THIS AFFAIR also shows the absolute superiority of the Israeli propaganda machine over all competitors " if there are any.
The world media have adopted, almost without exception, the Israeli terminology. All over the world, they talk about the "abducted Israeli soldier, rather than about a prisoner of war. British or German newspapers which use this word would not dream of applying it to one of their own soldiers in Afghanistan.
The name of Gilad Shalit was mouthed by the world's leaders as if he were, at the very least, one of them. Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel spoke about him freely, certain that the listeners at home knew who he was. Liberating the "abducted Israeli soldier has become a declared aim of several governments.
This formulation is by itself a triumph for Israeli propaganda. The negotiations are about an exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas, with German and/or Egyptian mediation. An exchange of prisoners has two sides " Shalit on the one side, Palestinian prisoners on the other. But throughout the world, as in Israel, they speak only about the release of the Israeli soldier. The Palestinian prisoners to be freed are just objects, merchandise, not human beings. But don't they also count the days, like their parents and their children?
The greatest obstacle to such an exchange is mental, a matter of language. If it had been about "Palestinian fighters there would have been no problem. The release of fighters in exchange for a fighter. But our government " like all colonial governments before it " cannot recognize local insurgents as "fighters who act in the service of their people. The colonial ethos " like the "ethical code of our ethical Professor Assa Kasher " demands that they be called "terrorists with "blood on their hands, base criminals, vile murderers.
A touching Irish song tells of an Irish freedom fighters who, on the morning of his execution, asks to be treated like an "Irish soldier and be shot, not "hanged like a dog. His request was denied.
When one speaks about the release of "hundreds of murderers in exchange for an Israeli soldier, one runs up against a huge psychological obstacle. Life and death in the power of the tongue.
IN SEVERAL respects, the Gilad Shalit affair can be seen as a metaphor for the entire historical conflict. Charged words dictate the behavior of the leaders. The different and opposing narratives prevent an understanding between the parties even about minor matters. The psychological obstacles are immense. (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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