A brutal legacy
Israel faces increasing international condemnation for its actions in Gaza. The carnage increases as Israel continues its policy of shooting unarmed civilian protesters. To date Israel has killed nearly 50 people and wounded over 5,500, including children, students, and journalists. Zionist apologists suffer from historical amnesia and blame the victim. The problem is not Hamas, and its alleged “parade of terror,” rather it is Israel’s 70- year Occupation with its expansionist and racist policies, and its illegal settlements in the West Bank, and now Jerusalem, contrary to international law. The problem is Israel’s 10- year embargo of Gaza resulting in a major humanitarian crisis. Hamas is used as a bogey man to rationalize Israeli war crimes. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy bluntly stated that, “The [ Palestinian] demonstrators were unarmed and did not threatened the lives of [ IDF] soldiers ( April 14, 2018).” And yesterday the respected Israeli newspaper, Haaretz said in an editorial that,” This Friday must not become the last day...[ for] desperate unarmed men who aren’t endangering anyone ( April 27, 2018).” Earlier the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, issued a position paper on the unlawful shooting of un- armed Palestinian demonstrators. The shooting down of unarmed protesters by Israeli troops is hardly a proportionate response which is a key tenet of the law of war. That is why there has been an international outcry by at least 40 Canadian, Jewish, and Israeli organizations. Last weekend Academy Award winning American- Israeli actor Natalie Portman shocked the government of Israel by refusing a prestigious award from them to protest the recent events in Gaza. Importantly, she has not been attacked by the Jewish establishment. Last Friday the Israeli newspaper Haaretz carried a headline saying, “Young Jewish Resistance in America Hails Portman’s Stance as Turning Point ( April 27, 2018). Clearly, “The times they are a’changing.” May 15th is Nakba Day commemorating what Palestinians call “the catastrophe”, that is, when they were driven from their homes and dispersed by advancing Israeli troops and put into refugee camps. This history and ethnic cleansing has been airbrushed by successive Israeli governments, and the international community, and textbooks have been rewritten to cover up these events. The drama now being played out in the Gaza is Israel’s brutal legacy.
Richard Deaton,
Stanley Bridge