Gaza - Lifting the Veil of Illusion

Israel’s aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip has thus far left over 360 people dead and more than 1700 wounded. Of the 360 dead Gazans, 62 have been women and children; including two sisters, the eldest aged 11, who were killed in strikes Tuesday morning.

The Israeli government’s justification for the airstrikes is the protection of its citizens from rocket attacks launched by Palestinian militant groups from Gaza. Islamic Jihad and other militant groups, excluding Hamas, claimed responsibility for nearly all of the rockets launched into Israel during the six-month ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which began in June 2008. However, the Israeli government consistently blamed the rocket attacks on Hamas in the Israeli and world media. This was done to demonize and marginalize Hamas in the global community and to provide justification for both the collective punishment of the civilians in Gaza and current military operations.

Also of vital importance, all four Israeli deaths resulting from rocket fire since June 2008 have occurred during the past four days, following the massive Israeli attack on Gaza and the end of the ceasefire. I say this not to minimize these deaths or the injuries resulting from the rocket attacks, which also are unacceptable and violate international law; however, over 360 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed in response to rocket fire that did not kill a single Israeli during the course of the ceasefire.

A discussion of the current realities in Gaza is incomplete without examining the impact of the Israeli siege on the civilians in the territory. Since Hamas won a majority in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and gained control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, Israel has completely closed off and isolated Gaza from the rest of the world by controlling all land borders, air space, and sea access. The results are staggering; over 80% of Gazans rely on international humanitarian aid, 50% of the children are malnourished, and between October and December 2007 alone, 20 patients, including five children, died because they were not allowed to cross the border into Israel to receive medical treatment. Israel has, on rare occasions, opened select border crossings; however, they allow in only enough aid to temporarily avoid a complete humanitarian collapse. This collective punishment of the people in Gaza clearly violates international law, which forbids enacting punitive measures against a population because of the actions of a few.

In the United States, we pride ourselves on upholding and supporting the values upon which this country was founded, democracy, liberty, and justice for all. Our taxpayer dollars, often eclipsing $3 billion a year in aid to Israel, are directly funding the collective punishment of the Gazan people and the devastating bombings of the Palestinian territory. These violations of basic human rights and international law are in fundamental opposition to the ethos of our nation. As a people who also take pride in our Judeo-Christian ethic, each of us must ask ourselves, what would Jesus say?