The root of the carnage in Gaza is Israel’s occupation, colony expansion, blockade of the Strip and reticence to get serious about peace, so it’s little wonder that Hamas refuses to accept a ceasefire based on the ‘peace for peace’ 2012 model. Its demands include a complete lifting of Israel’s siege on the Strip, the reopening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt 24/7 and a reconstruction plan for Gaza.
However, Israel’s prime minister isn’t biting, despite the loss of 25 Israeli soldiers and the unconfirmed kidnapping of one by Hamas’ military wing the Qassam Brigades. Netanyahu says conceding to any of Hamas’ demands would amount to rewarding ‘terrorists’ that would send a message to other terrorist groups.
Both sides couldn’t be further apart and the same goes for their interlocutors that are split into two camps. On the one side are Egypt and the US whose efforts are blessed by the Arab League and Israel. On the other are Qatar and Turkey, which have been accused of advising Hamas to reject the Egyptian proposal with the aim of undercutting Cairo as a regional leader.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shuttles between the two and is beginning to look irrelevant despite the so-called new unity government. The international community has been in a state of paralysis until recently. Still mealy-mouthed statements from the UN Security Council but Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made his feelings clear during a visit to Qatar on Sunday where he met with Abbas. “Gaza is an open wound and it is up to us to stop the bleeding,” he said. US Secretary of State John Kerry has decided to step up his efforts at finding a peaceful solution and Sunday he flew to Cairo and Kuwait City.
Few could argue that the demands of Hamas are not only just but long overdue. The idea that 1.7 million people should be caged without reliable electricity, clean water or sewage is an obscenity. Yet, now that 509 Palestinian residents of Gaza, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 3,000 injured, it’s time for compromise. Hamas should get real and understand that their conditions are not going to be met overnight and Israel should also make concessions instead of ramping up the carnage while the world watches in sheer horror.
When Hamas cannot possibly compete militarily against the region’s most powerful military for which international human rights conventions and laws of war are little other than scrap paper, it will have to accept a ceasefire, any ceasefire, sooner or later; those fleeing their homes in northern and north-east Gaza for refuge in schools and UN facilities and the thousands of traumatised children who’ve witnessed what no child ever should, deserve an end to this.
Israeli casualties have been comparatively light, but the more this one-sided war continues, the more Israel paints itself black. Its claims to be solely targeting ‘terrorists’ with pinpoint accuracy ring ever hollow when kids playing on a beach and children feeding pigeons on a rooftop were shelled—and 70 bodies were found in the residential neighbourhood of Shejaiya, victims of just one night’s shelling and bombing. Kerry backs Israel’s right to defend itself in his official statements reflecting America’s written-in-stone pro-Israel policy, but he was caught on an open microphone being sarcastic about Israel’s so-called pinpoint accuracy.
Winning war of public opinion
If there is anything positive to emerge from this, global consciousness as to Gaza’s untenable plight has been exponentially raised. Dozens of British MPs slammed Israel in the House of Commons, several slamming Israel for war crimes. Chile has suspended trade talks with Israel. South Africa reportedly summoned the Israeli ambassador for an explanation. Hamas is winning the war of public opinion but at what cost?
Even the pro-Israel Western media that came under fire for unbalanced reportage is now being critical of Israel. Some days ago, thousands rallied outside the BBC’s London headquarters complaining of the broadcaster’s bias. When NBC’s reporter in Gaza, Ayman Mohyeldin, was recalled due to his unvarnished honesty, viewer outrage prompted NBC to send him back. As yet, no such luck for CNN correspondent Diana Magnay, who described Israelis cheering as rockets rained on Gaza and threatened to destroy her car if she uttered a wrong word, as “scum” in a tweet. Earlier, ABC’s new anchor Diane Sawyer provoked mass ridicule on social media for misidentifying Palestinian victims as Israelis. “Here an Israeli family trying to salvage what they can. One woman standing speechless among the ruins,” she said.
