So I had decided not to write about what was going on, but I can’t not anymore.
What the fuck is happening?
Quite simply, the situation is heartbreaking, intolerable, and gut wrenching.
It’s the worst carnage we’ve seen since the 1973 war, and that’s not the worst part: the worst part is that we’ve become so used to the fighting, it doesn’t really mean anything to us anymore. Oh, hundreds of Palestinians have died? How sad. Let’s switch the channel to Mazzika.
I can’t watch TV anymore. I can’t watch the almost gleeful anchors showing footage of dying Palestinians as if to say: “You see! It’s those bloodthirsty Israelis who are doing this!”
I’m not going to say that Hamas is faultless, of course it isn’t. But neither can I say that the Israeli reaction is, in any way shape or form, justifiable. The longer this attack goes on, the more disproportionate the reaction is. I mean, come on:
Since the massive aerial attack was unleashed on Saturday, at least 373 Palestinians, including 39 children [and 22 women], have been killed and 1,720 wounded.
Palestinian militants have also fired more than 250 rockets and mortar shells, killing four people inside Israel and wounding around two dozen more.
That’s in 72 hours. Over 250 Airstrikes occurred in the first 24 hours, 7 mosques were destroyed, and universities were attacked by Israeli F-16 fighter planes.
225 Palestinians were killed and 600 were injured in the first FIVE MINUTES of Israeli airstrikes. Hamas’s home-made rockets have killed just 20 Israelis in EIGHT YEARS.
But, you know:
According to the Israeli military, some 640,000 people live within range of Hamas’ rockets. The missiles are crude and inaccurate, but they wreak a devastating psychological toll on the civilian population there.
So yeah, even though no one is dying, the poor Israelis are going to need therapy. Self defense, my ass. Does Israel really think it’s going to wipe out Hamas? More like turn them into heroes. Ehem, 2006. Lebanon. Hezbollah. Ringing a bell? As Robert Fisk says:
Is Hamas going to say: “Wow, this blitz is awesome – we’d better recognise the state of Israel, fall in line with the Palestinian Authority, lay down our weapons and pray we are taken prisoner and locked up indefinitely and support a new American ‘peace process’ in the Middle East!” Is that what the Israelis and the Americans and Gordon Brown think Hamas is going to do?
Yes, let’s remember Hamas’s cynicism, the cynicism of all armed Islamist groups. Their need for Muslim martyrs is as crucial to them as Israel’s need to create them. The lesson Israel thinks it is teaching – come to heel or we will crush you – is not the lesson Hamas is learning. Hamas needs violence to emphasise the oppression of the Palestinians – and relies on Israel to provide it. A few rockets into Israel and Israel obliges.
I don’t understand how the blood of Palestinians has become so cheap it’s considered a just cost to advance Israeli politicians ahead of the elections. So cheap that Hamas, Palestine’s so-called leaders, are spilling it to garner sympathy for themselves and cement their leadership role. These are people we are talking about. Humans. Civilians.
How is this going to benefit anybody? How is this going to help peace negotiations?
And of course, the media on both sides is painting their side as the victim. English media continues to skew what’s happening as ’self-defense’ (uh-uh, 110 rockets fired on the first day with 1 dead proves those Palestinians are deadly shots alright), and Arabic media isn’t reporting on the fact that there are Israelis protesting against what their country is doing.
But as usual, we might as well be talking to a wall.
And I’m sick of the sudden “let’s blame Egypt” mentality, and not only by Hamas. I mean, good on you Arab leaders, for taking a united stand, but one against Egypt?! Storming the Egyptian Embassy in Yemen? Considering an Anti-Egypt protest in Johannesburg? Hamas killing an Egyptian border officer? Nasrallah asking Egyptians to revolt against their leaders for another country, when they aren’t even doing it for themselves?
I don’t know if y’all have realized this, but Egypt has signed an international agreement with Israel, violating it would mean war. And Egypt can’t open the borders except by agreement with the Palestinian authority, which, I’m sure you also haven’t noticed, were kicked out by Hamas!
And as Mona El-Tahawy so clearly points out:
Has Hassan Nasrallah forgotten that while he rails against Egypt for aiding the blockade of Gaza that he lives in a country, Lebanon, [that] keeps generations of Palestinian refugees in camps that serve as virtual jails?
