He risked all for others

[Resistance]

http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=781552003

On Friday 11 April, my eldest son, a photojournalist, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. He was trying to protect two young girls in the Israelis’ line of fire in Gaza. He is 21 and now lies in a coma, with severe brain damage. We know he is not expected to recover and our family are endeavouring to come to terms with this. Recently, we were able to fly him home from Israel and he is now in The Royal Free in Hampstead, in a room overlooking London, filled with photographs of his life. Two large sheets covered in wonderful written messages from friends hang on the walls.

Tom is the third Westerner to have been wounded or killed in Gaza in recent months. In March, a 23-year-old American student, Rachel Corrie, was crushed to death in Rafah by an Israeli armoured bulldozer while she tried to protect a Palestinian family home from being flattened. We have detailed evidence and are sure now that the Israeli army has deliberately been targeting foreigners who go into the occupied territories to help protect Palestinians and to witness and record the conditions there.

The Israeli government has consistently denied shooting Tom with intent, first claiming that he had been carrying a gun, which is untrue, then saying he had been near a man carrying a gun. This is also untrue - the family has collected 14 witness statements to the contrary. Ten weeks later, we are still fighting for an official inquiry. We want the officer who fired the gun and those in high command brought to justice.

I’m intensely proud of Tom. He taught himself to have courage; he saved a life. We can’t all remain in safe little cages. Tom went to Gaza to expose the injustice. I profoundly respect the fact that he sought to make a difference. Somewhere along the line he decided to value life, not just his own, but those around him.

[Rainbowreflect]

1. They have every right to be proud.

They must have raised him right if he was willing to risk his life protecting people he did not even know. We need more people like this and less like bush, willing to risk others lives for profit.

[dfong63]

2. i salute this brave man

... along with Rachel Corrie. their courage and idealism will not be forgotten.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I hope they get an inquiry...

The British govt needs to do more to support his family. They're going through enough as it is. I can't imagine how terrible it must be to face the prospect of turning off yr childs life support, which is what they're facing. The IDF lied about the circumstances around his shooting claiming he was dressed in army fatigues and brandishing a firearm - have I got the right guy? They've killed and maimed so many foreigners I start to lose track...

Violet...

[Equinox]

4. Men and women of honor.

Corrie, Hurndall, Avery and many many more. They have evolved well past the rest of us.