“We are gathered here because we have recognised the potential of the youth of Palestine. Against all the odds, they continue to learn, to work, to dream and aspire to a better future. And the days when we remember young people who have been killed in all sorts of terrible circumstances – the Belgian children having lost their lives in a terrible tragedy and when we think of what happened in Toulouse today, when we remember what happened in Norway a year ago, when we know what is happening in Syria, when we see what is happening in Gaza and in different parts of the world – we remember young people and children who lose their lives. Here are young people who are asking not to be leaders of the future, but to be taken seriously as leaders of today. And it is to them that we should look and to them we should listen and it is to them that I pay tribute.”

Those were the words of Catherine Ashton, European Union Foreign Policy Chief , after she CONDEMNED the horrible Jewish school shooting in Toulouse, France. Yes, that’s right, she did condemn it, her only “crime” was mentioning the kids dying in Gaza and Syria, because it was only then that hell broke loose, and Ashton was accused of being  anti-Semitic and irrational.
Apparently Ashton’s statements provoked an overwhelming wave of Israeli rage. Israelis described her statements as “unrealistic, inappropriate” and “outrageous”.

Yes, according to so many human rights activists, or better say those who call themselves so, Ashton is anti-Semitic, just because she “dared” compare the Jewish victims of the shooting to those of Gaza and Syria, as if Arab life is NOTHING; as if condemning the killing of Palestinian children and elsewhere contradicts the condemning of killing the Jewish children in Toulouse. Comparing the loss of innocent lives in both brutal situations is outrageous? I’ll tell you what’s outrageous:  the ignorance of this world we live in, where it’s ok in some parts of this world for children to die in cold-blood, while it’s unacceptable in other parts. What’s outrageous is the ignorant minds that are speaking in the name of human rights, who seriously believe that Palestinians send their children to death, who believe Syrians deserve to die, who think they have the right to speak for the rest of the world.

Setting Facts Straight:

1. The non-negotiable fact is that the shooting which took place in Toulouse, France is a horrible, despicable crime against humanity. And the loss of any innocent live, no matter what origin, religion or race it belongs to, is a tragedy. Nothing can justify such a crime.

2. {Ein solcher Vergleich sei “empörend und realitätsfern”, sagte der israelische Verteidigungsminister Ehud Barak am Dienstag nach Angaben seines Büros. “Die israelische Armee geht in Gaza mit größter Vorsicht vor, um den Verlust unschuldigen Lebens zu verhindern.” Er rief Ashton dazu auf, ihre Äußerungen zu revidieren.} [Source: Spiegel.de]
Translation: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday that such a comparison is outrageous and unrealistic. “The Israeli army enters Gaza with extreme caution, so that it will avoid harming innocent lives”.
My comment to that: BULLSHIT. All statistics show otherwise, all of you: educated, open-minded people need to do is look for the facts, or pay Gaza a quick visit. Innocent lives are lost EVERY SINGLE FREAKIN’ DAY, either by raids, or by torture in jails, or by cut of power, or by lack of food, water, and medical care caused by the Israeli sanctions and siege over Gaza. FYI: This is only the latest of the disasters.  And I’m not talking children only, I’m talking real innocent lives of children and peace-activists… some of which are Israelis by the way.

3. {Yes, she compared the children of Gaza – who are used as (often willing, or at least their parents are willing) human shields by terrorists – to today’s Jewish murder victims in France, to the murder victims in Norway from last summer, and to Assad’s victims in Syria} [Source: IsraelMatzav]
My comment: BULLSHIT. “Often willing?? Parents willing?? human shields?? terrorists??”, the only explanation to such allegations is mere ignorance.

4. {Gaza, ‘West Bank’ and WHAT? I guess Ashton considers all of Israel, including the parts within the 1949 armistice lines, ‘occupied.’ And this woman is supposed to be part of the ‘peace process’?} [Source: IsraelMatzav]
My comment: WEST BANK & PALESTINE, yes PALESTINE… and yes Palestine is occupied, no matter how you try to manipulate words, or mislead the world, fact is, there is a Palestine, and it is under Israeli occupation.

5. Final fact: Catherine Ashton spoke her mind -at first- which I believe reflected a sensitive human feeling for those who suffer no matter where they live, who they are, no matter what their color, language, or religion, and this is how a real human rights and peace activist should be, someone who looks at the bigger picture, with objectivity rather than subjectivity, a person of principal, who’s not afraid of speaking their mind, who’s not taking any action to win a title or a prize, but to win the battle against ignorance and the war against injustice.
But of course the pressure of our ignorant world is always a winner, and in an attempt to calm Israeli rage, she addressed the EU parliament’s foreign affairs committee by saying: “I am really saddened by the distortion of my remarks… I drew no parallel whatsoever between this tragedy and events elsewhere in the Middle East“. [Source: CiF Watch] The same link states a clear dismay of all Ashton attempts to save face.
To Israelis she did the unthinkable, she compared 2 tragedies, one of Palestinians, and they’ll never forgive her for that of course (as history documents in similar cases). To us, the acknowledgement of the suffering of Gazans, even by words rather than action, was enough for us to respect her for as long as she may live… but now, her counter-statement  broke our hearts and made us lose hope in justice… us, who, despite all that madness and ignorance surrounding us, still condemn any crime against humanity, still condemn the loss of innocent lives, and still don’t wish for anyone to go through what our children go through still.
Thank you Ashton, thank you ignorant world.

Messages to the ignorant world:
* Israelis rejoice at the death of Palestinian children in bus accident.

* Palestinian children detained oppressively in isolation.

* 8000 West Bank children arrested since 2000