And the demonstrators in Jordan and Lebanon? Who reminds them that in 1970, Jordan killed tens of thousands as it tried to control Palestinian groups based there, forcing the Palestine Liberation Army into Lebanon where in 1982, the Phalangists, Christian Lebanese militiamen, slaughtered 3,000 Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camp?
No one is a winner here. In the end, we’re all losers.
But hey, no use crying over spilled blood, right?
Happy new year.
[...] of a Fattractive Egyptian Woman, wrote: And I’m sick of the sudden “let’s blame Egypt” mentality, and not only by Hamas. I mean, [...]
would like to say that greater number die in Darfur and in Iraq, until recently. but their lives aren’t worth anything. reason being, they ones doing the killings in sudan and iraq are arabs not jews. but when arabs kill, it’s just fine. you’re only a murderer and a baby killer if you’re a jew of course. Secondly, the value of life, or death i should say, is measured by who you’re killed by. If you are killed by a jew, you get your name in the starry lights but if by a fellow arab then who gives a crap. That’s why the killing fields of sudan and iraq go unreported while gaza gets the starry light treatment, despite having a significantly lower death rate.
Of course the lives of those who die in Darfur and Iraq are worth something. I never said that when Arabs kill, it’s ok. It’s never ok to kill. But sometimes, some killings are more excusable than others. If the Palestinians and Israelis were meeting on a battlefield somewhere, in equal numbers with equal resources and fighting opportunity, then it would be a different story. But when civilians are killed when they’re not posing any threat, that’s where I draw the line.
I disagree with you saying the deaths in Sudan and Iraq are unreported–Iraq gets as much ‘media light’ as Gaza does, but because it’s not only an occupier/ occupied situation in Gaza but a situation coupled with religious sensitivities, it gets more coverage.
I understand where you’re coming from when you say “you’re only a murderer and a baby killer if you’re a Jew,” because that is what our media tells us. Palestinians are always martyrs, and Israelis are always killers. The distinction between Israeli and Jew is rarely made, and one you yourself failed to point out, though it’s very important.
Personally, I have many Jewish friends, and even a couple of Israeli friends who are staunchly against the occupation (oops, signed my own ‘traitor’ card there). I know very well that the situation on the ground is one a lot of Israelis aren’t happy with. But like it or not, it’s what’s happening. Our job is to change it.
hey,
i didn’t say you said those things, i was just describing the situation. that’s how it plays out. some killings are more excusable than others? so it’s okay for sunni *muslim iraqis* to kill and massacre other iraqi *civilians*? that’s excusable?- we don’t need to demonstrate about that. do you know the death toll in iraq…until recently it was 3000/month.. that averages 100 people a day, even less than um Gaza. where are the demonstrations for those people? the situation in sudan and iraq is even worse than gaza vs israel because it’s civil war, your own attacking you so to speak.
And there is religious sensitivity galore…sunni iraqis are killing shias and christians like there’s no tomorrow. arab muslim janjaweed are committing genocide against non arab, non muslim sudanese at a speedier rate.
When I said some killings are more excusable than others, I meant it depended on the situation and whether the ‘fight’ was just/ balanced. i.e. self-defense is not like second degree murder, which isn’t like first degree murder.
It’s all horrible. I think it’s even worse when it’s “your own attacking you.”
The world is all screwed up.
[...] “I’m sick of the sudden ‘let’s blame Egypt’ mentality,” wrote “Fattractive woman”, a female Muslim blogger. The blogger known as Sandmonkey went [...]
We love the great Egypt , Egypt of Jamal Abdulnasser , we still have faith in our brothers in egypt but the Present Pharaon of Egypt is failing us .
we are aware of the great sacrifices egypt produce , and we still counted on Great egypt to continue being a great country and not a small banana republic like Bahrain or Omman .
we counted on Egypt to still support the Defenseless of Gaza . why Egypt , simply because Egypt has an exit to the Ghetto of Gaza all the other exits are zionists . Syria or other Arab countries have no borders with Gaza .
we had counted on Mubarak to stop the Gas flowing to israel at cheap prices , we had expected the zionist ambassaor to be kicked out , we had expect the rafah border to be opened for the hundreds of stranded people before , students, sick et.. instead of ABu AL Gheit blaming the victim instead of saying the right thing .
