{"id":10362,"date":"2012-11-21T16:05:04","date_gmt":"2012-11-21T16:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/?p=10362"},"modified":"2012-11-22T21:15:55","modified_gmt":"2012-11-22T21:15:55","slug":"november-21-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/2012\/11\/21\/november-21-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"November 21, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR<\/strong>: Now there is little chance for a ceasefire, of course, as Netanyahu must prove he can kill more than Olmert!<\/span><\/p>\n

So Netanyahu took the advice of the fascist Lieberman, and refused the ceasefire, while he could. Now the whole shebang is down the drain, with massive loss of life in Gaza certain to follow. When Israel is angry, is is the most vindictive of all countries, trying to emulate its mad and angry god, the God of Hosts, which in Hebrew, is of course the God of Armies. Growing up with a crazed and vindictive god is a difficult childhood, and it leaves its marks on the whole people, who grew up, crazed, vindictive and racist to boot, so that the other is justa Goy, and it is not just OK to kill him\/her, but it is a Mitzvah for some. Many Jewish intellectuals have noticed this. A good example is Yehuda Bauer, a Zionist historian of the Holocaust:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Am I to understand that you think Israel could commit genocide on the Palestinian people?” asked one young educator, somewhat taken aback. “Yes,” answered Bauer. “Just two days ago, extremist settlers passed out flyers to rid Arabs from this land. Ethnic cleansing results in mass killing.”<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/print-edition\/features\/bauer-it-could-happen-here-1.17910<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In his interview, he connects this tendency to the nature of the culture and religion they are part of. Of course, this is a matter of interpretation, say some, but the interpretation taken by most Israelis is indeed the one pointed out by Bauer. Only few days back, Israel’s Minister Eli Yishai has advised Netanyahu to “send Gaza to the Middle Ages<\/span><\/a>” and a friend of his, Rabbi Yosefa, the son of the ex-Chief Rabbi, advised the government to “learn from the Syrians how to kill”! Once Rabbis are advising the government on how to kill more people, this becomes the fodder of anti-Semites. If Israel has been feeding anti-Semitism for decades, what it does now is even worse, and Jews all around the world may well pay for this crazed attitude.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is it possible to stop this snowball? The only people who can, Obama\u00a0 and Clinton, will not dare to do it, as we well know. Who knows what the next days are bringing us.<\/span><\/p>\n

EDITOR<\/strong>: The statement refused by the Guardian, Independent and NYTimes:<\/span><\/p>\n

The statement below was sent to the titles above, but none has decided to print it. Judge for yourself if the statement and the people who signed it merit silencing!<\/span><\/p>\n

A Letter on Gaza<\/a>: COUNTERPUNCH<\/h3>\n

The World Cannot Stand by as Palestine is Battered to Death
\nby COUNTERPUNCH NEWS WIRE
\nWe the undersigned watch with horror yet another ruthless and criminal Israeli\u00a0 assault on the defenceless people of the Gaza Strip. The assassination of the\u00a0 Hamas\u2019 military commander, Ahmad al-Jabari, by Israel was intended to disrupt any chance for a permanent cease fire between the two sides and caused the current cycle of\u00a0 violence. For the last five years al-Jabari had been responsible for limiting rocket attacks on Israel.<\/p>\n

The inaction of the Western governments is further proof of their indifference to their electorates\u2019 wish to stop Israel from perpetrating yet another massacre against the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

We call upon our governments, which have stood aloof and indifferent, in the face of Palestine\u2019s\u00a0 dispossession and colonization since 1948 to take immediate and effective action. No other people in the world has been subjected, for more than sixty years, to such relentless acts of collective punishment and military brutality as have the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

We call for the removal of the blockade on the Gaza Strip, the free movement of people and goods in and out of the region and a total cessation of lethal attack from the air, land and sea, against a helpless civilian population in one of the most densely-populated areas in the world.<\/p>\n

