Continuing bloodshed in Palestine
By Mazhar Khan Jadoon
It is the same pattern; a déjà vu of what normally happens
when an overwhelmingly strong Israeli army retaliates on minor provocation and
leaves behind a trail of blood and gore.
A ceasefire finally came into force Thursday in and around Gaza after a week of 1500
missile strikes that killed at least 155 Palestinians. How long will the truce
hold when core of the conflict is untouched? Pushing the burning issue under
wraps might risk turning the whole region into powder keg.
Announcement of the ceasefire sets off celebrations in Gaza , where thousands
poured into the streets, firing guns into the air, honking horns and waving
Palestinian, Hamas and Egyptian flags. Hamas celebrated it as their victory,
while Israel
also achieved what it wanted to. In Israel , however, small
demonstrations were held in communities that were struck by rockets. Protesters
said the military should have hit Hamas harder and some held signs demanding
security and denouncing “agreements with terrorists”, says media reports.
The post-Arab Spring Egypt this time took a centre stage in
resolving the conflict. Islamist President Muhammad Morsi emerged as the one
regional leader who could ensure peace by brokering the ceasefire. Morsi, who has
been in a flurry of meetings and conversation with the US and European governments, also earned the
rare US
praise for his role. But for how long can he resist the growing resentment
among the rejuvenated Egyptians and Arabs demanding a firm ‘shut-up call’ to a
chesty Israel .
The accord, according to media reports, calls on Israel
to “stop all hostilities... in the land, sea and air including incursions and
targeting of individuals” and urges the Palestinian factions to end “rocket
attacks and all attacks along the border”. Israel would be obliged to ease
restrictions on Gaza residents under the accord which specified that
“procedures of implementation shall be dealt with” 24 hours after the ceasefire
went into effect on opening Gaza’s border crossings and allowing the free
movement of people and goods. However, there is nothing in place to ensure that
the accord is implemented or what penalty the violator will pay.
Whether Israel
follows the accord or not, it is safe and strong until the United States watches
its back and the impotent Arab League and Organistaion of Islamic Cooperation
sit silently. A military elephant boozing on latest warfare technology will
keep bulldozing the shanty settlements of poor Palestinians defending
themselves with catapults.
It is pointless at this time to look for who started the
war. The cost is too high. As senior journalist and expert on Middle
East , Robert Fisk, puts it “one hundred Palestinians for one
Israeli”. He writes, “The new exchange rate in Gaza for Palestinian and Israeli deaths has
reached 16:1. It will rise, of course. The exchange rate in 2008-9 was 100:1.”
The graphic visuals of bleeding Palestinian women and
children running for safety as Israeli jets and drones rained down missiles
once again failed to give heart and courage to international powers to find a
lasting solution. Nothing is new — the same aggressor, the same victim, the same
wailing children and women and the same venue. For the last 64 years, Israel has been
repeatedly creating terror by trying to exterminate the resilient Palestinians
struggling to find some breathing space against an expansionist foe.
Emboldened by the Arab Spring and expecting support for its
objectives, Hamas again fell in the trap and tried to test its rockets at a
wrong place and at the wrong time. Hamas miscalculated the move and provided Israel
another opportunity to test its ‘Iron Dome’ system. The success of the Iron
Dome system means Hamas will have to wait for years to properly arm itself for
taking Israel
head on.
Operation Pillar of Defense proved that the expensive new
defense system performed unexpectedly well against Hamas’ Fajr-5 missiles,
intercepting some 85 per cent of the rockets that were launched at Israel by
Hamas, according to the reports. The Dome is designed specifically to track and
destroy rockets that are headed over populated areas. By the end of the week,
there were reports of Israelis staying outside during air strikes to watch the
Dome at work.
Events in the region are witness to the fact that Israel always rubbished peace deals whenever it
wanted to test its military muscles, showing the neighbours around and the
public at home that Israel
is strong enough to guarantee its security.
In 2005, Israel
withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip and removed the thousands of Israelis
who had settled in the territory. Since the Israeli withdrawal, Hamas has been
engaged in, sometimes, a violent power struggle with its rival Palestinian
organisation Fatah. On January 25, 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the
elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council. In 2007, Hamas overthrew
Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip again giving Israel
the opportunity to blockade Gaza .
In March 2008, the Israeli blockade of the city had caused
the humanitarian situation in Gaza that has
reached its worst point since Israel
occupied the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War. In 2008, Israel launched strikes in response to alleged repetitive
rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel . In January 2009, at least
1,300 Palestinians were killed in the “Operation Cast Lead”.
The recent “Operation Pillar of Defense” had two strategic
goals — one, to neutralise the Hamas rocket capability and pulverize the
already poor infrastructure of Gaza, literally pushing the Palestinians to
stone age, and two, sending threatening signals to Egypt after the Muslim
Brotherhood came to power and forcing Morsi to play the security game on
Israeli terms. However, the official version of the operation is always
‘peace’.
What else is the solution if not violence? Experts believe a
United Nations mandated Palestinian state inclusive of all the occupied land
with Jerusalem
as its capital is the only permanent solution. Will Israel agree this time?
All is set for the vote on Palestinian statehood in the UN on
November 29. Just before the Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel ’s
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was attempting to intimidate the
Palestinians into quitting their bid. Reportedly, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor
recently said that “they should change their request from a Non-Member State
to a Non-Member Terrorist State
