Angelo Frammartino was a 24 year-old Italian aid-worker and law student. Last Thursday night, outside the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem, a Palestinian assailant stabbed him twice in the back and once in the throat. Despite the valiant efforts of Magen David Adom, he died on the scene due to loss of blood. Angelo was in Israel as a volunteer at a summer camp for Palestinian children run by an Italian trade union. Angelo was also the director of the local youth section of the Communist Refoundation Party and was highly active in anti-war and Third World development campaigns. he was described as a Pacifist and was eulogized by the Italian press, who made use of his own words “Make love with non-violence to give birth to peace from the womb of society.”
Dave at IsraellyCool, citing an article by YNetNews, noted that Angelo recently had this to say in a letter to a local Italian paper:
We must recognize that in a situation with no violence is a luxury in many parts of the world, but we are not seeking to prevent legitimate self defense operations. I never dreamt of condemning the resistance, the blood of the Vietnamese, the blood of nations under colonial occupation, or the blood of Palestinian youths from the first intifada.
While Dave may have been a tad insensitive in conjuring Lenin’s “useful idiot” terminology in describing Angelo, it does seem bitterly ironic. Dave’s question thus remains “I wonder if Frammartino would consider his knifing a terror attack or legitimate self-defense operation, had he survived.” But he didn’t survive. He was due to leave on Saturday and all he did was work on a friggin day camp for Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. Angelo and I may not have agreed on politics but I sure would have enjoyed a nice cold beer and a spirited discussion with him. Now, because of a back stabbing coward, neither I nor anyone else will be able to do that. And in case any of you think I’m going soft – remember, it could just as easily have been me bleeding to death in Jerusalem. Or Dan. Or Michael. Or Ariel. Or Laya or anyone else whose presence in this city and in this country, binds their fate together. This has nothing to do with politics, or religion or anything else for apparently the murderers’ knives don’t discriminate.
Go with God Angelo Frammartino.
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I wrote an article on this. I didn’t feel comfortable covering one aspect. The Italian press, is theorising that the attack may have resulted because Amgelo was drinking (in the wrong area). [oh, well then that’s ok…]
The truth is when you look at Angelo, his dark hair, his short sightedness, his presence with four girls, his seeming peacefulness, it would be easy to mistake Angelo for a certain other nationality with a large presence in Jerusalem.
Either way, this is a tragedy, you may have argued with his premises, but you can’t argue with his genuine altruistic nature.
A great shame, and a loss to this world.
Shalom
Aaron
http://bagelblogger.blogspot.com/2006/08/angelo-frammartinotragic-end-to-kind.html
Poor Amgelo, killed by yet another terrorist monkey thug. My heart goes out to Amgelo’s family. May they find who did this.
Not be cynical… but why isn’t this ALL OVER mainstream press. Like, you know, Rachel Corrie was? Why do you suppose I had to read about it here? Will liberal magazines do cover articles about this young man? Will his name become a tagline the way Corrie’s did?
Luckily it seems that they have already caught the guy who did it, as it seems to be already established that it was an Arab/Palestinian. Or have they? How else do they know?
Aussie Dave, as usual, is being a complete fucktard. This one, however, takes the cake. No, ck, Dave’s post was not just insensitive. It was downright gleeful. And for what reason? The Italian guy wasn’t even doing anything remotely harmful to Israel. If anything, his actions were giving the Palestinian children something constructive and peaceful to do. Was it because he was a communist? Aussie Dave’s inability to show one shred of decency shows him to be a total psychopath. I pray that God teaches Dave a lesson in humility that he’ll not soon forget. Ditto for those awful commenters who came off as total monsters. Are these the kind of “supporters” of Israel you really want to be associated with? Do you think they’d hesitate to say the same hateful and vile things about DovBear or Mobius if something like this happened to them? Their hatred is so great it has consumed them. People like them are very dangerous.
Come on Nick. Be fair. I know Aussie Dave. He’s an intelligent, articulate and caring person. I hope I’m not being indiscreet when I say that judging by your IP address, you’re not in Israel. I don’t know what pressures Dave has been under but even then, i can assure you he’s not psychotic. Calling people monsters only serves to dehumanize them. If you discern tremendous hatred from others, I don’t think the proper response is more hatred. We have enough of that. Certainly if you wish to make a point about the humanity that unites us all regardless of race, creed, national or political orientation, your sort of response is not going to change any minds.
Really horrible story. Poor Angelo.
And DISGUSTING comments on the Ynet article as well. I can’t believe the state of the world!
Although, last I checked it hadn’t got much/any coverage in the local Arabic press. I will be investigating further.
Actually…I’ve only seen this story in the Israeli press.
ck, you might be right about Nick’s rhetoric and over the top language, but I must say I share his revulsion for the attitude displayed. Glee describes Aussie Dave’s post perfectly. As for some of the comments to it, they are downright hateful, the same type of hate that makes someone strap explosives to their body and blow up innocent people. I am honestly appalled at the sickening comments made about someone who was only trying to help in his own way. Until this hatred stops, we are all in big trouble and its only going to get worse.
To the commenters who prefer ad hominem attacks to reasoned argument: read my post again. There is no glee. Just revulsion at the palestinian terrorists who ended the young man’s life, and revulsion at the young man’s views. Some of my commenters did take it further and go for the “he deserved it line”, but I did no such thing.
Nick and Das,
You might want to work on keeping YOUR hatred in check.
Dave, your arguments were not really reasoned.
First, calling someone who had been murdered as a “useful idiot” was insensitive, especially when the said person was trying to give Palestinian kids something worthwhile to do, something which normal kids normally do while they grow up to become normal persons who don’t blow others up in buses.
Second, the final remark you made about his pacifist beliefs was quite low.
Third, the very notion of labeling Mr. Frammartino as a “useful idiot” implies that you consider yourself right and the deceased person to be wrong, misguided, driven by a wrong ideology and otherwise downright stupid. That was odd, considering what Mr. Frammartino actually did during his stay, and what such actions of giving children a decent childhood might accomplish in the long run.
Finnish,
The term “useful idiot” has a specific connotation, that is someone being manipulated by a terrorist group or the like.
The young man in question supported terrorist attacks, but was ultimately killed in one. So I think my final remark was right on the money.
As for being sensitive, I am more for being truthful and open when it comes to terrorists and their supporters.