Hot Topic
The ultimate contentious topic. Israel v Palestine. The stance you take on it generally highlights your political views too but it has nothing to do with politics - for me this is a humanity issue. I never really took much notice of this conflict when I was younger I just assumed it was as simple as the Western media said it was - a distant fight I didn't need to worry about (and didn't want to worry about). I felt safe in my bed at night knowing the 'bad guys' were being kept in line and that was that. I know now that isn't the case. The vast majority of casualties in this area are children. I think as human beings, we should have an acute sense of moral and social responsibility so that we are ready and willing to make ourselves more aware of the situation in Palestine. The media clearly wont show it from a fair and balanced viewpoint that is clear for all to see. So why is there such a bloody stain soaking this part of the world. A quick brief is pretty necessary to begin to understand why tensions run high.
In Brief
This perpetual conflict, as we understand it, all began back in the mid 20th century. Before this for centuries a multicultural society existed in Palestine. In the 19th Century the Country's population was roughly estimated at 86% Muslim, 10% Christian and 4% Jewish. A group of Jewish people - commonly referred to as the Zionists - decided to colonise this land and so by the late 1800's the wheels were in motion to create a Jewish homeland. At first the immigrants coming in were no problem from the evidence we have but when more and more of the Zionists arrived they began to really talk about turning this into a Jewish state which created tension with the indigenous population and some skirmishes began to break out.
World War One then afterwards Hitler's rise to power and his persecution of the Jews exacerbated matters as the Jews needed to leave Europe with Palestine being obviously a favourable destination. Eventually the UN got involved and demanded the land be broken up instead of the diverse cultural population simply co existing. The divided land was to be distributed, but not evenly proportioned, and, in the event 55% of the land was given to only 30% of the population who hitherto, had owned only 7% of the land. The Zionists got their homeland after heavy pressure on the UN.
So clearly we can now see why the Palestinians felt a complete sense of injustice. After a number of different conflicts up to the present day, the Palestinians were left with yet less land and were being increasingly victimised and polarised. It is important to note that Hamas did not exist from the get go either, it arose as a response to the oppression Palestine has suffered. Hamas, often referred to as a terrorist cell, were founded in 1987 (during the First Intifada) as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. The Hamas Charter states that it was founded to liberate Palestine and modern day Israel from Israeli occupation. They want the Gaza strip, Israel and the West Bank to be established as an Islamic State and they use violent methods to press this into a reality.
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| Graphic highlighting the territory change |
Personally I condemn any acts of terror but it can be very obvious to see why this sort of thing has happened. Violence breeds violence. Hamas didn't have a reason to exist before. I don't accept any use of violence to gain what you want in life and I view Hamas no differently. They need to cease their violence and malevolence. I know it must be nearly impossible for anyone on the oppressed side but those out with Hamas must continue to pursue other forms of intervention and diplomacy.
Why this cannot be allowed to continue
Now I am not an expert but I am pretty positive if the same thing happened in my country then it wouldn't be to long before a number of different violent groups would emerge in response. I think my main problem with what is happening currently between Israel and Palestine is the huge huge number of civilian casualties. Hamas are reportedly said to have fired 1,394 rockets at Israel very recently. Of course these rockets were barely the Israeli defences but a small number of Jewish casualties were reported which rightly so needs to be condemned. It is said these rockets were fired unprovoked but it is well documented there had been a group of Palestinians rounded up and arrested by Israeli authorities without charge leading up to the attacks. It doesn't matter who started it this time anyway. These Palestinian people are occupied by an enemy state. It is pretty valid to suggest the conditions these people live in are just unacceptable and these conditions are wholly completely preventable. We need to open our eyes...now!
The fact that Israel are able to tell us exactly how many rockets were fired over their check point from Hamas and that we have literally no chance of possibly gauging how many missiles, tank shells, cluster bombs, white phosphorous bombs, bullets, cannons and grenades the Israeli military have unleashed says it all to me. The Israeli army funded by Britain and mainly the USA have ruined and are actually destroying a population. Look, Hamas probably hide amongst civilian's I get that. Moreover, that's all the more reason as to why there should be no more weapons fired into this area. The UN officially say 7 in 10 casualties on the Palestinian side are children. The UN also claims that over 100,000 homes have been destroyed leaving 1 in 3 of Gaza's population homeless. I want to highlight something according to the Israeli human rights group (Beit Selem) who track death totals on both sides. There are wee children as young as 4, with bullet holes in their heads and chests. STOP KILLING CHILDREN NOW!! Hospitals and schools have been recorded as being blown up and you can type into YouTube for evidence of snipers eliminating rescuers. It is startling and sobering film.