The world cannot stand by when Palestine is once more battered to death.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Judith Butler (California, US)
\n2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Etienne Balibar (London and Paris)
\n3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Ahdaf Sueif (London and Cairo)
\n4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Moris Farhi MBE (London, UK)
\n5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Ilan Pappe (Exeter, UK)
\n6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Nur Masalha (London, UK)
\n7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Haim Bresheeth (London, UK)
\n8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Yehuda Shenhav (Tel Aviv, Israel)
\n9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Tariq Ali (London, UK)
\n10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Yosefa Loshitzky (London, UK)
\n11.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Daniel Boyarin (Berkeley, US)
\n12.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prof Alison Phipps (Glasgow, Scotland)
\n13.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Nahla Abdo (Ottawa, Canada)
\n14.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Josephine W. Finn (Maynooth, Ireland)
\n15.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Peter Mayo (Malta)
\n16.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Rebecca Kay (Glasgow, Scotland)
\n17.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Rachel Giora (Tel Aviv, Israel)
\n18.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Gabi Piterberg (Los Angeles, US)
\n19.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Raid Zaghal (Al-Quds\/Jerusalem, Palestine)
\n20.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Michael Rosen (London, UK)
\n21.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Steven Rose (London, UK)
\n22.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Hilary Rose (London, UK)
\n23.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Oren Ben-Dor (Southampton, UK)
\n24.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Karma Nabulsi (Oxford, UK)
\n25.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Yonat Nitzan-Green (Israel)
\n26.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Ali Abunimah (Chicago, US)
\n27.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Terri Ginsberg (New York, US)
\n28.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Ghada Karmi (London, UK)
\n29.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Peter McLaren (Los Angeles, US)
\n30.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Yousef Najajreh (Al-Quds\/Jerusalem, Palestine)
\n31.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Najwa Silwadi (Al-Quds\/Jerusalem, Palestine)
\n32.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Ibrahim Makkawi (Birzeit, Palestine)
\n33.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Rashmi Luther (Ottawa, Canada)
\n34.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Antonia Darder (Los Angeles, US)
\n35.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Anne Ryan (Maynooth, Ireland)
\n36.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Michelle Attard Tonna (Floriana, Malta)
\n37.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr. Maria Pisani (Malta)
\n38.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Nurith Peled-Elhanan (Jerusalem, Israel)
\n39.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keith Hammond (Glasgow, Scotland)
\n40.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr. Claudia Secci (Cagliari, Italy)
\n41.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Adrian Grima (Malta)
\n42.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Tariq Ali (London, UK)
\n43.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Maud Anne Bracke (Glasgow, Scotland)
\n44.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Tom Hickey (Brighton, UK)
\n45.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Michele\u00a0 Marseglia (Italy)
\n46.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Michael Kenny (Maynooth, Ireland)
\n47.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Asma Imam (Al-Quds\/Jerusalem, Palestine)
\n48.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Lorene Figueiredo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
\n49.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Malcolm H. Levitt (Southampton, UK)
\n50.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Suleiman Sharkh (Southampton, UK)
\n51.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr David Cromwell (Southampton, Uk)
\n52.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Tariq Goddard (Wiltshire, UK)
\n53.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Marcos Del Roio (Marilia, Brazil)
\n54.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prof. Hasan H. Aksoy (Ankara, Turkey)
\n55.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms. Carmen Freitas\u00a0 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
\n56.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Walber Meirelles (Ladeira, Brazil)
\n57.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Dorit Naaman (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
\n58.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Annie Pfingst (London, UK)
\n59.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Socrates Stratis (Nicosia, Cyprus)
\n60.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Brian Winston (Lincoln, UK)
\n61.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Anna Sherbany (London UK)
\n62.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Moshe Machover (London, UK)
\n63.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Roger van Zwanenberg (London, UK)
\n64.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Mike Cushman (London, UK)
\n65.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr. Julian Vigo (London, UK)
\n66.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Jonathan Rosenhead (London, UK)
\n67.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Daya Thussu (London, UK)
