Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Der Spiegel: Qassams and moralizing from Gaza

The latest from the aptly-named Ulrike Putz, whom we have met before, describes her "Visit to a Gaza Rocket Factory." She begins by describing a nighttime ride in a car with some Qassam-builders and includes the following detail:
One holds a pistol in the face of the stranger: "I just wanted to see if you would be frightened."
The "stranger" is U-Putz, right? The article features fairly sympathetic writing about the Qassam-building vermin, but I would like to focus on some rancid moralizing:
[...] The production of the fuel may be delicate, but the really danger lies in the Israeli helicopters, Abdul says. "We know that we are easy prey." His thumb flashes a nervous Morse code with his flashlight onto the floor of the hut. "We are ready to die; that is the price of our freedom." He says that the Palestinians are left with no other choice but to fight the Israelis with weapons. "Either we resist, or they treat us like slaves." He has thought about who is hit by his rockets. "If we kill soldiers, then we are more than happy," he says. "If it hits a child, then naturally we are not happy."
Lying scumbag.
The simple fact of the matter is that you can't aim a Qassam, he says. "And look at the Israelis. They have F-16s and Apache helicopters and can shoot with amazing accuracy. And they still kill our women and children." He reflects for a moment. "Children shouldn't be killed in any war in this world," says Abdul, who has no children of his own.
And who is actually attempting to murder someone else's children.
Then he sends everyone outside. "This is the most dangerous moment. Just before the fuel is ready, the whole thing can explode." Over tea on the porch Abdul tells of his career as a rocket maker. A few hours of theory, then he and his friends did their apprenticeship with an experienced rocket builder. He doesn't want to explicitly say it, but it seems as if he also trained abroad. "I was in Syria, Jordan and one other country," he says. In Iran? Abdul smiles slightly. [...]
Read the rest if you have the stomach for it.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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