StandWithUs Reporting From The Hague
Roz Rothstein of standwithus.com reports on the pro-Israel demonstrations at the International Kangaroo Court. (Hat tip: Amy.)
The non-profit volunteer group ZAKA made arrangements to deliver the skeletal remains of Bus number 19 to The Hague, to park it in front of the Peace Palace. Viewing this bus took our breath away. One could only imagine the suffering that took place on this bus, and the personal stories of the human beings who were murdered just a few weeks ago aboard this very bus. The bus was a haunting reminder of the suicide terrorism that Israel faces, the suicide terrorism that is taught to Palestinian children, that is glorified in Palestinian media and clerics’ speeches… the suicide terrorism that will not be discussed during the proceedings in the Peace Palace. I wondered if the word “terrorism” would even come up during these hearings.
G-d bless the members of ZAKA. It is profound to be in their presence. We spoke with Yossi Landau, who told us about some of his experiences. One would have to possess super-human strength to endure what he recounted. I asked him how he manages to cope with such horrific human tragedy. He said that sometimes he allows his mind to go numb in order to cope, as he and his team members provide dignified removal of the bodies and body parts of murdered victims, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who are on route to work or school… He described one particular event while tears streamed down his face. It was the time that he found a mother sitting on the ground near the exploded bus she had been on with her dead and dismembered baby on her lap. She was clearly in shock. Yossi waited, then attempted to gently take the baby from her arms. She would not allow it. She began to beat Yossi while shouting “you are trying to take the only thing I have left.” He said that he knelt down beside her and did not realize that she had been hitting him for over an hour. Yossi lives with exactly these kinds of memories, and still shows up at the scene of suicide terrorism as often as he is needed to do so.