There are no winners in this conflict. The bodies of the losers lie in morgues or twisted under rubble or fighting for their lives in crowded hospitals. Israel is not only bleeding the lives of its soldiers but also the sympathies of its traditional friends as its reputation lies in tatters. Politicians and leaders on all sides need to end the power plays and grow a heart before their own hands are indelibly stained red.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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No winners in this Gaza conflict
Posted on July 22, 2014 by Linda S. Heard
The root of the carnage in Gaza is Israel’s occupation, colony expansion, blockade of the Strip and reticence to get serious about peace, so it’s little wonder that Hamas refuses to accept a ceasefire based on the ‘peace for peace’ 2012 model. Its demands include a complete lifting of Israel’s siege on the Strip, the reopening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt 24/7 and a reconstruction plan for Gaza.
However, Israel’s prime minister isn’t biting, despite the loss of 25 Israeli soldiers and the unconfirmed kidnapping of one by Hamas’ military wing the Qassam Brigades. Netanyahu says conceding to any of Hamas’ demands would amount to rewarding ‘terrorists’ that would send a message to other terrorist groups.
Both sides couldn’t be further apart and the same goes for their interlocutors that are split into two camps. On the one side are Egypt and the US whose efforts are blessed by the Arab League and Israel. On the other are Qatar and Turkey, which have been accused of advising Hamas to reject the Egyptian proposal with the aim of undercutting Cairo as a regional leader.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shuttles between the two and is beginning to look irrelevant despite the so-called new unity government. The international community has been in a state of paralysis until recently. Still mealy-mouthed statements from the UN Security Council but Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made his feelings clear during a visit to Qatar on Sunday where he met with Abbas. “Gaza is an open wound and it is up to us to stop the bleeding,” he said. US Secretary of State John Kerry has decided to step up his efforts at finding a peaceful solution and Sunday he flew to Cairo and Kuwait City.
Few could argue that the demands of Hamas are not only just but long overdue. The idea that 1.7 million people should be caged without reliable electricity, clean water or sewage is an obscenity. Yet, now that 509 Palestinian residents of Gaza, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 3,000 injured, it’s time for compromise. Hamas should get real and understand that their conditions are not going to be met overnight and Israel should also make concessions instead of ramping up the carnage while the world watches in sheer horror.
When Hamas cannot possibly compete militarily against the region’s most powerful military for which international human rights conventions and laws of war are little other than scrap paper, it will have to accept a ceasefire, any ceasefire, sooner or later; those fleeing their homes in northern and north-east Gaza for refuge in schools and UN facilities and the thousands of traumatised children who’ve witnessed what no child ever should, deserve an end to this.
Israeli casualties have been comparatively light, but the more this one-sided war continues, the more Israel paints itself black. Its claims to be solely targeting ‘terrorists’ with pinpoint accuracy ring ever hollow when kids playing on a beach and children feeding pigeons on a rooftop were shelled—and 70 bodies were found in the residential neighbourhood of Shejaiya, victims of just one night’s shelling and bombing. Kerry backs Israel’s right to defend itself in his official statements reflecting America’s written-in-stone pro-Israel policy, but he was caught on an open microphone being sarcastic about Israel’s so-called pinpoint accuracy.
Winning war of public opinion
If there is anything positive to emerge from this, global consciousness as to Gaza’s untenable plight has been exponentially raised. Dozens of British MPs slammed Israel in the House of Commons, several slamming Israel for war crimes. Chile has suspended trade talks with Israel. South Africa reportedly summoned the Israeli ambassador for an explanation. Hamas is winning the war of public opinion but at what cost?
Even the pro-Israel Western media that came under fire for unbalanced reportage is now being critical of Israel. Some days ago, thousands rallied outside the BBC’s London headquarters complaining of the broadcaster’s bias. When NBC’s reporter in Gaza, Ayman Mohyeldin, was recalled due to his unvarnished honesty, viewer outrage prompted NBC to send him back. As yet, no such luck for CNN correspondent Diana Magnay, who described Israelis cheering as rockets rained on Gaza and threatened to destroy her car if she uttered a wrong word, as “scum” in a tweet. Earlier, ABC’s new anchor Diane Sawyer provoked mass ridicule on social media for misidentifying Palestinian victims as Israelis. “Here an Israeli family trying to salvage what they can. One woman standing speechless among the ruins,” she said.
There are no winners in this conflict. The bodies of the losers lie in morgues or twisted under rubble or fighting for their lives in crowded hospitals. Israel is not only bleeding the lives of its soldiers but also the sympathies of its traditional friends as its reputation lies in tatters. Politicians and leaders on all sides need to end the power plays and grow a heart before their own hands are indelibly stained red.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.