Adam Sheets at Creative-i has a comprehensive history of the events leading up to the current hostilities between Hamas and Israel. While sympathetic to Palestinians, the report is unbiased and culled mainly from news reports.
The precipitating event this time was the usual cat-and-mouse provocations that both sides do. This time, it led to major violence. Which might well have been the intent of both Israeli and Hamas extremists.
Despite the intense blockade against Gazan civilians, the cease-fire held until November 4, 2008. On that date, the Israeli military made an incursion into Gaza and killed six Palestinians. The Israeli government sought to justify these actions, saying that they suspected these Palestinians of plotting to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Palestinian fighters responded to the attack by launching rockets into Israel. Thus began the unraveling of the cease-fire.
But Hamas brought a knife to a tank and assault helicopter fight while Israel, as always, is oblivious to the political ramifications of their insanely excessive military actions. We were in Britain when this started and judging from newspaper headlines there, the reaction of the press was strongly negative towards Israel, a quite different response from media here in the US.
The international community must continue to demand that a cease-fire be implemented. In order to be successful, any agreement must call for 1) an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, 2) an end to the Israeli invasion of Gaza, and 3) an end to all rocket attacks into Israel.
Is the grief of a Palestinian mother who lost a loved one in a bombing any different than that of an Israeli mother? I don’t think so.
One major factor leading to the ceasing of hostilities in Northern Ireland was when mothers on both sides joined together and said No More Killing. Maybe that’s what’s needed here.
Tip: Left Click
Thanks for exposing the truth and providing a very reasonable solution
An Israeli soldier is caputered by the Palestinians and that can unleash the dogs of war but nothing is said of the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails without trial or access to legal representation. This week 370 Palestinians killed by Israeli air raids but nobody seems to mention that prior to this 500 Palestinians have been killed by the Israelis this year alone.
No matter the facts on the ground this disproportionate killing must be classified as unacceptable by all.
If a child throws a stone at you do you respond by throwing a hand grenade into his family home? As far as I am aware almost 50% of the Gaza population is juvenile.
Well, Israel doesn’t just throw a grenade, they send in an assault helicopter. But Hamas certainly knew when they fired the first missiles that many of their own would die when Israel overreacted.
Somehow, the dogs of war need to be called back, not let loose again.
From a strategic perspective, Hamas may well have counted on such an overreaction, which would (1) gain it support at home and (2) continue to erode the image of its enemy abroad. It may even believe that such heavy-handed tactics by the Israeli government will eventually change the mindset of Israel as a nation– in other words, it’ll eventually lose its taste for killing.
It’s pretty sad when leaders of any stripe use the lives of their constituents (or would-be constituents) as pawns in a game of power. But it happens all over the world, every day. Working the cycle of violence for political gain tends to work in favor of militant groups, and against democratic governments– but it seems like everyone wants to play.