The present spherical of the Israel-Hamas struggle started on Oct. 7 with a large, unprecedented and shock assault on Israel by Hamas militants.
The brutality of Hamas’ assaults is barely outmatched by Israel’s cruelty and harsh navy marketing campaign in opposition to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Financial institution in retaliation.
Inside hours of Hamas’ assault on Israel, Biden made the US social gathering to the battle. He licensed the rapid cargo of navy tools and munitions to Israel.
Biden made the first-ever journey to a struggle zone. Biden is up for reelection subsequent 12 months and desires to exhibit to potential donors and voters that he’s a religious supporter of Israel.
As of Oct. 25 — day 19 of the struggle — the variety of Palestinian civilians who were killed exceeded 6,500 — a big share of them ladies, youngsters and aged civilians. Greater than 15,000 civilians have been wounded.
By comparability, Hamas killed 1,300 and injured 3,300 Israelis.
What we all know from the struggle to this point
What the Israel-Gaza struggle has revealed:
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Israel’s safety is tenuous at greatest. In someday, Hamas uncovered Israel’s safety weaknesses. The entire failure of Israeli protection methods resulted from an overabundance of Israeli confidence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partnered with far right-wing fanatics to keep away from being jailed on corruption and affect peddling costs. Within the course of, he accepted extremists into his coalition authorities, together with Itamar Ben Gvir, a Kahanist, who was appointed as minister of nationwide safety. Gvir is a disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane, an American Jew who created a motion that referred to as for the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, one other far-right and anti-Palestinian head of an Israeli social gathering, demanded as a value to hitch Netanyahu’s authorities to supervise the day-to-day affairs of the occupied Palestinian territories.
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Israel closely relies upon on the US for navy support, monetary assist and political assist in worldwide boards. The US is transport navy tools and munitions in jumbo jets from the states and munitions depots in different components of the world. Biden introduced the U.S.’s intention to totally fund the Iron Dome anti-missile protection system. Whereas supplying the arms to destroy Gaza, Biden whispers beneath his breath that Israel ought to enable humanitarian support into Gaza — a duplicitous and insincere gesture.
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Israel’s response to Hamas’ assault has been disproportionate and merciless. Israel Protection Minister Yoav Gallant stated derogatorily, “We’re preventing human animals and we’re appearing accordingly.” He then vowed to dam the shipments of meals, water and gas to Gaza. Israel continued the day by day bombardment of tens of 1000’s of non-military targets. It demanded that 32 hospitals in northern Gaza be shut down and sufferers be moved to the southern half of Gaza. Israel has refused calls by many nations to simply accept a ceasefire and permit emergency humanitarian support to enter the Gaza Strip from the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egyptian border.
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Israel’s actions in Gaza are tantamount to collective punishment. The US and Europe allow Israel to commit heinous acts in opposition to Palestinians. Israel is implementing a “collective” punishment system in opposition to civilians in Gaza and the West Financial institution, presumably to punish Hamas. The US and Europe are watching and permitting Israel to commit “crimes in opposition to humanity” earlier than the eyes of the world.
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Israel is driving Palestinians out of their very own territories. Israel referred to as upon 1.1 million Gazans to evacuate the northern half of Gaza and head to the southern a part of Gaza. Israel then bombarded south Gaza cities the place Palestinians have been supposed to hunt refuge, per Israel’s calls for.
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Israeli assaults on Gaza may escalate to a regional confrontation. Iran, Hezbollah and others have warned Israel and the US to cease the slaughter of Palestinians, or they may intervene. The motion of plane carriers and warships to the Center East shouldn’t be an amicable message. The US desires to discourage Hezbollah and Iran’s surrogates within the Center East ought to they open one other entrance in opposition to Israel.
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Israel is the world’s solely apartheid state. It’s painful to witness the double normal of the US and the West relating to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. In historic Palestine, from the river to the ocean, there are extra Palestinians than Jews. If Israel desires to dwell in peace as a Jewish state, Israel should relinquish all lands it occupied in June 1967 and permit Palestinian self-determination.
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Peace can solely be achieved via negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel can not proceed its usurpation of Palestinian land and folks, the enlargement of settlements, the blockade imposed on Gaza and the holding of 1000’s of Palestinian prisoners with out trial. Worldwide regulation considers these political prisoners as hostages. Israel isn’t any totally different than Hamas.
Hamas’ actions do not justify Israel’s response
In a letter signed by 500 individuals who labored in Biden’s presidential election marketing campaign, they demanded that the Biden administration instantly enable a humanitarian hall in Gaza to evacuate the injured and provide Gaza with lifesaving medical tools, meals, medication and gas. And to finish all pressured expulsions of Palestinians from their land, whether or not in Gaza, the West Financial institution or East Jerusalem.
These volunteers additionally sought to research whether or not Israel’s day by day assaults on Gaza violate the Leahy Regulation prohibiting U.S. navy support from funding overseas navy models implicated in gross human rights violations.
The U.S. ought to heed the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who, whereas lamenting the day by day heavy losses of lives in Gaza and the displacement of 1.4 million Gazans, acknowledged that the bloodbath of Israelis by Hamas didn’t justify the “collective punishment” of civilians in Gaza.
He referred to as for an instantaneous humanitarian ceasefire and expressed his deep concern in regards to the “clear violations of worldwide humanitarian regulation that we’re witnessing in Gaza.”
Bishara A. Bahbah, a Valley resident, has been writing for The Arizona Republic since 2000. He taught at Harvard and was the affiliate director of Harvard’s Center East Institute. He’s the former vice chairman of the U.S. Palestine Council. Attain him at bisharabahbah@yahoo.com.
This text initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Israel cannot justify its cruel response to Hamas’ atrocities
