The “missiles” being loaded onto a truck by “Hamas” who are bombed and killed turn out to be gas cylinders. Gazans are forced to eat grass as UN relief transport runs out of fuel, and gas and electricity is cut off. Water is running out. The numbers of civilian dead are arrived at by excluding all males — if you are boy or man you can be murdered with impunity.
Over 400 are dead. As a proportion of the 1.5 million Gazans, that’s the equivalent of 16,000 British. More than 2,000 have been injured. Hospitals are overwhelmed.
This is life under attack 41 years after Gaza was captured and occupied by Israel.
The last few weeks of the Bush presidency has given Israel a window to carry out its atrocities against a defenceless population weakened by months of a blockade, with the possibility of a ground invasion to follow.
No wonder they were too ashamed to allow in the press. A groundswell of revulsion even within Israel itself has led to a court ruling that they must let the media into Gaza.
It’s thought that, just as they destroyed Al Fateh as a significant fighting force and built up Hamas, Israel now wants to clear the ground of Hamas and let Al Qaeda in. That way the world would be united behind Israel and legitimise all its acts of brutality as it completes the destruction of the Palestinians.
Media Workers Against The War points out: “Israel is in breach of many Geneva Conventions and international laws amounting to war crimes, including, wilful killing, extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity and collective punishment.”
Doesn’t that make Israel a rogue state?
A demonstration to demand a halt to the bombing is scheduled in London for tomorrow (Saturday 3rd January), 12:30 at Embankment.
There are local protests in Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Norwich, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea and even Tunbridge Wells. I mean, Tunbridge Wells, fer cryin' out loud!?
FURTHER READING
Jews For Justice give some historical background.
Obama’s take on Gaza here.
Rachel Shabi in the Guardian: Special spin body gets media on message, says Israel
Seumas Milne on Israel's onslaught, in the Guardian
Mark Steel asks, "What have the Palestinians go to complain about?" in the Independent.
Robert Fisk here, here and here in the Independent.
The Israeli propaganda war, BBC
Organised Rage says:
According to the latest figures the Israeli armed forces has 5000,000 men and women under arms, Hamas has approx. 600-6000. Israel 3,501 tanks, Hamas 0. Combat aircraft, Israel 393, Hamas 0. Israeli defense budget, 9.5 Bn, Hamas total annual funding, 50 million for civilian and military projects. Israeli dead since bombardment began, military 0 civilians 5, Palestinian total, 408 dead, 44% of whom were women and children.
From Richard Falk, United Nations Human Rights Council:
“The Israeli airstrikes, and the catastrophic human toll that they caused, challenge those countries that have been and remain complicit, either directly or indirectly, in Israel's violations of international law. That complicity includes those countries knowingly providing the military equipment including warplanes and missiles used in these illegal attacks, as well as those countries who have supported and participated in the siege of Gaza that itself has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
“I remind all member states of the United Nations that the UN continues to be bound to an independent obligation to protect any civilian population facing massive violations of international humanitarian law - regardless of what country may be responsible for those violations. I call on all Member States, as well as officials and every relevant organ of the United Nations system, to move on an emergency basis not only to condemn Israel's serious violations, but to develop new approaches to providing real protection for the Palestinian people.”
Madam Miaow says ...Just where is glorious peace envoy Tony Blair in all this? Has he visited, yet?
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3 comments:
The truck episode gave rise to this truly bizarre headline in Guardian:
"'Eight civilians killed' in surgical strike on truck".
Good post. Spot on.
Cheers, Seán. It's a complete horroshow.
Shane, I'm not sure you are actually reading what's been written here in my two posts.
Over the last year hundreds of rockets, fired from civilian areas, have streamed into Israel from the Gaza Strip.
During the same period, how many Palestinians have been killed? Since the 2005 withdrawal, 1,400. How many Israelis? Nine. Now that Hamas has started to fire deeper into Israeli territory in the last week, we can see how symbolic those pathetic rocket attacks were.
BTW, I want to make it clear that I am no fan of Hamas. Firing at civilians is wrong. They should stop. It's a mark of desperation on the part of a displaced nation that Hamas is seen as the only force that can defend them from Israel's depredatons.
41 years ago, 750,000 human beings were kicked off their land by Zionist terrorists, Irgun and the Stern Gang with British connivance. That's an important part of the region's history to know about.
Palestinians should not be paying the price for crimes against the Jews in Europe.
I'm interested by the fact that many Israelis themselves are protesting about the vicious attacks by their own government trying to play hard man with an election looming.
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