Supporting human rights in the Arab world is my career goal; yet sometimes even I can barely read the news coming out of the Middle East because it’s so heartbreaking. Gaza has once again become the target of Israel’s high-tech weaponry.
In one twenty-four hour period, Palestinians received repeated sonic booms (a fairly common form of Israeli mass terrorization if you didn’t already know), two major bridges connecting the north to the south were bombed (which threatens transportation both for medical & educational purposes), mock air raids over southern refugee camps spreading wide panic, and aerial bombardment knocking out the main water pipe which feeds Nuseirat and El-Bureij refugee camps.
As if that wasn’t enough – the IDF also decided to destroy major sections of Gaza’s only electricity plant – plunging roughly 45% of Palestinian homes into darkness. The cost of repairing the damage is $15 million dollars and could take six months – however, the PA has already been denied funds promised so what are the odds this project will receive any money?
What’s Israel’s excuse this time? A soldier was kidnapped. Gilad Shalit was a tank gunner at a military post inside the green line in southern Gaza. (Despite the fact that it’s quite likely he has shelled Gazan civilians, his life is still precious.) Interestingly enough, he is also a French citizen and the French ambassador to Israel has promised France will assist in his release – although he is serving in illegally occupied territory which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, of which France is a signatory. Minor details.
I would never deny it’s an incredibly frightening time for the Shalit family – but it’s important to remember that they are experiencing only a taste of what their Palestinian counterparts feel everyday. It’s important to know that the militants’ raid followed two bloody weeks for Palestinian civilians, including a shelling killing 8 while on a beach (7 members of the same family) – 32 injured (13 of them children), a missile attack killing 11 (injuring 30), and another missile attack killing 3 children (wounding 15 others).
President Bush’s response to the escalating violence was that “Israel has a right to defend herself”. What defense?! So it’s okay for Israel to impose collective punishment for one soldier, but the militants who took him were not allowed the excuse of defense even though it was a military outpost which has regularly shelled local civilian women and children?
I suppose defense is only justifiable when it fits the military side you agree with. This is an inherent problem with war and conflict – it looks radically different depending on the side you’re standing on.
“Kidnapping an Israeli soldier will not bring us one inch closer to peace, yet neither will Israeli revenge attacks, pre-emptive attacks or collective punishment, like cutting food supplies, electricity or water. The only Israeli logical response which would satisfy the Shalit family and other bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families would be to end the occupation. The time is now. The time has always been now – Israel, when will you learn?”
Rifat Odeh Kassis, a Palestinian human rights activist and president of Defense for Children International.
29th June 06
