Frangieh Condones Violent Attacks on Israeli Civilians

Throughout Bassam Frangieh‘s work there’s a lament that the Arab dictators are not strong enough to deal with Israel. This is a common complaint among pro-Hezbollah supporters as well as Arab nationalists. (Frangieh is both.)

Here’s what he told an interviewer on May 26, 2006:

Q: We know a lot about Bisam Franjiya in the world of publishing Arabic literature—and I don’t want to call it translation or call you a translator—but we know next to nothing about your private life. I was surprised, as many are, to learn that you are Palestinian. How did you end up being exiled?

A: I was living in Syria during a very difficult period of its history. I suffered, as did many others, persecution from the intelligence officials. The man living in Syria, especially in the 70s and 80s; I mean, the citizen or resident experiences humiliation and oppression as part of his daily life. Even the devils were afraid of Syrian intelligence. It is a shame that the state acted against innocent, unarmed citizens, and that security officials employed their clever police methods to harass them and get the better of them. The goal of the government is to gain power over the citizen and break his will to resist. Its principal aim is to instill fear and to bully the people, while the state in turn fears the foreigners, and facilitates their actions and provides protection to them. Meanwhile Israel sits in safety just miles from the border. [Emphasis mine]

In an essay anthologized in “Modern Arabic Poetry: Vision and Reality,"Frangieh also wrote in favor of suicide bombing and violence.

Clearly, the fights and struggles of isolated poets and individuals have not succeeded in making change. Even if the best one hundred Arab poets loaded themselves with dynamite and exploded in the streets of Arab capitals, it would not be enough. For real change to come about, thousands of people will have to die; thousands must martyr themselves. It appears that only massive revolution will succeed in overturning the corrupt regimes of the Arab world. Only then can significant and radical change take place. (p. 249) [Emphasis added]

There can be no denying here that Professor Frangieh is wishing violence upon Israel and Israelis. Dr. Ethan Bindelglas CMC ’82 worries about his safety every time he visits Israel. Since 2008, Hamas and Hezbollah has fired nearly 3000 rockets on Israeli cities and towns.

“I personally feel threatened knowing that he is advocating rocket and suicide attacks against innocent Israeli citizens. As I leave to visit my parents and sisters living in Israel, I can’t understand how CMC could support such violence against me,” Ethan BindelglasMD CMC ’82 says.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has been said to be building up for another planned attack on Israel. U.S. officials in a recent report put the number of missiles at their disposal at some 50,000. I, too, have a personal stake here as well. I’ll be going to Haifa this summer. In Summer 2006, Haifa was under attack from rocket firing.

Why won’t the college come out and denounce these barbaric organizations?

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