Remember who the victim was

February 19, 2010 - 3:28 PM by

Johnny Depp playing Hunter Thompson playing me...

With all the backlash surrounding the use of the names of British immigrants to Israel for part of the hit squad that offed Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel last month, it got me to thinking a bit.

Sure, it’s undoubtedly a jolt to find out that your identity was absconded with, without permission, to perpetrate an act of murder. On the other hand, look at the victim.

Mabhouh helped found Hamas’s armed wing Izzadin Kassam in the 1980s and was perhaps most infamous for being behind the kidnapping and murder in the first intifada of IDF soldiers Avi Sasportas and Ilan Sa’adon. According to Liat Collins in The Jerusalem Post, Hamas held out against revealing the location of their bodies, neither of whose last minutes were spent in anything like a luxury hotel. Sasportas’s body was discovered after three months, while it took seven years to find the remains of Sa’adon and offer his family closure.

Mabhouh was also reportedly behind the weapons convoy that, foreign reports claim, was bombed by Israel in the Sudanese desert during Operation Cast Lead a year ago.

If any of the Israelis whose names were utilized in the operation were asked beforehand if they would contribute in the effort to remove Mahbouh from the world terror active list, how do you think they would have responded?

Probably they would have said yes. If any of them served – or are serving in the IDF – then they’ve likely taken part in some aspect of protecting Israel from threats. And they were probably proud of it.

I’d like to think that if my name had been stolen from me temporarily to rid the world of a terrorist aimed at Israel’s destruction, I might be a little dumbstruck at first, but soon after I would feel only pride that I had been able to contribute to the effort in some small way.

I’d only hope that Steven Spielberg would allow me to choose the actor to portray my doppleganger in the film adaption of the operation. I’m thinking maybe Johnny Depp in his Hunter Thompson haircut mode?

Tags: , , , , • Category: A New Reality, Crime, General, Israeliness, Life, Politics, War 

Comments

5 Comments on Remember who the victim was

  1. Thomas on Sat, Feb 20th 2010 4:18 PM

    2. I think we can all agree that getting rid of Mabhouh by means of this covert operation was far better than letting him continue procure weapons for use against Israel.

    However I don’t think the benefits of this assassination gives Mossad (if it indeed was them) a blank cheque to steal the identity of innocent British-Israelis, As a Brit living in Israeli I definitely never signed up to having my privilege as a Brit taken away from me and misused in such a manner. Would I now be on Hamas hitlist? Could I safely set foot in an Arab country again?

    The fact they used British passports does make me wonder whether the Isreali establishment is wanting to somehow punish Britain for their perceived criticial stance on Israel. I don’t think they would done the same with US passports.

    Still well done for getting the guy; but that does not mean they have the right to put innocent Euro-Israelis in a position of fear and doubt.

  2. Maya (from How To Be Israeli) on Sun, Feb 21st 2010 10:13 AM

    3. This is an important reminder… one thing opponents of Israel do very well is to call attention to the methods Israel uses rather than the enemy Israel is fighting against.

  3. Maskil on Thu, Feb 25th 2010 1:10 PM

    4. While I’m also unable to summon up any moral outrage at the execution of Mabhouh, I have to question the wisdom of leaving this paper trail all the way back to Israel. Surely the Mossad should have the ability to obtain travel documents that do not incriminate Israel or Israeli Olim!

  4. Mickey Oberman on Thu, Feb 25th 2010 4:10 PM

    5. Mossad may use my passport any time they wish.

  5. Margie on Tue, Mar 23rd 2010 8:56 AM

    6. Israel is like a village when it comes to gossip. We would have heard if those faces on the passports were friends, relatives, neighbours of someone. Somebody would have been to school or a party with one of them, or their children would have been in the same class. You can’t avoid it in such a small country.

    I have heard not one whisper about any of them. My conclusion: they’re not Israelis. It wasn’t us.

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