Please note: Opinions expressed in the following articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Read previous weeks’ Middle East Notes.
The next Middle East Notes will be available on September 4. Periodic updates on the Gaza situation will be available on the MOGC website.
For daily information, use the following links:
- http://www.haaretz.com/
- www.maannews.net/eng
- www.peacenow.org/
- www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily
- http://www.al-monitor.com/
This week’s Middle East Notes includes links to 26 articles focused on the background, development and escalation of the present Hamas/Israel armed engagement.
NOTE: On July 22, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined several other groups in signing this letter to President Obama and Congress, urging an end to the violence and an investigation into the use of U.S.-supplied weapons and military equipment during this conflict to ensure full accountability under existing U.S. law if human rights abuses have been committed with this equipment.
1a) Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Bulletin, July 11, 2014
... The violence presents domestic political challenges for both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. To Netanyahu’s right, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman – who would like to be Prime Minister one day – used the crisis to announce he was dismantling the political partnership of his party with Netanyahu’s party because the Prime Minister was not being tough enough on Hamas. A day later Netanyahu ordered preparations for a ground offensive. ...
Read the entire Bulletin, including links to a variety of news sources, on CMEP’s website.
1b) Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Bulletin, July 18, 2014
... Since the last outbreak of violence in 2012, Hamas has reportedly sought to maintain a relative calm with Israel. Following Israel’s West Bank crackdown, Hamas increased rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, enhancing its visibility and political position vis-à-vis Abbas. This rocket fire is a kind of political speech, calling attention to Hamas and allowing them to assert an identity separate from Ramallah. …
Church statements
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ELCJHL calls for immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza [ELCJHL]: Witnessing the bombardments, hearing the sirens, listening to the cries of mothers and children, seeing the ambulances carrying the wounded and people living in absolute fear, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land cries out to God. We also raise our voice to all Christian sisters and brothers, along with all people of goodwill, to end this latest round of violence between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people. In these days, many of us are quite depressed and frustrated, left wondering where this country is headed, along with much of the Middle East. As a church that has always strongly condemned violence as a means of solving conflicts, we were deeply troubled by the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers and the kidnapping and burning alive of the Palestinian teenager. We strongly condemn both of these actions as inhumane and despicable acts.
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National Council of Churches opposes Israeli invasion of Gaza [National Council of Churches]: NCC President and General Secretary Jim Winkler said, “The overwhelming military superiority possessed by Israel, exhibited by days of air strikes against Gaza and the consequent deaths of hundreds of Palestinians and the wounding of thousands more, guarantees the besieged and impoverished people who live there will suffer much more
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Concern over violence in Gaza [World Council of Churches]: We strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks by Israeli military on the civilian population in Gaza, as we absolutely condemn the absurd and immoral firing of rockets by militants from Gaza to populated areas in Israel. The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches … has expressed deep sorrow and concern over the increasing levels of tension and violence that have again reached frightening proportions following the tragic death of young people in Israel and Palestine.
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Diocese of Jerusalem praying for peace in Gaza and region [The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem]: As bombing in Gaza continues, Bishop Suheil is in regular communication with Al Ahli Hospital there to ensure that staff and families are safe. The Diocese of Jerusalem continues to hold the people of Gaza and the region in its prayers, hoping that the violence will end soon.
Read the entire Bulletin on CMEP's website.
2) Gaza death toll “rises above 600”
Ma’an News Agency, July 22, 2014
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The death toll in Gaza rose above 600 on Tuesday as emergency teams pulled dead bodies from the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli strikes on the 15th day of the assault. The latest victims, whose bodies were pulled from rubble of destroyed buildings in the Gaza City neighborhoods of Shajaiyeh and Zaytoun, were identified as 65-year-old Muhammad Khalil Ahel and Hamada Eleiwa.
Another unidentified man was killed in an airstrike that targeted a car in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. Three other victims, who have yet to be identified, died in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City as a result of Israeli artillery shelling, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said. Before that, al-Qidra said 22-year-old Mahmoud Salim Mustafa Daraj succumbed to his wounds in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire on Tuesday to 33. ...
3) Gaza and Israel: The road to war, paved by the West
Nathan Thrall, New York Times, July 17, 2014
As Hamas fires rockets at Israeli cities and Israel follows up its extensive airstrikes with a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, the most immediate cause of this latest war has been ignored: Israel and much of the international community placed a prohibitive set of obstacles in the way of the Palestinian “national consensus” government that was formed in early June. ...
