Nzaghachi na my blog post of July 28, 2006, in which I called him a “truly disgusting racist”, Mitch Potter, the Middle East Bureau Chief of the Toronto Star, wrote the below to me on September 10, 2006 (last year).
I prepared a reply which I will post tomorrow, but I thought I would post his letter to me here first.
(I also watched the preview screening of amu, which I’ll try to get a review of up soon.)
Mitch Potter’s letter to me:
Maazị Podur,
Whatever you may think of my work, how in good conscience do you come to brand me “a truly disgusting racist” in a public forum?
I have been called many things in my time in the Middle East — in fact, the dominant thrust of my critics after nearly five years of reporting from the region is that I am overempathetic to the plight of Palestinians. But “truly disgusting racist” is an altogether new low.
You completely misunderstand the intent of the phrase “lemming-like,” which in fact was written to remind readers of the terribly mismatched battles in Gaza, battles that I have written about repeatedly since 2002. It goes like this: whenever an Israeli armoured column so much as nudges the edge of a refugee camp, lightly armed gunmen from Izzidine al-Qassam Brigades, Al Aksa Martyr Brigades and as many as a half-dozen other groups at any given time pour forth to their almost certain death.
Ajụrụ m ndị isi ndị agha Palestine ọtụtụ oge ihe kpatara ha ji na-agbaso atụmatụ a karịsịa igbu onwe ha nke ibuso tankị Israel ọgụ, mgbe otu ndị otu a gosipụtara usoro agha ka ukwuu n'ime atụmatụ na igbu nke ụfọdụ ọgụ ndị ọzọ, dị ka ọwara June 24. mbuso agha amuru nke butere ijide Israel Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
The answer is that the reaction is by rote. Or, rather, lemming-like. When tanks are on the doorstep, emotion takes over, and many Palestinian fighters launch themselves spontaneously into the losing end of a decidedly unfair fight. Some Israeli military officials, in fact, have been quoted as calling these engagements “unfair” in Israel’s favour for that very reason.
According to sociologists I have spoken to and quoted extensively from Gaza (Google my article the “Lost Boys of Gaza” for context) the impulse is somehow connected to feelings of powerlessness. In other words, Palestinian fighters are drawn out not by the promise of certain death, but rather, the subconscious need to feel they are somehow taking control of a situation that has left their entire community powerless.
Sociologists also say a similar impulse contributes to the high casuality rate among Palestinian boys. In Palestinian society, as in the broader society of the Arab world, the father is the traditional symbol of power and authority. Yet many of the boys of Gaza appear to be turning away from their helpless fathers and instead identify more with the “father figure” of armed gunmen in their streets, who are the only ones to demonstrate strength. There are many terrible ways that children die by Israeli weaponry. But one of them, I believe, includes the fact that the children are drawn to being with the militants in the streets.
Ọ na-arịa ọrịa. Na ọrịa ahụ, n'uche nke m, bụ otu n'ime ngwaahịa sitere na ọtụtụ ọgbọ nke ọrụ Israel.
Eziokwu nke akwụkwọ akụkọ a na-ebipụta kwa ụbọchị bụ na ọ bụghị akụkọ ọ bụla na-abịa n'ụzọ zuru ezu na ọnọdụ kwesịrị ekwesị. Enweghị ohere ma ọ bụ oge. Na akụkọ ị kpọtụrụ aha na blọọgụ gị nwere ike irite uru karịa.
Nke ahụ kwuru, edeela m ọtụtụ akụkọ dị ogologo, akụkọ gbasara akụkọ sitere na Gaza, West Bank na ọtụtụ isi ihe karịrị nke ahụ nwere ndụ mgbe a nwụsịrị na Weebụ. M na-agba gị aka ka ịchọta ọbụna otu ga-akwado okwu ọjọọ ị na-etinye aka na aha m.
Obi,
Mitch Potter
Mitch Potter
Middle East Bureau Chief
Toronto Star nke Canada
A na-akwado ZNetwork naanị site na mmesapụ aka nke ndị na-agụ ya.
inye