I thought about changing topics for my first new post…I’ve been tempted to write about the current situation in Israel and Lebanon. Those of you who received my emails from Jerusalem would understand the temptation all too well. Although when I sit down at my computer to put down my thoughts, I find it much harder to speak with authority on events in the Middle East than ever before. Go figure. Maybe that’s because I’m not there any more. So instead, I thought I’d try to find some middle ground in between the Middle East and Argentina. That’s been surprisingly easy to do. Sadly, here’s more about terrorism and violence. I’m sorry the first post-hibernation post isn’t lighter. Hang in there with me.
The fight between Hezbollah and Israel is nothing new. Back in 1992, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) made a concerted effort to drive Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon. The fighting continued on for weeks with the usual tools of destruction on the Israeli side (i.e. special forces and tanks) until Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Sheikh Abbas Mussawi, along with six other individuals including his wife and child. Now, those of you familiar with my emails from five years ago would expect Hezbollah to retaliate harshly, and you’d be right. Israel was expecting a violent backlash after the new Hezbollah leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, vowed revenge. Revenge came, but not in a form anyone expected. In March of 1992, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 38 people. A few hours later, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Wait a minute!!” you say. “How did we go from talking about Israel and Hezbollah to Argentina and Islamic Jihad??”
“A valid question,” I answer. Here’s the deal. There are some who say that Islamic Jihad is just the Palestinian wing of Hezbollah (which the U.S. State Department defines as a Shiite Muslim terrorist group of Lebanese origin which receives aid Syria and Iran).
“Okay, that answers the Islamic Jihad question…so what’s up with Argentina?” Well, Argentina is home to a rather sizeable Jewish population, as many as 200,000 by some estimates today. Seriously, there are parts of Buenos Aires where you see so many black hat orthodox Jews on the street, you would swear you were in the Mea She’arim neighborhood of Jerusalem or Brooklyn. Strangely (or not surprisingly), that makes me feel at home. On a more serious historical note, Jews have immigrated to Argentina in waves over the last five hundred years: (1) in 1492 when the Jews were kicked out of Spain, (2) in the mid 1800’s mainly from France, and (3) in the late 1800’s as anti-Semitism began to rise in Eastern Europe. With the Argentine--Jewish connection, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires makes a logical target for anti-Israeli terrorists. (In case you didn’t know, Hezbollah’s charter calls for the destruction of Israel.)
But wait! I’m not done. And I’m sure you can guess that the Mideast violence didn’t end there. You’re right again, my savvy reader! More acts of terrorism ensued on an international level (I won’t get into them individually and I won’t try to place blame either…for now), but Israel was not out of the fight. In May 1994, Israel kidnapped Hezbollah bigwig Mustafa Dirani. Again, one would assume that Israel would be the target for retaliation. Such was the assumption of the day until July 18, 1994 when a Jewish community center called the AMIA was bombed…in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 and wounding more than 200 others. (AMIA stand for Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association) Again, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, but you can guess who many people thought was behind the planning of this awful attack…that’s right, Hezbollah.
Last Tuesday marked the twelve year anniversary of the AMIA bombing. There were protests and vigils in the city. According to reports, a siren went off at 9:53 a.m. to commemorate the attack, and people laid flowers and candles as the names of the victims were read. Unfortunately, I missed all this because I was busy teaching, but I did see a gathering at the obelisco* in the city center later that day. As it stands now, no one has been convicted for the AMIA bombing twelve years ago. Last year, a prosecutor here specifically blamed Hezbollah for the bombing. Hezbollah has denied responsibility. That all sounds like what I saw in Jerusalem, but here’s something you don’t see over in Israel: a local policeman allegedly sold the van that was used in the bombing to the terrorists. As I said before, no one has been convicted in connection with this bombing. Rumors, insinuations, and accusations persist in the mind of the public, but no smoking gun has emerged. I’ve even heard it rumored that former Argentine President Carlos Menem had advanced knowledge of the bombing. Of course, roasting the president has always been a national sport down here, much like telling the coach of the national fútbol team how to do his job.
Thanks for reading. I intend to write more about Argentina’s economic crisis, Buenos Aires’ trouble with crime, fútbol, and various other related topics…of course you know what they say about good intentions… I also reserve the right to write about Israel/Palestine/Lebanon/Hezbollah if I ever get my ducks in a row to still be relevant. After all, this blog is named Gypsy Rants, not Argentine Gypsy Rants. Oh, and Traveling Mercies, y’all. Don’t stop getting out of the country on my account!!
*el obelisco: In downtown Buenos Aires, there’s a giant marble obelisk commemorating Argentine Independence Day in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio (Ninth of July Avenue), which, at 140 meters across, is touted as the widest avenue in the world. This obelisk is often the meeting point for protests as well as celebrations of various fútbol teams.
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