Seeing a region swept by popular protests against leaders who couldn’t provide for their citizens’ basic needs, Hamas opted to give up official control of Gaza rather than risk being overthrown. Despite having won the last elections, in 2006, Hamas decided to transfer formal authority to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. That decision led to a reconciliation agreement between Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, on terms set almost entirely by the PLO chairman and Palestinian Authority (PA) president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel immediately sought to undermine the reconciliation agreement by preventing Hamas leaders and Gaza residents from obtaining the two most essential benefits of the deal: the payment of salaries to 43,000 civil servants who worked for the Hamas government and continue to administer Gaza under the new one, and the easing of the suffocating border closures imposed by Israel and Egypt that bar most Gazans’ passage to the outside world. ...
4) Worst and bloodiest day since the beginning of the offensive
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), July 20, 2014
Israeli occupation forces have continued their brutal and immoral offensive on the Gaza Strip for the 13th consecutive day, and have continued the policy of collective punishment in disregard for the international law and humanitarian law, which ensure protection for civilians in times of war, and in violation of the principles of necessity, proportionality and distinction. Israeli forces have continued their aerial, ground and sea attacks throughout the Gaza Strip, causing more civilian casualties and damaging civilian facilities, including houses.
Since last night, Israeli forces have launched unprecedented attacks on al-Shuja'iya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The neighborhood has been subjected to intensive aerial and ground shelling. Dozens of Palestinian civilians have been killed or wounded, and medical crews and the ICRC have not been able to attend them. Women were seen taking their children out to flee from the area, and some of them were killed. People who were not able to leave the area have been trapped under the Israeli selling and their destinies are unknown. This morning, Israeli forces ordered Palestinians living in Khuza'a village, east of Khan Yunis, to leave their homes and move to the center of the town. The number of forcibly displaced Palestinian civilians in border areas has amount to approximately 130,000. This number is expected to rise in light of the indiscriminate Israeli shelling of populated area, and threats to the populations to leave their homes. The majority of displaced people have sheltered in UNRWA schools and centers, which cannot provide them with minimum services. So, their living conditions are expected to deteriorate. ...
5a) The State of Two States - Week of July 6
The conflict between Israel and Hamas reached a critical level Monday, as Israel officially initiated Operation Protective Edge. Since the start of the operation, over 350 rockets have been launched at Israel, and 100 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes. IPF expressed support for Israel as it remains vigilant in protecting its citizens and in taking appropriately measured actions to stop these rocket attacks. It is our hope that calm will soon be restored. [See link above for full listing.]
- “A national struggle does not justify acts of terror. Acts of terror do not justify revenge. Revenge does not justify destruction, plunder and desolation. Even in the face of the rage and frustration, the violence and the pain, things can be done differently. Things must be done differently.” President Shimon Peres and President-elect Reuven Rivlin, in a response to Palestinian and Israeli terror attacks. (Monday, 7/7)
- “Like others in the region, I remain saddened, too, as to why there has never been an Israeli government response to the API [Arab Peace Initiative], despite the Arab world’s continuing to endorse it at every Arab League summit over the last 12 years, and at every summit organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and by the Gulf Cooperation Council. An Arab delegation went to Israel to deliver it directly to the Israeli people. Many times, there were those among the Arabs who said that it has not worked and should be discarded and abandoned. But we have stuck by it and continue to stick by it; and it is still very firmly on the table.” Saudi Arabian HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, in an op-ed for the Israel Conference on Peace. (Monday, 7/7)
- "[T]rust has been eroded on both sides. Until it is restored, neither side will likely be ready to take risks for peace -- even as they live with the dire consequences that result from its absence." Phillip Gordon, Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region, in a speech at the Israel Conference on Peace. (Tuesday, 7/8)
5b) The State of Two States - Week of July 13
Operation Protective edge entered its second week. On Wednesday, the Egyptian government attempted to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but only Israel accepted the terms. On Thursday night, after Hamas violated a five hour humanitarian ceasefire and failed in an attempt to infiltrate Israel, the Israeli military began a land incursion into the north of Gaza. IPF hopes for an end to hostilities which provides both Israeli and Palestinian civilians the long-term calm and security they both deserve. [See link above for full listing.]
