promise has been kept — plenty of death and destruction — the victors seem to be in no hurry to fulfil the crucial second part. If the overthrow of the Saddam regime and the occupation of Iraq are means to an end, it is time for the victors to move with speed to achieve the end results promised to the Iraqi people and to the world at large repeatedly and in no uncertain terms.
The occupying powers must, no doubt, have expected that Iraq’s state machinery would be available to them for proceeding ahead with their plans. But that is not the case, for Iraq’s state machinery has virtually ceased to exist and with it have disappeared the norms of civilized existence so necessary to ensure the citizens’ enjoyment of life, liberty and material possessions. In this situation there is no one the harried and tormented people can turn to for relief and succour except those who are now Iraq’s de facto rulers. The coalition soldiers may not know how to police the areas now under their control and restore law and order there, but this is a task they cannot shy away from. If the fear of suicide bombing prevents them from maintaining a visible presence, it is time they overcame this fear. It is incumbent on them to start tackling the worsening problem of lawlessness and disorder.
The immediate task is to end human suffering by rushing essential supplies and making the hospitals functional. Neither task is possible in a situation of anarchy and chaos. If necessary, the occupation authorities should give a shoot-at-sight order to end looting and plundering. An end to vandalism will signal a return to normality, and people will open shops and go back to work. Then alone can the occupation authorities begin to address the next phase of restoration of institutions, induction of an interim administrative set-up and creating conditions for elections so as to return Iraq to a government of its own. At present, Iraq is like a no-man’s land. Either it is looters and vandals who control the streets or the soldiers of the occupying army who seem to be watching the situation from the sidelines possibly for want of proper orders. Having dethroned the Saddam regime, Washington must now undertake the unavoidable task of restoring law and order and ensuring the restoration of basic civic amenities and services.
THE shooting of another peace activist — this time a Briton — by the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, underscores yet again the need for the international community to take notice of Israel’s state violence against unarmed civilians. Thomas Hurndall, a 22-year-old peace activist, was shot in the head while shielding the Palestinian girls and children, who had come to cheer a group of foreign activists protesting against the demolition of Palestinian homes. Mr Hurndall was declared brain dead by the doctors as a result of receiving a machinegun shot. The number of peace activists who have been made targets of the Israeli army’s wrath has risen over the past few weeks. On April 5, a 24-year-old American and a 35-year-old Dane were critically wounded in similar assaults in the West Bank, and the 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, another American, was crushed under a bulldozer last month.
The Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, says 105 Palestinian women and 180 children have been killed by the Israeli forces since the beginning of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000. It seems that by resorting to this kind of brutal suppression, Ariel Sharon is sending a message to the Palestinians that they should be prepared to protest against its brutal policies at their own peril. The American-led attack on Iraq has further emboldened Sharon in pursuit of his repressive policies. This is being done to thwart any meaningful efforts by the US and Britain to restart the peace process after the allied forces complete their conquest of Iraq. But before that happens, the world community must do something to stop the killing of innocent civilians in the occupied territories.
IT is paradoxical that spring, the season of flowers, becomes a period of acute distress for a large number of Islamabad residents who are allergic to the pollen released by some of the flowering plants and trees. The allergic reaction ranges from mild symptoms like sneezing, coughing, running nose, itchy and watery eyes, headache and rashes on the skin to more serious problems like difficulty in breathing and in some cases, even death if the patient cannot get emergency treatment on time. This year, for the first time, a pollen count index is being published daily since the beginning of the season showing the pollen count per cubic metre of air of various plants and trees. According to this index, the mulberry tree, which is found in many areas of the green belts in Islamabad, has a very high count of 3,107 pollen granules per cubic metre, with grasses coming in second with 19 pollen granules per cubic metre of air.
The pollen count index helps warn those who are allergic to pollen to continue or discontinue taking the necessary precautions like staying indoors, keeping all windows and doors closed and wearing masks when going outdoors. Some groups have been lobbying for the chopping down of the mulberry trees in the capital to solve the allergy problem but the environmental authorities are opposed to this line of action. The good news is that an effective allergy vaccine would soon be available that would counter most types of allergy. This vaccine plus efforts to reduce the pollen count will, hopefully, make life easier in spring for the thousands of allergy patients.