You will hear none of what you are about to read on mainstream media, but it should come as no surprise that Palestine has been betrayed once more.
After the rampant 51-day assault which left more than 120,000 homes completely demolished, 15,000 civilians with permanent afflictions, and over 2,100 murdered (including 91 families wiped out), a ceasefire was finally announced.
The ceasefire agreed to stringent terms including a lift of Gaza’s 8-year long blockade, an expansion of the harbor, and other basic human rights. In return, Hamas would cease all “hostilities”. Israel promised to continue further discussions in Cairo.
It has been almost a month since this announcement. Hamas, the purported “terrorist organization” have kept their word and fired no rockets while waiting patiently for further talks to take place.
Since then, Israel has:
– Continued attacks against Gaza in the form of firing against fishermen, shooting unarmed teenagers, and torturing prisoners to the point of death.
– Entered southern Gaza with bulldozers, flattening and deliberately destroying more Palestinian land. – Kept all trade crossings closed. In fact, Israel are taxing Gazans for any aid/ goods received through the crossings – effectively profiting from entrapping a whole human population.
– Charged an excess of $7.8 billion in construction materials necessary for rebuilding the Palestinian homes, hospitals, and schools destroyed during Operation Protective Edge. Israel is Gaza’s only source for such materials (given their continued and illegal economic embargo), and therefore directly profit from any destruction they cause. In essence, Gaza must pay those whom destroy their homes, for materials to rebuild their homes. Not only is this absolutely ridiculous, but also psychologically demeaning.
– Seized a further 1,000 acres of land in the illegally occupied West Bank. This came even after international condemnation from the US, UK, and other Western countries. The forced settlements upon lawfully recognized Palestinian land has continued through military hostility.
– Lifted no part of the illegal blockade, in direct violation to the ceasefire agreement they signed. This means Gaza continues to be the biggest concentration camp on the planet, with less than 5% clean water for a population exceeding 1.8 million.
– Refused to attend the “further conciliation” talks as detailed in the initial agreement.
Regardless of whether you support Israel over Palestine or vice versa; if one were to point at a duck and say it is a duck, there is no way you could argue that it is in fact a horse.
In this context, Israel have deliberately acted in contravention to the same terms and conditions they accepted on the world stage. Ceasefires hold an obligation and commitment under international law; these courses of action are in clear breach.
It is also important to remember that Israel’s government are political actors. Contrary to professed belief, to criticize their misdemeanors is not antisemitic. In reality, to be a democratic nation literally means to accept public scrutiny.
For example, I wholeheartedly support Britain’s existence, their democracy, and I am tolerant towards any and all races, cultures, and religions within. I can at the same time have my views on any of a current government’s policies, including social security and foreign affairs. I bring this up because of the continued persecution (to criticisms of Israel) by those whom feel if they uphold Israel’s existence (in Israel, or outside Israel), they must accept every single treacherous decision made on Israel’s behalf.
That is not the case, and for truth to be intimidated by the antisemitic label is preposterous. This has nothing to do with Judaism- it is legitimate criticism of rotten, inhumane, and barbaric political endeavors which cease to value any form of human life that happens to be on the wrong side of their apartheid.
However, this oppression could not continue without other support. This can directly allude to spies and information leaks, but also contains Political pressure.
Political pressure in the form of what we saw when Britain purposely delayed the publication of an investigative report concluding the Egyptian Brotherhood as “not a terrorist organization”, in order to appease Saudi Arabia and Egypt (of which both oppose the Brotherhood).
Recently we have seen the International Criminal Court under mass US pressure to not open investigations against Israel for alleged war crimes during “Operation Protective Edge”, this is not even a conviction, but merely an investigation that has been so harshly opposed.
Worse yet, after Hamas openly declared they are happy to join the ICC in order to probe an application against Israel (even given the risk of being prosecuted themselves), the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas, has blocked the process.
This means that in betrayal of the thousands of lives lost, whatever the reason, the representative figure of Palestine has denied any possibility of legal recourse to the Palestinian people.
Commentators (HRW, Amnesty International, UNICEF, etc.) have noted that there is clear evidence of war crimes committed by Israel, and even The Hague is puzzled by Abbas’s abrupt repudiation to press for a case.
It seems that political pressure causes neglectful decisions even in a state continuously suffering such outrageous oppression.
To end on a possibly positive instance of political pressure, on the 13th of October the British Parliament will have a vote. This vote will decide whether the UK legally recognizes Palestine as a state.
If this vote is successful, it could lead to other Western countries undertaking the same recognition and potential aid reaching those impoverished Palestinians in need of it.
Though the media may continue to forget and re-remember Gaza depending on how sensational a story Palestine is, it is important for us to recognize their continued strife and hopes towards the daily fundamental basics we all take for granted.
Hopes which are constantly betrayed.
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