Think of the Children
People will say Israel is just defending itself. Defending itself???!!! They occupy and dominate the Palestinian people. Let us not forget that. They have put in place crippling trade restrictions and economic embargo's. They have check points everywhere and they control the water and electricity supplies. These are facts you can look up. The Palestinian people have had their crops destroyed, mosques bombed, schools demolished and children and relatives killed. They also have to put up with Jewish only roads and buildings in their own territory. The people report in refugee camps that the Israeli military treat them like sub humans and throw them in dungeons without care or trial. This self defence rhetoric doesn't join the dots for me. The Palestinians have been killed in far greater numbers for over 60 year now by much more advanced weaponry and by a proper army. Way before Hamas ever existed. Look it up folks it is in black and white the link is at the end of this post, but there are many statistics. Using the vast arsenal it possesses to bomb and smash targets in Gaza, Israel is guilty of war crimes. I say this because they are blowing civilian areas to oblivion. This is not self defence. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. There is no way that pushing the red button and bringing hell on these people can result in anything other than harrowing death tolls.
Bizarre
I read something bizarre the other day: Israel claims to ameliorate its hostilities by saying they warn Palestinian people before they begin the deadly assault. But...these people have nowhere to go, they have literally nowhere to escape! How in the name of all that is decent can this excuse possibly serve a purpose? It's like Jack the ripper sending a text message to one of his victims a mere 5 minutes before coming to get her down a one way alley. Looking at Gaza then it is clear for us to see that there is not exactly a clear route for the innocent people to take. In the North and East they have road blockages and military checkpoints. They can't swim for it over the sea to Turkey or Cyprus. They are stuck because Egypt have closed their border crossing too after aligning themselves with Israel. Oh, they've tried 'smuggling' tunnels under the border, but they aren't enough to get people into a safe haven and obviously are extremely dangerous. UN shelters are a point I see slowly appearing up as an alternative place they should go but I will draw your attention to a glaring and sadistic fact. Once before there was a shelter in Lebanon and then in Gaza where 352 civilians were annihilated in an attack by the Israeli navy and army. It is grim. There is no way we can ever imagine what that must be like.
Look into it
I write this post to try and inform you in my words, of the slaughter that has taken place and that will of course continue to drip feed it's way back onto our television screens every so often. It doesn't go away folks. It's just that sometimes massacres in Gaza become so routine it seems, and routine doesn't always sell papers or make the news as it doesn't always suit our media to show us it. Our government could easily, along with America, choose to put a stop to this. Violence is unnecessary embargo's aren't. So why don't they? Cutting huge funds to the Israeli military is one of the obvious alternatives I have read about. Well that would mean there would be a huge loss in profits for the British and American arms companies you see. That is bad news for the government as these companies make big money for them. The relationship works two ways with the Israeli arms industry being extremely advanced and recently having been in Britain for the Farnborough International Air show, (a glorified arms festival) it seems that our government are happy to allow this 'relationship' to blossom. It seems where there is profit there is no worries about letting a massacre get in the way. Check out the link if you will to see the kind of figures involved in the arms trade. Then maybe you can grasp it better. http://www.globalissues.org/article/74/the-arms-trade-is-big-business#Armssalesfigures
I encourage you to see what alternative methods you can find.The officials in charge of our country don't seem to be extending themselves to halt the atrocities but they will tell you they are. If the statistics from the charities and footage on line hadn't been coming out thanks to social media and a few eye witnesses speaking out, you bet we would probably be thinking a much different story was being inked down. We can make ourselves aware of the damning figures on this crisis. Look up those neutral charities and organizations who have nothing to gain but your attention. You'll get the red drenched picture and your mind will race and struggle to come to terms with how this is being allowed to continue. What we as people need to do is make our voices heard and attend rallies, organize demonstrations and turn peoples pages onto what is going on. The truth cannot be hidden in the murky waters of the lies the media (especially in America) spout out. Choose to be the change you want to see by being a voice that wants change. Stand up for these civilians because they need you. Hold the hands of the children suffering in spirit.
Of course this post offers merely a crude but salutary look at the conflict. The best intention is to highlight the awful suffering that is happening right now but should never be allowed to occur or continue. I want to encourage the thought process of peace and peace alone. My sympathies for the Palestinian people will be obvious to readers, of course, but it's not necessarily about what side you take - we can all get emotional about that. Its simply about being on the side of humanity. Below the video is a link on the fatalities.Keep your mind open to the way we are sold information and challenge it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures#cite_note-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel
BY EM.
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