Unless you’ve been living in a hole lately, you’ve probably heard at least a little about all the shit that’s going on in the Gaza Strip at the moment. In an area already in a dire situation, things have got worse. After the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, Israel’s response has been swift, brutal and indiscriminate.
What does Israel want? According to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, he “wants the Palestinians to understand that the landlord has gone crazy.” And crazy is certainly an apt description of recent events. Another would be collective punishment.
Israel has conducted a sustained campaign of aerial and artillery bombardment on the heavily populated Gaza Strip. Unsurprisingly, there have been plenty of civilian casualties. The Israeli army can claim all it likes that it only targets “terrorists”, but when you have over one million people crammed into such a tiny area, it simply isn’t realistic to pretend you’re only effecting the “baddies”. Oh, and firing at least nine missiles into Gaza’s only power station and blowing up bridges (having the effect of splitting Gaza in two) probably doesn’t help your claims much either.
Ahmed Tibi, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) says “it is not possible for tanks and mortars to bombard refugee camps and to say: ‘We hurt children and civilians by accident.’” The cartoon I posted yesterday offers a similar thought. It is this naivety that the Israeli army tries it’s best, but accidents happen, that I believe is embraced wholeheartedly by much of what passes for the Israeli left, and I hope to post more on this in the near future, but for now, back to Gaza.
Gazans are in a no win situation. If the groups that kidnapped Gilad Shalit, a young conscript, released him immediately, does anyone actually expect Israel’s offensive would stop? Of course not, it would continue, under the pretence that Israel “has to make sure it doesn’t happen again”. If Shalit is kept hostage, or if he is killed, the offensive will continue again, in some vain hope for retribution. So where do they go?
Olmert’s quote that he wants Palestinians to understand Israel has gone crazy is only one of a number of similar comments from Israeli politicians of late, both in government and opposition. Moshe Sharoni of Gil (the Pensioners Party) stated “We need to obliterate Gaza and call it the City of Murderers, the City of Terrorists.”
Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza over a long period of time. Poverty and disease are rife, unemployment is high and still, Palestinians yearn for self-determination. While I would argue that kidnapping is not the way to go about achieving it, and in fact will likely result in an even worse situation for Gazans, when you are backed into a corner with seemingly no hope, it doesn’t surprise me. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and times are definately desperate in Gaza.
I have been heartsick over what’s going on in Gaza and it keeps occurring to me that the Palestinians are waiting (while they die) for other people in the world to notice, really notice, what’s going on and stop the process of their systematic decimation. But it just goes on and on. “Ho-hum” news readers in the U.S. seem to say. “Ho-hum, they’re (still) starving and being raped and murdered in Darfur.” “Ho-hum, the troops are raping and pillaging in Iraq.” “Ho-hum, Shrubbie is trying to bomb Iran now.” “Ho-hum, ho-hum, ho-hum…pass the potato salad.” But do we not share some responsibility when we choose to ignore what’s going on? I sometimes wonder what I would hope others in the world would do if I were Palestinian in Gaza or living in Darfur or Iraq or Iran or…or…or…Sigh.
Anyone with a shred of humanity feels concern for civilians affected by military action. If that action is indiscriminate (i.e. has no reasonable military objective) it is particularly unpalatable.
With regard to Gaza – what is an acceptable and appropriate military response to attackers operating from within a civilian population? The only tactic that can absolutely guarantee the complete safety of civilians in this situation is non-retaliation. If any other response is utilised we should not be surprised when civilians are affected.
There is some merit in discussing the non-retaliatory option. However, if my brother is killed on a bus because it is blown up by a suicide bomber from Gaza, what would you have me do – continue to turn the other cheek?
The situation for those living in Gaza may well be desperate but let’s not treat them as a political football in perpetuity. You say they are ‘backed into a corner with seemingly no hope’ – surely the Israeli withdrawal from the area almost a year ago inspired great hope and expectations in Gaza. What happened?
[...] Links: Global Indymedia Feature | Indymedia Israel | Maan News | Haaretz | Commentary on Anarchia blog | Electronic Intifada | Palestine News Network [...]
