Helsinki University’s monthly magazine Yliopisto , has again lent its pages to be used as a platform for dispencing pro-Palestinian propaganda. This time around, its an interview (‘Three camps of terrorists’)of three individuals who are ‘concerned’ about the way the terrorist organization of Hamas, is portrayed and understood by the West.
The three academics interviewed are Perti Multanen, Susanna Dahlgren and Hannu Juusola (all from the University of Helsinki) and what they say is really unbelievable and total crap! The position purported by these three, was in essence a call for diplomacy and the flow of money to continue, this time to the terrorist lead government of the Hamas.
Docent, Lecturer Pertti Multanen (Lecturer on Global relations and ME History) stated that: “all sides involved in the Middle East conflict share a large measure of guilt. Alongside Hamas’ political terrorism lives ‘state terrorism’ as well as ‘superpower terrorism’.”
So according to Finland’s number one Palestinian apologist, Hamas’ terrorism against Israeli civilians is comparable to Israeli defencive efforts against Palestinian terrorists that hide within the civilian population. Hamas terrorism, that makes no attempt to hide that it singles out any Jew because he or she is Jewish(and hopeful for multiple numbers), is somehow the same for the professor, as Israel’s repeated moral attempts at limiting Palestinian civilian casualties during its operations. The fact that Multanen uses Palestinian propaganda terms (state terror) to describe IDF operations, that take great care in only targeting wanted terrorists, is indeed telling.
The university’s Susanna Dahlgren (post-doctoral researcher, Dept of Arabic and Islamic Studies) who blurbs: “I have difficulty understanding, why historical ignorance is being trumpeted while ‘black and white judgementalism of Hamas receives wide coverage. Likud’s party platform rejected an independent Palestinian state, which in addition to its policy of demolition tractors can be compared with liquidation.”
Maybe Ms.Dahlgren should be made aware of Hamas’ track record, where the overwhelming majority of its victims are civilians. That the Hamas intentionally targets all Israeli civilians and that their charter demands for the entire destruction of the Jewish state of Israel, cannot be compared to the Likud, Labour nor the international community for that matter, whether its wise for another Palestinian state to be formed (the first being Trans-Jordan cum Jordan). If Ms.Dahlgren was as fluent in the history of the conflict as she portends, she would have known that the talk of ‘statehood’ is relatively knew, and entered the lexicon well after the beginnings of Oslo.
Then there is Hannu Juusola, (lecturer of Semitic languages and cultures, Dept of Asian and African Studies,): “Hamas’ dual policy of denying Israel’s existence but keeping anyways to the truce- is not even in the EU’s nor the US’s sphere of influence. Closing off the flow of money would only direct their gaze towards the radical Arab states, with Hamas being more than likely joining up with Iran.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that Juusola has just published a book on Israeli modern history, that borrows heavily from the totally discrefited works of ‘new historians’, such as B.Morris and A.Shlaim. Here Jussola once again shows his ignorance in his declaration, that Hamas has somehow managed to stick with the truce, though it has been involved with terrorism since it declared a ‘truce’.
Hamas activiety since Jan.1.2005
Jan 2, 2005 – Nissim Arbiv, 25, of Nissanit in the Gaza Strip was mortally wounded in a mortar shell attack while working in the Erez Industrial Zone. He died of his wounds on January 11. Two others were wounded in the attack, for which Hamas claimed responsibility.
Jan 13, 2005 – On Thursday night, shortly before the closing of the Karni Crossing, terrorists activated an explosive device on the Palestinian side, blowing a hole in the door through which Palestinian terrorists infiltrated the Israeli side of the crossing and opened fire at Israeli civilians. As a result of the explosion and exchanges of fire, six Israeli civilians and three Palestinian terrorists were killed, and five Israeli civilians were wounded. Hamas and the Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed joint responsiblity for the attack.The victims: Dror Gizri, 30, of Sderot; Ibrahim Kahili, 46, of Umm al-Ghanem; Munam Abu Sabia, 33, of Daburiyeh; Ivan Shmilov, 53, of Sderot; Herzl Shlomo, 51, of Sderot; and Ofer Tiri, 23, of Ashkelon.
Jan 18, 2005 – Oded Sharon, 36, from Gan Yavne, an ISA officer, was killed, an IDF officer seriously wounded, and four IDF soldiers and three members of the ISA were lightly wounded in a suicide bombing attack at the Gush Katif junction in the central Gaza Strip. While search procedures were being implemented at a post at the junction, the suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his body detonated himself. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
July 14, 2005 – Dana Galkowicz, 22, of Kibbutz Bror Hayil, was killed by a Kassam rocket fired at Netiv Ha’asara north of the Gaza Strip. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah all claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sept 21, 2005 – Sasson Nuriel, 55, of Jerusalem was kidnapped and slain by Palestinian terrorists. His body was found on Sept 26 in a garbage dump in the industrial zone of Bitunya, west of Ramallah. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
With the ‘fuzzy headed meanderings of these academics (also calling a reduction in violence a ‘truce’), its no wonder that Finnish politicians and the media have such a warped understanding of the conflict. The problem here in Finland, is that its academic institutions are so radically Left Wing, and produce year after year students with a warped understanding of the Middle East and its history. A small handfull of Leftist academics have ‘carte’ blanche’ with the media, being repeatedly called upon to spew all kinds of rhetoric and nonsense in place of solid factual analysis and a factual historical accounting. I dare challenge any Finn reading this post, to try and find a book by Middle East historian Martin Kramer or Efraim Karsh in any university library, there is probably little room for them. KGS
