In response to the piece entitled "The New Mandela", by Rabbi John Roseove

http://www.jewishjournal.com/rabbijohnrosovesblog/item/the_new_mandela_20120331/

Rabbi Rosove may not be in touch with the reality of Marwan Barghouti .

As a social worker trained in criminology, who now works in the media, lesson one in the study of criminal behavior is that when perpetrator does not think that he has done any wrong, he will often speak in a moderate, self assured tone.

I covered the court proceedings in the press gallery, a few feet away from Marwan Barghouti when he was brought to trial, as he stood up and declared how proud he was for ordering these acts of murder, which he called acts of freedom for Palestine. Indeed, he was calm and composed when the court issued the verdict; A conviction for 13 murders out of the 33 murders that he was charged for.

And the convicted killer expressed no regret.

He smiled at the families of his victims.

Rabbi Rosove only tells part of Marwan's public record.

On January 22, 1995, after Hamas massacred 19 Israelis at a bus stop in Beit Lid — a village near the coastal city of Netanya, located within the 1967 lines — Barghouti declared on the Saudi-owned MBC television network that "we cannot condemn such an attack, since this is an area that we have not yet liberated."

It was Barghouti who, on the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, became the head of a joint coordinating body of all armed Palestinian factions — including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, all three of which are listed by the American government as terrorist groups.

The Marwan Barghouti whom Rabbi Rosove compares to Mandela is responsible for the murders of: Salim Barakat, 33, from the Druze village of Yarka in the Galilee, who survived by his wife, daughter, parents and seven brothers and sisters; Eli Dahan, 53, of Lod, who is survived by his mother Sarah, wife, Ilana, two daughters, two sons and three grandchildren; Yosef Habi, 52, of Herzliya, who is survived by his wife, son and daughter; Father Georgios Tsibouktzakis, 34, a Greek Orthodox monk from St. George’s Monastery in Wadi Kelt near Jericho, and Yoela Chen, 45, of Givat Ze’ev, who is survived by her husband and two children.

Nor are they Barghouti’s only victims. At his trial, people who were maimed as a result of Barghouti-sponsored attacks appeared as witnesses to the pain he caused them — pain they will experience for the rest of their lives.

Chicago-born Alan Bauer and his then 7-year-old son Jonathan were among those witnesses. They were five minutes from their home in Jerusalem when a Barghouti-funded bomber blew himself up three feet away from them on March 21, 2002. Two arteries in Bauer’s arm were severed. A screw went all the way through little Jonathan’s head.

As a Rabbi and as a family man with two sons, it has hard to imagine why Rabbi Rosove would paint such a rose colored portrait of a man who has admitted to such acts.

And the comparison to Mandela?

I have met Mandela and personally know his lawyer.

Throughout the years of Mandela's successful fight against the Apartheid regime, Mandela never ever ordered the murder of anyone.

Perhaps Rabbi Roseove and the Jewish Journal would consider an apology to Mr. Mandela, who is aging but alive and well in South Africa

To compare one of the greatest fighters for freedom in this century to a man who is proud to be convicted of cold blooded murder should arrant a public and a private apology to Mr. Mandela, from both Rabbi Roseove and from the Jewish Journal.

[ Note by Editor of the Winnipeg Jewish Review: The article by Rabbi Roseove  quotes from a letter by Uri Avnery referring to Barghouti as calling for a "Third Intifada, a non-violent mass uprising in the spirit of the Arab Spring."

But a closer look, suggests that Barghouti is not restricting his call for the Palestinians to use only non-violent means.

Barghouti has just said that the Palestinians have an "absolute right to use all methods and means to resist occupation"(emphasis added).

 In a letter sent out to his supporters, Barghouti praised members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah who were responsible for carrying out terror attacks against Israel.

He said he was very proud of the commanders of Fatah’s armed wing, Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, who were killed or arrested by Israel during the second intifada.

Barghouti also praised Fatah’s two female suicide bombers, Wafa Idris and Ayat al-Akhras, who carried out attacks in Jerusalem.

It is difficult not to see this praise as encouraging an uprising only  through non-violenct means (through boycotts, protests,etc).

Also in calling for the Palestinian Authority security forces to cease co-operation with Israel, is Barghouti not suggesting that the PA not clamp down on Palestinians who would use violence against Israel ? Barghouti is also calling for reconciliation with Hamas. How would PA forces arrest Hamas terrorists planning attacks on Israel?

If you read between the lines, it’s difficult to see how the overall recipe of what Barghouti is calling for will not lead to violence. ]

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UPDATE:  ROSOVE ISSUES  PUBLIC APOLOGY TO MANDELA

As a result of reading David Bedein's comments above Rabbi  Rosove wrote on his blog:

"I am grateful to David Bedein, the Director of the Israel Resource News Agency, Center for Near East Policy Research at the Beit Agron International Press Center in Jerusalem for his comment and input on Marwan Barghouti’s crimes and demeanor at his trial for multiple murders. Mr. Bedein and I have communicated privately. I also wish to express my appreciation to him for the way he communicated in both his comment and his private communications with me. He was more than civil and respectful, virtues which are too often lacking in public discourse.

In posting Uri Avnery’s piece which the journalist titled “The New Nelson Mandela” I did not intend to impugn Mr. Mandela’s integrity. However, by association with Marwan Barghouti I clearly did and I wish to apologize publicly to Mr. Mandela for this slight. He did not deserve it."

http://rabbijohnrosove.wordpress.com/

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=264407 http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/marwan-barghouti-placed-in-solitary-confinement-in-israel-jail-after-call-for-popular-uprising-1.421998