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Letter to American Marine whose shirt CO Tair Kaminer is wearing

Tair Kaminer
via reuven.kaminer@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Smith

You don`t know me, but I feel as though we are really close. For the past 20 days I have worn your shirt. At least the shirt that was yours while you served in the American army. Here`s the thing, I am sitting in an Israeli Military Prison. And our uniforms, here in the Military Prison, were donated to my country by your country. Yes, it is really US ARMY uniforms that we are wearing, the tiger-skinned uniforms, the uniforms of the Marines, and some of them still have the family names of the soldiers sewed on the right and left sides of the shirts. And this time, I received your shirt with your nametag still sewn on the right side of the shirt.

I want to tell you why I am in prison. I am sitting in prison because I refused to enlist in the Israeli army, because I am against the continuation of the policies of occupation in the occupied territories. I requested to do alternative community service, but they are not letting me do that. This time, when the prison uniform had a name on it, I thought of you. I wondered what you think, how you feel about me wearing your uniform?

I wonder who you are. As one might expect, at the beginning I imagined you as a typical American, maybe chubby, a football fan, and maybe you have no idea what is happening here. You are not aware that there is a very complex and sad conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That actually, since the foundation of this country there have been horrible wars. So it`s important for me to tell you, because I am wearing your shirt. We have been in this situation for many years now. A terrible situation of wars that keep on coming back, over and over. Thousands of people on each side have been killed as a result of this war. The Palestinians live under Israeli occupation. The significance of this is that they are refused the basic rights of life, liberty, security and dignity. The Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip live under a heavy Israeli military presence, and about twice a year, the Israeli army also goes in and destroys the place. And of course the Israelis are suffering from this situation as well. We have a cycle of mourning that grows from year to year. For years now, entire communities in Israel, near the city of Shderot next to Gaza, have lived with the reality of constantly running to the bomb shelters to avoid incoming missiles, not just during war times, but daily. Huge populations of both soldiers and civilians live with trauma and anxiety.

If I can summarize, it is not safe here. For anyone. And the reason that this is connected to you is that your government is very involved. The taxes you pay support these wars, meaning, we receive a `security` budget, and in Israel, the meaning of `security` is really `occupation`, a siege and closure of the Palestinian population. For the security of Israelis, of course. Additionally, your government has a lot of power and influence on this topic. You could say that your president is managing these wars. I didn`t get your shirt randomly; your country is a little more involved in the situation than simply donating old uniforms. So now that you know the situation, are you bothered by the fact that your clothes and your money are actually occupying the Palestinian people? They are preserving the lack of security in Israel? Do you sleep well at night knowing this?

Actually, I imagine you a bit differently. I want to believe that you are a person who is active in your society, simply because it would be nice if the person who`s shirt I wore was a significant person in his society. And that you are very aware of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You even have some criticism of Israel. And you also know that you are not anti-Semitic just because you are against the occupation and support non-violent action against it, because Israel actually is committing crimes and it is important for you as a world citizen not to lend your hand to this, and you are concerned about how your money is being used, and this is fantastic. But I wonder if you make the connection, on a higher level, between what is happening in your city or state and what is happening across the sea where we live. Because, we too here, in the Middle East, are hugely influenced by the policies there in the US. I`ll explain. It`s very important to blame Israel for this whole problem. But that`s not enough. You see, the atmosphere in Israel lately has become more and more violent, racist, and extremist, and our government is responsible for this; but your government continues to caress my government`s head. Yes I know that sometimes there is tension and I know that sometimes Bibi does stupid things in his relationship with you, but at the end of the day, you are giving the atrocities here protection: unofficial permission, but still very significant. So please, enough. Enough to the cooperation, enough to channeling money to support the occupation, enough to sending war equipment, enough to the hypocritical involvement that is actually interested in maintaining the status quo.

Yes, I am asking you, as the one who is wearing your old shirt, that you apply a little pressure there in the US and don`t just give your government the legitimization to support the crimes that are happening here.

It suddenly hit me, it`s possible that you have actually died. I mean, you are also a soldier, you also served in a violent campaign, and maybe the power struggles killed you too? Maybe you lost your life as well because of tycoons getting rich off this war. Maybe you had a family and children who became orphans because of some pig that wanted more money? He wanted them to buy more weapons, more ammunitions, so he put pressure on whomever he needed to so that this war would just continue. He didn`t think at all about your mother, who lost her child, while he probably bought a new car. He didn`t think about your sister who lost her big brother while he bought off the decision makers so he could continue to get richer. I am sure he also didn`t think about your best friend, he probably just went quietly off to sleep.

I`m sorry, Smith, I didn`t think about that, and now I feel a little bad. You are just like the many Palestinians, the many Israelis, a victim. A victim of the capitalism that is selling off our lives, and of the right wing that is discriminating between us, and of the governments that are sowing racism, and of the injustice.

So Smith, I am sitting here in prison for you as well, because I am not willing to take part in the injustice that killed you and is killing many others. So thank you, Smith, that you are with me, accompanying me on this struggle for the better world that could be here. For your children and also for mine.

(Translated by JJC)

For those interested in additional background information, see Tair Kaminer on Google

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