DavidJackson.info

Israeli operations in the Gaza strip are rapidly moving from simple self defense to an all out war on an embittered, entrenched, defenseless and destroyed populace.

Israel is a country that was setup with the best possible intentions, but seems to have quickly decayed towards being yet another rich, self centered country – and one who feels that a self built moralistic background allows it to propagate its own world view upon its neighbors. A dangerous combination, as anyone who studies Iran can testify.

The suffering and destruction that Jews have survived throughout the ages -not least in our own Andalucia during the middle ages – does not exonerate them from the charges that could be levied against them during the current occupation and near destruction of Gaza.

Ignoring the illegal occupation of the West Bank, if Hamas was voted into power in the Gaza strip, it was only because of the frustration felt by the ordinary Palestine – Hamas coming to power in Gaza cannot be attributed to a mass Islamic movement across the region, but simply to a natural desire for change among the ordinary voter, and the inability of the previous administration to negotiate with Israel. It is a simple swing away from one end of the spectrum to another, in the same way that the Spanish, against expectations, voted PSOE after the Madrid train bombings.

While Israel is justified in its attempts to bring to an end the constant rocket attacks upon its citizens, it is worth remembering that these have been traditionally homemade rockets fired by patriots who have nothing else to occupy them, due to Israeli sanctions and roadblocks – sanctions and roadblocks that have lead to international condemnation, and has brought only further power and ammunition to the local leaders. Therefore, if Hamas has access to advanced Iranian and Islamic military technology then it is only because the local region feels that Hamas is a martyr worth supporting for their own gain.

1,4 million people live in the Gaza strip – a fetid, rotting remains of a city that is being constantly encroached by Israeli “settlers”, and is ringing off by a formidable military force. It is only natural that in such a situation the citizens of Gaza will look to the strongest leaders – and that those leaders would pretend to the local religion in order to win support from local theocracies. Therefore the election of Hamas (in a relatively democratic election) was an entirely natural choice that had Israel desired otherwise could have been avoided.

Israel has had enough chances to lower the temperature on this boiling pot, and should remember at all times that they are the local superpower, with the almost unconditional backing of the western world. But it is currently allowing short term political gain, and possibly long term territorial gain, to outweigh its own personal philosophy of peace and Zionist teachings.

While nobody doubts the fact that Israel is surrounded by hostile nations, and must have a strong and committed military to prevent attack (if you desire peace, first prepare for war comes to mind), stirring up such unnecessary hatred would appear to be a self harming action in the face of the current geopolitical scene, if not a deliberate provocation.

As I watch the news reports, I am forced to speculate on whether this could actually have been a long term plan by Israel to take control of Gaza – for it’s intractable political position against Palestine can only otherwise be explained by short term political gain, willful ignorance of basic psychology and pandering to an uninformed mass.

In either case, it seems incredible that we can support the mass killing of innocent civilians (men, women, children) by a Western Democracy. While the American Presidency may find itself incapable or unwilling of condemning Israels actions, I fail to see how any EU member state can find it within itself to support Israel or be mute on its actions. The Jews have enough experience of being the helpless victims of powerful bullies – by their constant attacks on unarmed civilians they are allowing their own power to go to their heads, and acting in the same fashion as their oppressors in times past.