Everyone is to Blame

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According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly half of those deaths, and 50% of those injured in the continuing war in Gaza are innocent civilians, mainly women and children. Worldwide agencies and reporters have tried to uncover the exact number of civilians killed and wounded from this attack; however, it largely remains a guessing game. There could be hundreds or thousands of unaccounted civilians buried beneath the wreckage. By the time all is said and done, the death toll of civilians and those injured could in fact double or even triple.

The vast loss of lives leads one to question: can there be any justification for the unrelenting murder of the Palestinian population? As always, Israel’s defense will be the same, “we have a right to defend ourselves.” Israel’s response of such disproportionate force and aggression demonstrates that this action was not merely in self-defense. Israelis and their supporters have also tried justifying these attacks by claiming that Hamas had broken the ceasefire. However, this account of the story, as many others told by the IDF is false; CNN revealed that it was Israel who broke the ceasefire arrangement. In addition to CNN, The Guardian, and The Economist, have also reported that in November of 2008, the Israeli’s had broken the cease-fire by killing 6 Palestinians. On numerous occasions, Israel had also strayed from its commitment to remove checkpoints, stop raids and assassinations, and put an end to their land-grab movement. This ongoing pattern of violence and abuse has continued for too long without any intervention from the international community.

Who is to blame for all of this? Had Israel accepted the peace proposal offered by Hamas in April 2008, would this have prevented the incalculable loss of lives? Hamas agreed it would halt the firing of rockets for a period of 6 months, if Israel lifted the blockade; however, Israel rejected the peace initiative on the basis that this would provide Hamas the opportunity to rearm their militants. We must also question how the use of violence in such a volatile region could ever lead to peace. Waging a war on a people who have been stripped of everything is a war crime in itself and only promotes the vicious cycle of violence. Rather than resorting to a diplomatic approach and engaging in dialogue, using force without any regard to the loss of innocent lives, has yet again prevailed. Israel should not be alone in accepting blame for the atrocities being committed in Gaza.

The United Nations is also at fault for allowing this massacre to continue. An international organization created for the purpose of facilitating cooperation, dialogue, and generating solutions to problems has been largely inefficient in fulfilling its own mandate. The UN hold’s responsibility for this conflict as they partitioned the land in 1947 and declared the State of Israel. The UN provides merely a facade of world peace, rather than enforcing it. Israel has been the most extensive violator of the UN Conventions; yet, they have been allowed to continue their crimes without any repercussions. Another flawed component in the UN is the concept of the veto power which has been given to the permanent members of the UN. The use of this veto power can prevent the passing of the Council’s decisions, despite holding a majority of international support for the draft. The United States has exercised its veto power 40 times, supporting Israel’s repeated violation of International Law. Recently, US president, George W. Bush vetoed proposals for an immediate ceasefire, assigning blame solely to Hamas, and giving the Israelis’ more time to kill. What is the purpose of these international laws, or any international organization, if sanctions are not enforced against the perpetrator?

America’s relentless support for Israel should come as no surprise. The United States has blindly supported the Israelis consistently since the 1960s. This largely stems from the influence the Israeli Lobby exerts over the US government (AIPAC being the largest and best funded of these organizations). The total US aid given to Israel, from 1946 to 2006, has amounted to a staggering $108 billion US dollars. This aid has often gone to Israel with no conditions, and is separate from the military aid contributed by Israel. The blessing from the US for Israel to wreak havoc on Palestine has aggravated this situation by arming them with the necessary weapons required to inflict such destruction.

Canada and the European Union do not stand blameless as they too along with the US blatantly support Israel’s fight against Hamas. They attempt to destroy this organization by withholding foreign aid to a country where unemployment runs at an alarming rate of 53%, and where 75% of the population lives in poverty making less than two dollars a day. This is a horrifying situation, one that is exacerbated by the international community’s decision to enforce economic sanctions against an already oppressed population.

One must not forget the Arab nation’s response and contribution towards the suffering. It is easy to condemn Israel’s actions, however, it is more difficult to stand up against Israel and its supporters and act to alleviate this inhumanity. Egypt has closed off its border to Gaza, worsening its current conditions as no aid has been able to reach that front. The other neighboring Muslim countries have denounced Israel but have taken no meaningful action to stop the problem. This failure makes them as culpable as the other entities who have allowed this attack to continue.

The displacement of the Palestinian population was and is still today, an unethical, immoral, and illegal occupation. On numerous occasions, Israel has violated the Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects civilians during times of war and those under military occupation. Israelis are not permitted to: establish settlements, build roads, restrict the freedom and mobility of people, expropriate land, deport people, refuse employment, harm the economy, make people poor and impoverished, deny access to vital resources and punish civilians when they have done no wrong. During “Operation Lead Cast,” there have been numerous reports of war crimes being committed against innocent civilians, from the bombing of UN schools to the inhumane treatment and abandonment of those in need of medical aid.

Israel has continually denied Palestinians right to self- assertion. The constant bombardment of tank shells firing into Palestinian refugee camps has become a part of their everyday lives. The children have no place to play besides the narrow alleyways surrounded by the ominous walls that separate the two worlds. On one side, is a flourishing country with all the amenities that every human being should have access to, and on the other side is a morbid hole surrounded by utter darkness, a reality no human being should have to confront. This not liberation, this is injustice. People in the west question why Palestinians resort to suicide bombings and rocket attacks. They are the final acts of desperation and the only means by which a defenseless civilian population can fight the fourth largest military in the world. This cannot be classified as a war. The only way to describe it is a massacre. The Palestinians are penned like animals in cages awaiting the slaughter. The Israelis’ prolonged assault on the Palestinians has simply become a symbol of abuse, oppression, and inhumanity, and the rest of the world, through their silence, approval and lack of action are also complicit in the crimes committed against them.

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