\n68.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Brian Robinson (Milton Keynes, UK)
\n69.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Abe Hayeem (London, UK)
\n70.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Rosamine Hayeem (London, UK)
\n71.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Ronit Lentin (Dublin, Ireland)
\n72.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Deborah Maccoby (London, UK)
\n73.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor James Bowen (Cork, Ireland)
\n74.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Hon. Dr Jocelynne A. Scutt (Cambridge\/Melbourne, UK and Australia)
\n75.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Brid Connolly (Maynooth, Ireland))
\n76.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Yana Bland Mintoff (Malta)
\n77.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Andre Mazawi (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
\n78.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Emilios Christodoulidis (Glasgow, Scotland)
\n79.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Daiva Stasiulis (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
\n80.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Claudia Prestel (Leicester, UK)
\n81.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Nadje Al-Ali (London, UK)
\n82.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Michael Murray (Maynooth, Ireland)
\n83.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Margaret Ledwith (Lancaster, UK)
\n84.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Gary Craig (Durham, UK)
\n85.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Tony Walsh (Maynooth, Ireland)
\n86.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Nicoletta Vallorani (Milan, Italy)
\n87.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Lizzie Eldridge (Malta)
\n88.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Roger Gordon (North Tyneside. UK)
\n89.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Bernie Grummell (Maynooth)
\n90.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Sue Blackwell (Birmingham, UK)
\n91.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Willem Meijs (Hoorn, The Netherlands)
\n92.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Aisha Phoenix, London (UK)
\n93.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Enid Gordon (North Tyneside, UK)
\n94.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Peter Gose (Ottawa, Canada)
\n95.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Pragna Patel (London, UK)
\n96.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Derek Boothman (Bologna (Italy)
\n97.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Eyal Sivan (Paris, France)
\n98.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Adania Shibli (Palestine)
\n99.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Eyal Weizman (London, UK)
\n100.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Fatieh Saudi (London, UK)
\n101.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Jeffrey Skoller (Berkley, US)
\n102.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Stephen Deutsch (Bournemouth, UK)
\n103.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Firas Asidy (London, UK)
\n104.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Ali Nobil Ahmad (Lahore, Pakistan)
\n105.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Corinne Squire (London, UK)
\n106.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Zahraa Tatari London, UK)
\n107.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Annabelle Sreberny (London, UK)
\n108.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Marta Rabikowska (London, UK)
\n109.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Nira Yuval-Davis (London, UK)
\n110.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Ruth Tenne (London, UK)
\n111.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Azzam Tamimi (London, UK)
\n112.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi (London, UK)
\n113.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Keith Piper (London, UK)
\n114.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Maurizio S. Viano (Boston, US)
\n115.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Anne Phoenix (London, UK)
\n116.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Michael Chanan (London, UK)
\n117.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska (London, UK)
\n118.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Chris Berry (London, UK)
\n119.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Bisan Abu Eisheh (London, UK)
\n120.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor\u00a0 Abby Lippman (Montreal Quebec, Canada)
\n121.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Sid Shniad (Canada)
\n122.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Stephanie Cronin (Oxford, UK)
\n123.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Richard Kuper (London, UK)
\n124.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Flavia Laviosa (Wellesley, US)
\n125.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms Mira Khazzam (Montreal, Canada)
\n126.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr May Jayyusi (Ramallah, Palestine)
\n127.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Sarah Bracke (Leuven, Belgium)
\n128.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Nadia Fadil (Leuven, Belgium)
\n129.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dr Seda Gurses (Leuven, Belgium)
\n130.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Laura Mulvey (London UK)
\n131.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Ronnie Barkan (Tel-Aviv, Israel)
\n132.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr Bob Reckman (Northampton, MA US)
\n133.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Hagit Borer (London, UK)
\n134.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Joan Braderman (Northampton, MA, US)
\n135.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Professor Laura Marks (Vancouver, Canada)<\/p>\n

