Friday, January 16, 2009
Two issues are underreported on the current Israel-Gaza conflict: how Israel violated the cease-fire and how we tacitly support Israel’s atrocities.
The Gazans have lived under Israeli occupation since 1967, and when Israel withdrew in 2005, the economic blockade remained; control of the airspace, waters, imports and exports and the flux of people still lay in Israel hands. The blockade’s severity has been increasing — with United States support — since Hamas’ electoral victory in 2006. The conditions were such that in January 2008 the United Nations Human Rights Council decried Israel’s “collective punishment of the Palestinian civilians” leading to “disastrous humanitarian and environmental consequences.”
Ending the blockade, and the cessation of rocket fire, were the goals of the June 2008 cease-fire. Israeli government numbers show a decrease in rocket fire from 359 rockets in May and June to 19 during the next four months. The daily truckloads of goods into Gaza increased to 90 from 70, but remained shy of the 550 truckloads seen two years previously. The cease-fire deteriorated, and the rocket fire resumed, when Israel made an operation into Gaza, in November, killing five.
At the time of this writing, 971 Gazans and 13 Israelis had been killed, with large civilian casualties. The actions of Hamas and Israel are atrocious and should be irrevocably denounced. But the condemnations should not come in the current disproportional fashion that gives less value to the lives of Gazans, nor should we forget Israel’s obligations under the cease-fire and the egregious conditions in which Gazans have been forced to live.
However, the primary concern for us is that the Gazans are being killed with American warplanes and other armaments. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, “Israel has been the largest annual recipient of U.S. aid”, since 1976, but in recent years all economic aid has been replaced with military aid.
We are morally responsible for the consequences of our actions.
— Kenny is a Leavenworth senior in civil and environmental engineering.
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Comments
Kenny: Gazans overlooked in current border conflict
An excellent letter that makes me proud to be a faculty member in the Kansas University system.
Kenny: Gazans overlooked in current border conflict
This letter neglects several details. The November strikes into Gaza were to destroy tunnels Hamas had dug into Egypt in violation of the cease-fire and expressly so they could continue to stockpile weapons. When Israel entered Gaza to destroy these tunnels, Hamas fought against them and several Hamas died as a result. Blaming Israel for violating the cease-fire because they had to enforce its terms that Hamas was ignoring is woefully missing the beginning of the conflict.
Secondly, the territory Israel occupied in 1967 was a direct result of an unprovoked war against Israel by her neighbors. Once again, I'm expected to believe that Israel is the one at fault because they managed to defend themselves against simultaneous invasions, push out their aggressors and retain some of the land they moved through while defending themselves. Perhaps you should spend your ire blaming Egypt, Syria and Jordan for the lands Israel occupies since, had they not attempted to destroy Israel, they would still retain possion of those territories.
There's a trend here: Israel is attacked, Israel defends itself and much of the world blames Israel for it. You're correct about the "consequences of our actions" -- perhaps Israel's aggressors could learn the same lesson rather than casting Israel as the villian.
Kenny: Gazans overlooked in current border conflict
Jophiel - your comment neglects several details. The November strikes into Gaza were indeed a violation of the ceasefire, especially considering that since Israel had failed to meet its terms of the ceasefire, namely, lifting the siege that was preventing food, aid and medical resources from reaching a population with unprecedented poverty levels (precisely because of the illegal Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip), these tunnels were being used in large part to smuggle needed supplies like food and medicine. Life is being made hell for these people.
Regardless of who broke the ceasefire, nothing justifies the mass slaughter taking place in Gaza, that as of this morning has claimed the lives of at least 400 CHILDREN, and injuring thousands and thousands more.
Secondly, there is plenty of evidence that the war of 67 was, in fact, a preemptive war on behalf of the Nation of Israel, and calling it "unprovoked" is also inaccurate - the creation of a state on top of an indigenous population and the creation of the world's largest refugee problem is a very large provocation.
But again, regardless, whether or not Israel or somebody else started it does nothing to absolve Israel from the fact that it has waged a brutal military occupation that has strangled the population of Gaza and the West Bank - as well as endangered the citizens of Israel - ever since.
Kenny: Gazans overlooked in current border conflict
I'm not going to get deeply involved in the conversation here, but I would like to point out that a great deal of the civilian casualties that have occured in Gaza throughout this particular episode and the entire conflict would be avoided if Hamas militants did not intentionally use civilian housing, religious facilities, schools, etc. as a location from which to fire weapons.
Israel goes to great lengths to avoid killing civilians as it only hurts the situation further. Hamas intentionally places Gazan civilians in direct danger for political gain and nearly all of its attacks are aimed at Israeli civilians, not military targets.
Kenny: Gazans overlooked in current border conflict
An anonymous comment is still better than what I've seen them do. I once had a professor offer extra credit to a class I was taking if we joined her at a Wal-Mart protest.
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