Another day, another series of atrocities, another day of misery for Palestinians. 670 killed, thousands injured. There has been some international diplomatic action and there is rising world outrage. When will this conflict end?
I am now writing a diary that I swore that I would never write. Although I am a regular participant on I/P diaries, I vowed never to write a diary on that topic. However, the current situation is so dire that I find that I feel remiss for not trying to argue in support of a little human kindness.
On the humanitarian level, 75% of Gaza is without electricity; this not only affects everyday life in terms of the fact that when night falls people without candles are essentially in the dark facing bombing. Electricity is needed to provide clean water for drinking, bathing, and medical treatment. As such, people are forced to drink dirty water and there are water shortages which are having a severe impact upon the citizens of Gaza. Israel allowed for a 3 hour cease-fire on Gaza city to allow humanitarian supplies, to allow medical assistance to reach people that they haven’t been able to get to due to the constant shelling and to allow people to leave their homes to buy food and get supplies; but queues have been extremely long, candles are in short-supply, medicine is in short-supply, and there is a high demand for food as people do not know when they will next be able to leave their homes to shop. Needless to say, standing in line hoping that you will be able to get provisions before the shelling restarts is probably nightmarish. If they can allow for a 3-hour humanitarian cease-fire, they are aware that an humanitarian crisis is looming, why not just stop the attack completely?
Yesterday, there was a bombing attack on the UNRWA school. Refugees were sheltering in this school and the death toll according to the UN was 30 people. Given that the UN supplied the GPS location for the school and it was clearly labelled and has been there for quite a while, it is a legitimate question to ask what has happened here? I heard 2 distinct answers on al Jazeera from the Israeli government and military: the first was a possible miscalculation; the second, Hamas leaders were sheltering there. In the former instance, although accidental, I again have to question why is shelling occurring in a heavily populated area? In the second, I have to again state my opposition to the political assassinations undertaken against Palestinian political (and military) leaders where a government is literally playing judge, jury and executioner. Since I strongly oppose the death penalty in all instances, I would argue that if there have been war crimes committed by Hamas (and I would argue that rocket attacks against Israeli citizens are a war crime) then why not allow a war crimes tribunal and let them answer for their crimes?
What we are witnessing is collective punishment, where a whole group of people are being held accountable for the actions of the few. There is an humanitarian crisis where innocent civilians are being deprived of electricity, food, medicine and water and this is an humanitarian crisis that has been created by the actions of a government, not a famine or a harvest failure. Collective punishment is illegal according to the 4th Geneva Convention. I would argue that an international war crimes tribunal is overdue in the area. Both Hamas and the Israeli government and military should be held accountable for their actions. Either International law applies to everyone or it applies to no one: either it is "victor’s justice" or it is a set of obligations and responsibilities for all governments and armed forces (irrespective of their might and allies).
On the international diplomacy front, there are several interesting developments. Venezuela has expelled the Israeli ambassador in response to the attack on the UNWRA school and has called for the ICC to be involved. France’s Sarkozy and Egypt’s Mubarak have put forward a cease-fire plan that seems to be a possible basis for an immediate cease-fire and even the US government has recognised this with Condi Rice talking with the Israeli government. The UN Security Council is currently discussing the Franco-Egyptian statement and plan. In Britain, the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has argued that Britain should unanimously condemn Israeli’s actions in Gaza and has called for an embargo on UK arms sales to Israel;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
However, it is not in government actions that the majority of international response and protest has occurred. Outside of the Middle East, there have been demonstrations all over the world. Just to name a few: in Latin America, demonstrations have occurred in Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela. There are daily demonstrations in London since the attack on Gaza has begun. When the Israeli football team came for its game in Turkey, the demonstrations were so angry that the team bus was sent away due to concern for the players’ safety.
This leads me to one more point that I want to raise that is beginning to deeply concern me as a Jew. Besides the humanitarian crisis which disturbs me as a human being and the actions of Israel against the Palestinians which, at least to me, appear not to recognise that we are all equal in our humanity, I am concerned how the Israeli government and military action reflects on me as a Jew. While I know that I am not responsible for the actions of Israel, and that I and many other Jews have opposed this action and have been calling for a fair and just peace in the Middle East, I am increasingly concerned that the international response to this attack (particularly among the ignorant and easily misled) will mean a rise in anti-Semitism for Jews in the Diaspora and against Jews in general. One of the main arguments in support of the Zionist idea of a Jewish state was a place of refuge for the world’s Jewry. Does Israeli politicians perceived view of what is important and necessary for Israel take into account the impact of its actions on Jews living in the Diaspora? Do they not have an obligation to us?