Written in 2002.
President Sharon declared suicide bombers “guilty”,
those who fund attacks on Israel “guilty” and
those who stay silent about terror attacks in Israel “guilty”.
But this is from the man who:
assassinates Palestinians from Apache helicopters,
has the Israeli Army bulldoze Arab houses,
authorises Mossad to deploy car bombs in Ramallah and
stopped the world investigating the massacre in Jenin.
He is leader of a nation which expelled a million Palestinians.
This country daily builds new settlements on Palestinian land.
And now threatens to ethnically cleanse the West Bank and Gaza.
Sharon is the murderer who dares to mention others guilt
but who cannot silence the accusations of guilt:
not from Arabs, but from Jews and Gypsies
who died in Nazi concentration camps.
His mind’s eye sees the accuser’s finger.
His ears ring with the claim that some Jews
did not do all they could to douse the fires of
Buchenwald and Auschwich.
Who is to share the guilt for those
who died in Hebron and Bethlehem?
Who must bare the guilt –
the guilt of Sabra and Shatila?
But enough of guilt and revenge.
Grow up Zionists.
Grow up Sharon.
Even adolescents dream of peace.
I hope we’ll see the day –
the day that guilt dies,
and no one cries,
when we are allowed to move on.
Copyright © 2023 John Tomlinson