Covid

MASKING SAVES LIVES

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The Shame of the Gaza Siege -- Hasan Abu Nimah

Portion below; whole (via Voices of Palestine) thing here: http://jordantimes.com/index.php?news=12542


In the end, Israel’s war of starvation on the people of Gaza will be no more “successful” than its war of cluster bombs against Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Israel should not be deceived by the silence of some Arab regimes. Beneath the crust of these regimes, ever more anger and hatred towards Israel is building up as a result of its actions. Even the official silence should not be taken for granted as sign of voluntary approval.

If Israel had true friends, unlike the European and American politicians who constantly reward it for its crimes, they would point out that Hamas observed the ceasefire for five months until Israel shattered it, on November 4, by killing six Palestinians. Any rockets fired from Gaza were a response to a much bigger and deadly aggression from Israel, and thus were within the “rules of the game” in the ceasefire. They would point out that Hamas had unilaterally observed a truce long before and after its election, and that it is Israel that has waged constant aggression in Gaza and throughout the West Bank. Hamas, as is now known, sent multiple messages, including to President George Bush, expressing willingness to engage in peace negotiations, but all that was ignored.

Why does no one in the so-called international community have the courage to put these glaring facts before Israel? Perhaps it is always easier and safer to blame the victims, especially when 750,000 of them are children who cannot speak out or defend themselves.

As the bakeries in Gaza run out of flour, no one with power dares stop Israel, challenge its “right” to occupy, besiege, kill, colonise, displace, persecute, torture, dehumanise the owners of a land. Israel, no matter what it does, is just “defending itself”.

All these things seem certain, solid and permanent today, just like the Berlin wall once did. Israel and its sponsors may be surprised one day when the volcano they are sitting on erupts.

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