The Comment Factory

Gazan children look for food in rubbish

It’s been two days now since the start of the bloodshed in Gaza, 40 years since the occupation of Gaza began, and ten days since the Egyptian-brokered truce ended between Israel and Gaza. Israel has launched airstrikes on the Gaza strip and vowed to continue these strikes until their mission is accomplished.

This disproportionate reaction is not uncommon for Israel. Let’s not forget the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006 when Hizbullah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers which led Israel to bomb Lebanon, leaving over a thousand Lebanese and over a hundred Israelis dead. In the midst of all that carnage, the tired mantra was “Israel has a right to defend itself”, subtly implying that Hizbullah, Lebanon or even Palestinians didn’t. It also implied that no restrictions are placed when that card is played, irrespective of the death toll.

The Gaza strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is home to approximately 1.4 million people out of which one million are registered as refugees by the UN. In addition, 90 percent of the Gaza population is considered to be under the poverty line. Indignation towards Israel’s 40 year long occupation, and Israel’s blockade that has denied citizens fuel, medicine and food and Israel’s policies that crippled the economy, is ever present in Gaza. This led the Palestinians to democratically elect Hamas in 2006 as a de facto government.

This air strike on Gaza has disproportion emblazoned on every rocket that has ripped through, and will continue to rip through, Gazan streets. This Israeli tradition of “an eye for a tooth” is evident in the death tolls on both sides (currently 277 Palestinians to 1 Israeli), Israel’s military capability in comparison to Hamas’ (Israeli F-16 jets vs. Qassams), and the general reaction to Hamas launching rockets into Israel which were done, according to them, in retaliation for Israel’s prevention of food and medicine into the strip.

Inarguably, all human life has value. Having said that though, regardless of my Arab heritage, something about the one Israeli dead to the 277 Palestinian dead continues to rile me. Add to that the fact that, in the media, blame is placed on Hamas, even though it is not Hamas dropping rockets on the streets of Gaza, Israel is. And Hamas didn’t kill 277 Palestinians, Israel did. That’s the bottom line and justifications, excuses and finger-pointing doesn’t change that fact. Right now, all over the Arab and Islamic world, Hamas is appearing as the savior and not the perpetrator which is counter-productive for the Israeli offensive.

One can argue back and forth over who initiated or who provoked but that’s all irrelevant, at least now. The death toll is rising, the infrastructure deteriorating and the hospitals overflowing. This air raid has produced nothing but widows, orphans and countless avengers. Let’s return to our humanity, end the cycle of collective punishment and put forward our ears and our tongues instead of our eyes and our teeth. There must be a solution, and even if we can’t find one, this certainly couldn’t, isn’t and should never be one.