Collective Punishment Is....

.....Just That

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Update: There has been a reversal of policy, of sorts, but only in terms of U.S. policy so far, and only for the small group of Fulbright scholars (ie. not the greater 'collective'). See comment thread, and thanks to Dr. Dawg.
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AxisOfEvilWalls
BuildingUncivilSocietiesVille

This, tossed off on the front page, above the fold in the NY Times in a story about why the U.S. State Department has cancelled the Fulbright scholarships of eight young Palestinians in Gaza is chilling, indeed:

Israel has isolated this coastal strip, which is run by the militant group Hamas. Given that policy, the United States Consulate in Jerusalem said the grant money had been “redirected” to students elsewhere out of concern that it would go to waste if the Palestinian students were forced to remain in Gaza.

Why chilling (no matter all the spin that has been driven by the media-driven backtracking since the story was published last Friday)?

Because collective punishment is collective punishment no matter how you slice it, and no matter where and when it happens.

And some in Israel understand this:

"This could be interpreted as collective punishment,” complained Rabbi Michael Melchior, chairman of the (Israeli) Parliament’s education committee....


And besides, to the best of my knowledge, no one who has received a Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States has ever become a terrorist.

In fact, it is very likely that just the opposite would happen.

Unfortunately, this development will likely make it MORE difficult for a young Palestinian named Abdulrhman Abdullah to help build a civil society in Gaza.

A letter was sent by e-mail to the students on Thursday telling them of the cancellation. Abdulrahman Abdullah, 30, who had been hoping to study for an M.B.A. at one of several American universities on his Fulbright, was in shock when he read it.

“If we are talking about peace and mutual understanding, it means investing in people who will later contribute to Palestinian society,” he said. “I am against Hamas. Their acts and policies are wrong. Israel talks about a Palestinian state. But who will build that state if we can get no training?”

OK?

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