136. Professor Sean Cubitt (London, UK)<\/p>\n

137. Professor Dina Iordanova (St. Andrews, Scotland)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Israel’s scorched earth policy in Gaza could prove fata<\/a>l: Al Jazeera English<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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The US and other western governments have failed to publicly criticise Israel for its iron-fist policy on Palestine.<\/strong><\/div>\n
Last Modified:\u00a020 Nov 2012<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The death toll in Gaza within the past week has already reached over one hundred [AFP]<\/span><\/div>\n
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The recent\u00a0Israeli pounding on Gaza<\/a>\u00a0reminds us of the brutal Gaza\u00a0invasion in 2009<\/a>\u00a0that resulted “in between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths (four from friendly fire)”. The human toll and the destruction of the infrastructure in Gaza nearly five years ago still reverberates. The current bombing spate by the Netanyahu government from the air and sea is again turning Gaza into rubble.This, according to the Israeli government, is in response to hundreds of rockets fired at Israel by Hamas from Gaza, that has created fear amongst the Israeli population and claimed three Israeli lives. But this is asymmetric warfare: The death toll in Gaza has already crossed 100, including many women and children.Israel says it is only targeting selective targets with “surgical precision”. But its claims are not substantiated by facts: The majority of victims are innocent civilians. Despite some pressures from America and Britain,\u00a0Israel is massing its troops near Gaza<\/a>; a ground invasion seems possible.The Gazan people’s back has been to the wall for some time; they have been subjected to inhumane conditions under almost total siege by Israel for some years – something considered illegal under international humanitarian law.According to a UN report,\u00a0Gaza in 2020: A liveable place?<\/a>, “Israel’s Operation ‘Cast Lead’ in 2008-09 ’caused a total of US$181 million in direct and US$88 million in longer-term costs for Gaza’s agriculture;\u00a0generated about 600,000 tonnes of rubble and US$ 44 million in environmental costs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Follow the latest developments in the ongoing conflict\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The trauma it created is irreparable and the conditions are dismal. As late as 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron termed Gaza as a\u00a0prison camp<\/a>\u00a0and the former US President, Jimmy Carter, called\u00a0Gaza a prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Atmosphere of despair<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beyond Gaza, the situation in historic Palestine is not much different. Israeli land grabbing, illegal settlements and ethnic cleansing in occupied territories, forced removal of families from their homes, the increasing refugee problems, massive unemployment, daily humiliation of Palestinian people in the crossings, the erection of the “apartheid wall” – have all created an atmosphere of despair.<\/p>\n

As in its 2009 operation, Israel is trying to match its overwhelming military might with its superior media outreach in the western world. As a result, and due to what seems to be America’s depressingly unquestioned support for Israel, many in the West buy in to the Israeli narrative claiming Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation.<\/p>\n

Sadly, people have a short memory. They forget that Hamas, for all its flaws, formed the legitimate Palestinian government after winning an internationally-accepted election in 2006 (but they were conveniently dumped by the US and other western governments).<\/p>\n

The fear of being accused as anti-Semitic has inhibited many in the West from publicly criticising Israel’s historic injustice to the Palestinians. Some try to be ambivalent; in order to prove their neutrality, the only thing they do is offer some advice to Israeli and Palestinian politicians to sort out the mess on the negation table.<\/p>\n

However, an overwhelming majority of people in the Muslim world and many in Asia, Africa and Latin America consider Israel a\u00a0Pariah state<\/a>, supported by the world’s sole superpower, the United States. Many consider\u00a0Israel as a Goliath<\/a>\u00a0when it comes to the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

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The US and other western governments have failed to publicly criticise Israel for its iron-fist policy on Palestine. That has made them incapable of becoming honest peace-brokers between the two sides. The so called “road map for peace<\/a>“, initiated by the US in 2002, was rejected by Israel and did not see the light of the day.<\/p>\n

The recent call from some western leaders for a “de-escalation” of the crisis by asking Hamas to stop firing the rockets and pleading with Israel not to wreck “international support” only shows impotence. There is a clear lack of leadership from western leaders, particularly the US administration.<\/p>\n

Military might<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel has massive political and military might and the Israeli leadership is also known to be politically smarter than the Arab leaders. Israel has become a garrison state with conventional and\u00a0weapons of mass destruction<\/a>\u00a0that include nuclear bombs (although not publicly acknowledged). It has the unconditional backing of the largest military power on earth. This has blinded Israel’s judgment and made it arrogant.<\/p>\n

But in the greater scheme of things, the Israeli leadership lacks strategic wisdom that is needed for its future. With all its military, diplomatic and media advantage, time is not on Israel’s side. History also teaches us that the days of injustice do not last long.<\/p>\n

The Palestinian people may be underdogs now, but people with insight can see they are the ones who are setting the future agenda. Whatever Hamas is doing – out of madness, desperation or a long-term strategy – Israel seems to be falling in their trap of an un-winnable, long and protracted war.<\/p>\n

The Israeli strength so far has lain with the disunity and incompetence of the Arab regimes. But things are changing within the Arab world, as we all know. Plus the tectonic plate of world economic power is shifting towards the East; with it the global political and military power may change at some time in the future.<\/p>\n

During the 2009 Gaza crisis, two prominent Muslim countries – Turkey and Egypt – carried little weight in the world. Now they are trying to assert their rightful place. Their position on the Arab-Israeli conflict is now clearer. For the first time in many decades, the world attention has focused on Egypt. Whether its President Morsi succeeds in bringing the two sides to a ceasefire agreement will be interesting to see, but a new chapter seems to be dawning in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

