Stop these Israeli's before they kill everybody !!
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| Gaza. 19July 2014 |
In June of 1942, the
village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia, was completely destroyed by
German forces of the SS. All inhabitants of the village, including
women and children were either executed or deported to concentration
camps in Germany. This atrocity was only part of a number of
atrocities carried out by German forces against civilians in towns
and villages throughout Europe during the last war.
Last night in Gaza, the
Israeli army tanks and infantry, supported by air force jets and
naval ships, carried out its largest bombardment yet of the northern
area of Gaza, killing more than 40 civilians including more children.
This morning the skyline of Gaza, is almost obscured by thick black
smoke still rising from buildings within the area as the bombardment
continues unabated.
The comparison between the
German army atrocities in Europe in the 1940s and the Israeli Armed
Forces in Gaza last night and over the last two weeks, is not
unintentional since in both instances these acts were carried out
against a civilian population, which had little if any defence. In
many ways the situation in Gaza today is even more barbaric since the
weapons of today's armies are far more destructive than those of the
1940s.
Over the course of the
last 12 hours Israeli tanks and infantry have pounded the northern
areas of Gaza forcing civilians to flee the area. It is reported that
due to the density of the population and the severity of the Israeli
bombardment it has been impossible to evacuate large areas of the
city. Emergency vehicles and paramedics have been unable to reach the
injured due to the damage caused by shells and bombs. The known death
toll from last nights' bombardment is over 40 and it is reported that
more casualties remain in the rubble of destroyed buildings. This is
without doubt the most outrageous escalation of the current conflict.
Added to this it is reported that the Egyptian government of Abdel
Fatah Al Sisi, who seized power in Cairo in the coup of July of 2012
in his latest betrayal of the Palestinian people, has closed the
border between Egypt and Gaza to prevent medical supplies and more
importantly, medical teams and doctors reaching those civilians in
desperate need of medical treatment. It is reported that even as
writing this blog post a number of medical teams are stranded at the
Raffah crossing. Other aid convoys carrying food and blankets and
other essential supplies have been stopped in Sinai by Egyptian army
units to prevent them reaching the people of Gaza.
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| Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. 10th July 2014 |
| Aid convoy to Gaza stopped at the border |
Notwithstanding world
public opinion the Israelis seem intent on destroying the entire open
air prison which constitutes Gaza today together with the men women
and children who have lived there for the past 65 years. Meanwhile
the governments of the world seem intent on doing nothing in the face
of this ongoing obscenity and the world's media seem intent on
ignoring the situation which is deteriorating on an hour by hour
basis. There are rumblings of a UN sponsored peace initiative
involving the United States, Qatar, Egypt and other countries which
even now see a peace deal as no more than complete capitulation by
the Palestinians in Gaza and a return to the status quo of blockade
and continuing occupation.
The apparent indifference
of the Western media towards the situation in Gaza, is demonstrated
again this morning, with a 20 minute report from correspondents in
Kiev, Schiphol airport, London and Moscow covering the crash site and
aftermath of the Malaysian airlines flight MH 17 crash on 17 July.
Following this extended report which appeared on both BBC News 24 and
on sky News there was a brief comment from just one reporter and a
few live pictures of the skyline in Gaza, on the events which had
taken place over the last 12 hours. I have said previously that the
media coverage of the events in the Middle East particularly in
respect of the actions of the Israeli government and its armed forces
is a disgrace to journalism and shows complete bias which can only
have been exercised on the instructions of Western governments or
government spokespersons. The collective guilty conscience of the
Western governments with regard to Israel extends not only from
Washington, London and other capitals of Europe, but into the
editorial offices of national newspapers and television stations.
| Gaza. |
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| Faces of fear. |
It must be abundantly
clear to any right minded person that the excesses of the Israeli
army and its almost hysterical government must be stopped. They
should be stopped by diplomacy if possible which must include a
commitment by Israel to lift the illegal blockade of Gaza and end the
occupation of Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem. Failing any
diplomatic agreement containing these provisions, the governments of
the Western world should commit to the use of force to prevent
further killings of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied
territories. This action is not without precedent as Western
governments and NATO have in the past used humanitarian
justifications for invasions and bombing of targets in Bosnia,
Yugoslavia, Libya and even Iraq. However, this is unlikely to be
brought about as Western governments are notorious for doing only
that which is in their political interests. In the case of the
Balkans and in Iraq, the political interests were clear. When it
comes to the actions of Israel I have argued that the West are
prepared to allow Israel to carry out any action or activity which it
considers necessary to “defend its citizens”, no matter how
barbaric such actions may be. The historic relationship between the
United States and Israel together with the collective guilty
conscience of other western governments, including United Kingdom,
will once again result in the expectation that the Palestinians will
accept a ceasefire or truce which in effect will grant all demands of
Israel and return Gaza and the occupied territories to the status quo
of blockade and occupation. At the end of the day it must be for
public opinion to change the minds of governments in the West and to
prevent ethnic cleansing to take place in Palestine. Israel has for
far too long enjoyed a unique position in world politics whereby they
can do no wrong and can defy United Nations resolutions and censure
with complete impunity.
The civilised world will
long regret any repetition of atrocities against civilians, similar
to those as occurred in Lidice, occurring in the Middle East in the
first part of the 21st-century.
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