The Israel/Palestine conflict has hardly been simmering but whatever lid was on the pot is about to be blown off completely.
At least 52 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers have been killed today in fighting in Gaza with Palestinian doctors stating that at least eight were children and only 16 were militants. Hamas have been responsible for firing over 20 rockets a day into Israel.
The raid follows comments from Israel's Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai that Palestine was facing a 'holocaust'.
The Israeli raids began after a rocket fired by Hamas militants killed an Israeli student in Sderot on Wednesday and was replied with by raids that have killed over 80 Palestinians since. With reports of Israel troops gathering on the Gaza border, the threat of full-scale attack on Gaza is a likely scenario.
Israel's leaders have been under pressure from some quarters to launch a ground invasion while a recent opinion poll has indicated a majority of Israelis (63%) favour a truce with the Islamist movement Hamas who were elected into power in 2006. The elections result made a mockery of the US talk of "spreading democracy” who immediately showed that they had no intention of honoring the will of the Palestinian people.
Two years on and with Palestinian leaders calling for international protection and Mahmoud Abbas demanding an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, there really is something stirring in the Middle East air and our minds return to Jenin in 2002 when Israeli troops stormed a West Bank town to stop rockets being fired into its cities.
The Jenin Inquiry, a group of 12 internationals from the US, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Norway conducted detailed, in-depth investigation into what happened for 15 horrific days in April 2002 while The Israeli military tried to restrict the ability of the media and international organizations to establish the detail of just what went on in the refugee camp.
Then full horror of Israeli atrocities is available here
Almost two thirds of Israelis want their leaders to just talk and Hamas have made numerous offers to the Israeli leadership for peace talks in June 2006
Sept 2007 and March 2008.
We have been here so many times before. The invasion will go ahead and the news of innocent Palestinian deaths will filter out followed by calls from the rest of the World (except USA & UK) to stop the carnage and Israel will pull out with condemnation ringing in its ears.
I have very little love for Hamas, an organisation as vile and as murderous as can be imagined, but find it impossible to feel anything but disgust and anger at an Israel that acts with such disregard for human life while blatantly defying every UN security council ruling against them, continues an illegal occupation of another people and hands out collective punishment while playing the part of the victims.
Are we really just going to look away while Israel fulfills its promise of a holocaust in Palestine?
15 comments:
Hello again Lucy.
A strongly worded and justified disapproval of Israel's current policy.
I am hoping that the condemnation will ring in Israels ears before they embark upon a disasterous incursion into Gaza. We say on our website that Israel must negotiate with the elected Hamas government for there to be any kind of a solution to the rocket fire on the south. Until then the cycle of killing will continue.
regards
Rose
It's time.
The irony of Vilnai's turn of phrase is flabbergasting.
Two-thirds, eh? Sounds a lot like my country.
It's nice that Daniel's back to spread his message of antisemitism
remember: to say a single word against israeli aggresion=anti semitism!
Absolutely right, Annie. It's just like an American friend of mine who said he didn't intend to vote for Barack Obama because he didn't agree with his policies... What a racist, eh?!?!
cheezy~maybe so. that's always tricky to pin down. there aren't many who are honest enough to admit it, i'd guess.;) so much easier to silently hate/distrust.
which of his policies are so contemptible, i wonder?
If the Arabs get together as a powerful military block david, then we would just end with more people getting killed on all sides.
The only way you fix bullies is to bloody their noses, Lucy, otherwise they just continue, perhaps even become more brazen!
Cody's comment demonstrates his usual lack of comprehension and maturity!
Cheers.
The problem here is that Hamas has NEVER offered peace talks with Israel. What they have offered to discuss is a hudna. This is essentially a ceasefire with a time limit. They will at the end of this period resume their rocket fire, suicide bombings and any new weaponry that they can lay hands on will be used. The term, if I am not mistaken was used by Muhammed and at the end of the time period, if memory serves correct, he and his followers conquered their opponent. Hamas hopes to become militarily strong enough to destroy Israel. In this, at least, they are fairly honest. Accept what they say at face value. Their raison d'etre is Israel's destruction.
We differ on this david, i don't see peace coming about by escalating the amount of fighting by bringing in more countries. It will just make an even bigger bang.
Just an FYI (something that I didn't know at first either): "shoah" in Hebrew means disaster as well as (H)holocaust. So the comment could have been translated as, "If they keep firing rockets, they'll bring disaster upon themselves."
You would think, though, that anyone in public office there would know not to use that particular word against another group.
Pardon the digression:
which of his policies are so contemptible, i wonder?
I certainly don't find Obama the man contemptible (though ambition can sometimes be), but as policies of his go there are not many to choose from, Annie. His RECORD, on the other hand, provides much that should concern true progressives.
as opposed to HER record, o'tim?
she is repug light, and she plays dirty, just like rove.
What else are you going to do with a country that puts itself above all laws and morality and thumbs its nose at the whole world, Lucy?
To expect that Israel is going to discover its conscience eventually is naive. Why should it?
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