A just and lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is not only essential for Israeli and Palestinian people, but also for the whole world. This needs a clear “thinking outside the box” by the Israeli leadership and their backers in America. And it must come soon.<\/p>\n

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is the\u00a0former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (2006-10). He is\u00a0an educationalist, community activist and\u00a0parenting consultant<\/a>. He is a founding member of The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO) and currently Chairman of the East London Mosque Trust.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Follow him on Twitter:\u00a0@MAbdulBari<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0Companies supporting Apartheid Israeli and its occupation:<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Stop pretending Israel’s massacre in Gaza is part of an even battle with Hamas and the Palestinians<\/a>: Independent<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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On one side you’ve got three generations of a family wiped out. On the other, a woman’s got to ring Autoglass. And we act like this is battle whose fate is in the balance<\/strong><\/p>\n

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MARK STEEL<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tuesday 20 November 2012<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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To start with, why do the news channels ask Tony Blair for his advice on conflict in the Middle East? It\u2019s like asking Gary Glitter for advice on what to do about Jimmy Savile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But somehow it fits with the rest of the coverage. A report yesterday morning began with the sentence: \u201cRockets have continued to be fired from both sides…\u201d Then, to illustrate this, we saw a demolished building in Gaza in which 11 people had perished, and a woman in Israel standing next to her car with a smashed windscreen. Which goes to show everyone\u2019s suffering, what with three generations of a family getting wiped out on one side, and a woman having to ring Autoglass on the other. Honestly, they\u2019re all as bad as each other.<\/p>\n

By tomorrow, a spokesman for Israel will be on the news channels saying: \u201cNo other country would put up with this. We have citizens worried about losing no claims bonuses. If we don\u2019t flatten their cities, what will we have to put up with next? Broken wing mirrors? Dents in passenger doors? Have you tried getting body repairs in Tel Aviv at short notice? So we have no choice but to destroy a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then we\u2019ll see the funeral for the Palestinians, followed by the car owner wailing \u201cO my beautiful laminated darling\u201d as her windscreen gets tipped into a bin.<\/p>\n

The reason so many get killed, says Benjamin Netanyahu, is that Hamas \u201chides behind civilians\u201d. Because it\u2019s the duty of anyone who gets assassinated to make sure they\u2019re in a clear, open space at all times so the cruise missile aimed at them doesn\u2019t bump into anyone else. That\u2019s basic health and safety, that is.<\/p>\n

But Hamas have become even more cunning in this conflict, because the commander the Israelis were aiming at in the building in which those 11 civilians were killed wasn\u2019t there at all. At least if he\u2019d bothered to be where the Israelis thought he was, the civilians would have died for a reason. Now, because he had the cheek to NOT hide behind civilians, they\u2019ve been killed for nothing. There\u2019s no end to their devilish methods is there?<\/p>\n

But some Israelis are working for a solution. For example ex-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon\u2019s son, Gilad, wrote in\u00a0The Jerusalem Post<\/a>: \u201cTo accomplish victory, you need to achieve what the other side can\u2019t bear. The Americans didn\u2019t stop with Hiroshima \u2013 the Japanese weren\u2019t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too. There should be no electricity in Gaza, no gasoline or moving vehicles, nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if they did drop a nuclear bomb, Netanyahu would say: \u201cThe reason so many were killed is Hamas hid Gaza behind its civilians. If they\u2019d moved Gaza to somewhere safe like Greenland, the population would hardly notice a thing, but, as usual, Hamas cared only about propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then\u00a0The Jerusalem Post<\/em>\u00a0would report \u201cWe\u2019ve done Gaza a huge favour. Now none of their vehicles can move, so they\u2019re spared the misery of trying to repair a broken windscreen.\u201d<\/p>\n

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EDITOR: Now there is little chance for a ceasefire, of course, as Netanyahu must prove he can kill more than Olmert! So Netanyahu took the advice of the fascist Lieberman, and refused the ceasefire, while he could. Now the whole shebang is down the drain, with massive loss of life in Gaza certain to follow. … Continue reading November 21, 2012<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10362"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10362"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10366,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10362\/revisions\/10366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haimbresheeth.com\/gaza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}