But i have not given up hope for egypt , i often hear great Egyptians on AL Hiwar Channels who speak really well and whom i look up to . I just wish the egyptians freed themselves from the clutches of Mubarak thugs and same for ALL Arab states who are controlled by US puppets .
Abbas was not kicked out . He chose to have a Dayton Plan to take over Hamas (after they won the Elections . ) Hamas created a UNITY government but Fatah thugs did not want to share the cake and the power they enjoyed for so long and stole most Aid . Abbas had a plan with dahlan to topple Hamas (who was chosen by the people ) with new security Officers trained in Jordan and egypt with millions of dollars from the US , with new uniforms and arms too . But Hamas DEFENDED itself against the DAYTON Plan . it was self defense and they managed to stop the cause of Drug Lords In Gaza and thugs and managed to offer proper security to the gazans BUT the Arabs and the Americans never gave Hamas a chance . they stopped the donations , the salaries , the food , fuel , electricity , even water .
the international agreement over rafah EXPIRED in 2005.
Sinai is half Occupied , since egypt can not move a soldier to sinai without asking permission from the zionists . Unfortunately Egypt gets some US Aid to shut up . such a shame . i wish the aid was given by rich arabs so Egypt retains its freedom and real sovereignty .
I know this is a stupid question, but I live in the wide, open world of Middle America. I can’t find a mideast mapquest, and it is just faster and easier to ask. I am truly having a difficult time understanding how profoundly small the area where all of this is happening. How far is Cairo from the West Bank? Gaza Strip? Thanx
I think that what the protesters are doing is what they think they can do realistically for now… Which is try to get the Egyptian government to open up it’s crossings… they know that fault lies with Israel and Hamas, but there’s not much they can do for now with regards to that is there? Please Please Please get Egypt to open the rafah crossing… It’s all that anyone asks… And we’re kind of tired of watching all this blood when it can be alleviated a bit by one opening… OPEN THE RAFAH CROSSING… Let the aid come in…
@ Laila: Thanks so much for dropping by and for your comments.
It’s nice to see that people have so much faith in Egypt. But again, it just seems kind of unfair that the responsibility falls on us, as do all the risks.
As praiseworthy as a few of Hamas’ actions have been, there’s no denying that they’ve done a lot of horrible stuff. What’s worse, they’re only egging the Israelis on, seemingly without caring the slightest bit about the Palestinians–only that they get the ‘glory’ they want.
I kind of wish we weren’t reliant on the US either. As long as we’re taking and relying on handouts, we’re…stuck (and that’s the nicest way I can put it).
@ C: It’s not a stupid question at all. It’s good enough that you actually care about what’s happening, normally the further away something is from you/ the less impact it has on your way of life, the less you care.
The Gaza strip is about 40km long, and 6-12 km wide. Over 1.4 million Palestinians live there, on a total area of 360 square kilometers. To put that into perspective, that’s approximately 4,000 people in every square kilometer. A tiny area, which means more risk of civilians getting hurt with ground attacks.
Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005, and Hamas won the legislature elections in 2006, basically kicking out the Palestinian Authority. Labeled as a ‘terrorist organization’ everyone is basically refusing to deal with Hamas.
The people in Gaza are living in what are basically slums, since Israel has been blocking basic living necessities for the past year and a half, controlling inflow and outflow of resources ever since Hamas took over. Egypt shares a border with Gaza and it takes no time at all (like, mere hours in a car) to get there. But of course, with checkpoints and the like, getting in is a whole different story.
@ marzipan: and when we open the border? what happens to Egypt? It’s shameful to admit we’re tied to the US’s apron strings, but we are. Will opening the border really solve things? Or just make it worse?
AKA C
Thank you, that is truly amazing. The middle american states are so large, it is hard for me to visualize that most of what is happening in the mideast is so concentrated. I know lots of people who are farmers, and sometimes it takes a few hours to see the first neighbor in the same state. Unlike in the metropolitan areas, driving is really a necessity. Gasoline (fuels tractors, etc.) is pretty important for their survival at this point in time. As for me, the bus would probably be a lot less stressful thsn driving:)
Thanks for this article-very interesting. I’ve heard about how careful you need to be with your blogging.
[...] “I’m sick of the sudden ‘let’s blame Egypt’ mentality,” wrote “Fattractive woman”, a female Muslim blogger. The blogger known as Sandmonkey went [...]