“However, if my brother is killed on a bus because it is blown up by a suicide bomber from Gaza, what would you have me do – continue to turn the other cheek?”
Stopping the occupation would be a good start. Allowing the refugees to return (or recieve compensation) would be a good follow up. Then, work towards reconciliation (perhaps using something similar to the TRC in South Africa).
“surely the Israeli withdrawal from the area almost a year ago inspired great hope and expectations in Gaza.”
Not really – it was a political move that delivered everything to Israel (they could pretend Gaza was no longer occupied, they could consolidate and solidify the settlement blocs in the West Bank, they didn’t have to commit such a large number of troops to Gaza anymore etc etc) while giving very little to Palestinians in Gaza (they still had little self-determination, and as such a large chunk of vital infrastructure had been destroyed, Gaza was never going to be “orderly)”.
A focus on possible solutions is good. Could you clarify though what you consider to be ‘occupied’ at this time?
To clarify my observation re the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza: I was not concerned with the Israeli reasons for the action.
My comment was directed to how Palestinians living in the area received it at the time – a little shouting for glee, a little flag waving maybe, a few shots fired in the air – or did they throw up their hands in despair because they had “little self-determination, and … such a large chunk of vital infrastructure had been destroyed”?
As an irish man I am pretty disgusted with Israel in general. Its northern Ireland all over again. The point i think is, as Orwell said, War is peace. Israel wants to be at war continuosly, so as to expand its borders. They do not believe any other country has the right to investigate its practices, as Israel considers itself…a master-country if you will (continuosly ignoring UN resolutions, and being allowed to by a world that is terrified of being accused of anti-semitism). It is this fear of being accused of anti-semitism which stops most from speaking out. Israel deliberatly interprets any criticism as anti-semetism. The threat of this accussation puts the leash on criticism and allows Israel to do just about anything it likes (as we have seen with the rest of the world just “accepting” that innocent gazans are going to die by the hand of israel). I for one however am certainly no anti-semite, but I am proud to say that I am anti-zionist
Israel, I know what you know, I know the things you worried, I know the things you afraid, all I can say, enjoy killing while you ca, while you still have time and the time will come.. PREPARE YOUR TREE!
Soooo.. Once again Israel is demonized. No new news here! Let me get this straight: These PAL bastards dig a tunnel, with the express purpose of starting trouble and Isreal is not supposed to respond?
Rockets are sent – without provocation – to Israel, and they should not respond?
Oh, PAL’s, PulEASE. You can argue all day long about how just your cause is, but when you’ve restarted the Intifada and start killing innocents, please don’t expect any sympathy from me and for your semi-religious causes (if hate is a religeon, you’ve got the market cornered).
Israel is right to defend itself against animalistic attacks – and it’s a shame that those militants need to hide amongst the civilian populations, but that’s YOUR choice PALs. You KNOW Israel will respond. You KNOW your own people will be killed.
But that’s just it, isn’t it? You terrorist whackos don’t care about family or justice. You WANT blood and violence. You want the total destruction of Israel. Israel, therefore should just roll over and die, eh? In war, there are no innocents when they aren’t protected by their own. If you want to teach your children to be good little martyrs, then have at it. Death to you all then. But at the same time, let’s not play the ‘but what about the innocent CHLDREN’ card. You already played that when you set up the training camps, TV program indoctrination, and provided an atmosphere of fear and anger.
I certainly wouldn’t want to be in Gaza or Lebanon right now. The lesson will be a harsh one it seems…
Steve:
Israel is not Northern Ireland all over again. Apart from superficial similarities apparent with sectarian violence, the historical causes and current situations are quite dissimilar from nearly every perspective you might choose to examine.
Israel does not want to be at war continuously and expand its borders. It does, however, have a vested interest in secure borders and the protection of its citizens.
Israel is a healthy parliamentary democracy, unlike most of its neighbours, and poll results show significant diversity of opinion within the country – do you suggest those Israeli citizens who criticise the Israeli Government are called anti-Semites?
You call yourself an anti-Zionist and I read this as your denial of the right of Jews to self determination in the land of their ancestors. Or do you have another definition of Zionism?