No "light unto the nations" here

"Two weeks ago, I presented a young Palestinian, Mohammed Omer, with the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. Awarded in memory of the great US war correspondent, the prize goes to journalists who expose establishment propaganda, or "official drivel", as Gellhorn called it. Mohammed shares the prize of £5,000 with Dahr Jamail. At 24, he is the youngest winner. His citation reads: "Every day, he reports from a war zone, where he is also a prisoner. His homeland, Gaza, is surrounded, starved, attacked, forgotten. He is a profoundly humane witness to one of the great injustices of our time. He is the voice of the voiceless." The eldest of eight, Mohammed has seen most of his siblings killed or wounded or maimed. An Israeli bulldozer crushed his home while the family were inside, seriously injuring his mother. And yet, says a former Dutch ambassador, Jan Wijenberg, "he is a moderating voice, urging Palestinian youth not to court hatred but seek peace with Israel".

So begins a piece by veteran journalist, writer and filmaker, writing in The Guardian. The actions of the Israelis against this young man are truly deplorable and a graphic example of how Israel has not only lost any moral compass it might have had, but has allowed itself to lose all sense of proportion and decency in it behaviour toward Palestinians, whoever they might be. The biblical intonation of Israel being a "light unto the Nations" certainly doesn't apply to Israel's actions.

Read the full Pilger piece here - and consider why the chances of peace in the region are ever more remote - and be utterly appalled.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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