- "Let us be clear about one thing; Hamas might deny it all it wants, but the fact of the matter is that 1) Hamas had been involved in destabilising security in Sinai in support of the Muslim Brotherhood, who were ousted by the will of the Egyptian people, and 2) Hamas leaders have declined to heed our advice to avert the onset of hostilities a few weeks ago and decided to take the risk at the expense of unshielded Palestinian civilians in Gaza." An unnamed Egyptian official, in a statement to Al Ahram. (Tuesday 7/16)
- "The Jewish democratic state is something that is difficult to explain… Arab Israelis must take into consideration that we [Jews] have returned home, but one [who is not Jewish] who was born to this land should also consider this land his home… I cannot understand those who talk of banishing Arab citizens from Israel." President Elect Reuven Rivlin, in an address to a visiting delegation of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. (Wednesday 7/16)
- "We don't need to control Gaza, we don't need to build settlements. We just need to make sure all of the Hamas terrorists either run away, are arrested, or killed. We cannot accept a situation in which terrorists can, at any given moment, disrupt the daily routine of 6 million people running for cover." Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in support of IDF ground invasion. (Wednesday 7/16)
- "From their rationale, they [Hamas] are holding strong, as if they have nothing to lose… If they feel they have nothing to lose, they can continue this for a long time." Former Israeli army intelligence official Miri Eisen, in an article in the Washington Post. (Thursday 7/17)
6) How politics and lies triggered an unintended war in Gaza
Kidnap, crackdown, mutual missteps and a hail of rockets
J.J. Goldberg, The Forward, July 18, 2014
In the flood of angry words that poured out of Israel and Gaza during a week of spiraling violence, few statements were more blunt, or more telling, than this throwaway line by the chief spokesman of the Israeli military, Brigadier General Moti Almoz, speaking July 8 on Army Radio’s morning show: “We have been instructed by the political echelon to hit Hamas hard.”
That’s unusual language for a military mouthpiece. Typically they spout lines like “We will take all necessary actions” or “The state of Israel will defend its citizens.” You don’t expect to hear: “This is the politicians’ idea. They’re making us do it.” ...
7) Netanyahu government knew teens were dead as it whipped up racist frenzy
Max Blumenthal, The Electronic Intifada, July 8, 2014 (excerpts)
From the moment three Israeli teens were reported missing last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s military-intelligence apparatus suppressed the flow of information to the general public. Through a toxic blend of propaganda, subterfuge and incitement, they inflamed a precarious situation, manipulating Israelis into supporting their agenda until they made an utterly avoidable nightmare inevitable. Israeli police, intelligence officials and Netanyahu knew within hours of the kidnapping and murder of the three teens that they had been killed. And they knew who the prime suspects were less than a day after the kidnapping was reported.
Rather than reveal these details to the public, Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency imposed a gag order on the national media, barring news outlets from reporting that the teens had almost certainly been killed, and forbidding them from revealing the identities of their suspected killers. The Shin Bet even lied to the parents of the kidnapped teens, deceiving them into believing their sons were alive. Instead of mounting a limited action to capture the suspected perpetrators and retrieve the teens’ bodies, Netanyahu staged an aggressive international public relations campaign, demanding sympathy and outrage from world leaders, who were also given the impression that the missing teens were still alive. ...
8) The real “us” versus “them”
Guy Spigelman, Ha’aretz, July 10, 2014
It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do, whether you are watching the World Cup, running for shelter, going to the beach or avoiding burning tires, the current cycle of violence that has killed innocent children is wreaking havoc on all our lives.
For days I have been angry with our leadership, and wanted to write about how our leaders should do this and that to calm the situation down, rather than fanning the flames as many do. But then I visited the Rabin museum in Tel Aviv and realized that our current leaders are leaders by virtue of their position only, not because of any great personal quality or moral compass. So to hope for real statesmanship would actually be naïve.
The question is: What can we the people do? One of the first things we can do is change our concept of “us” and “them.” ...
Us: Those that believe all people have basic human rights, including the freedom to live without fear, violence and also freedom of speech, religion, to vote and all the rights that we should take for granted but sadly can’t; Those that accept that there are two nations in this land that are both staying here and not going anywhere; Those that accept that there will be different narratives of the past and don’t require one narrative to be absolutist; Those who believe in nonviolent action to bring about change.
Them: Those that believe that the people in their own nation have more rights than those of the opposing nation; Those who think their own nation should dominate and the other nation should either go away or become submissive; Those that think that the other nation have to accept their own nation’s narrative of the past and surrender their version of history; Those who believe it is permissible for their own nation to commit violence in order to keep the other nation living in fear.
It is not a matter of left and right. I truly believe there are basic values that transcend the left/right divide. Perhaps if we conduct ourselves according to this new paradigm, or at least start a dialogue on what can constitute the new “us” and “them,” we can start to expect our leadership to behave better – or, looking further, to develop a new generation of leadership to guide us through difficult times such as those we face now and will also face in the future.
Guy Spigelman is CEO of PresenTense Israel, a Jerusalem based organization that promotes social, technology and small business entrepreneurship amongst all of Israel’s diverse population.
9) The occupation will last forever, Netanyahu clarifies
Michael Omer-Man +972, July 11, 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday put to rest any lingering speculation or hopes that the long-comatose two-state solution might ever be revived. All of a sudden, the prime minister’s refusal to discuss borders or maps in negotiations with the Palestinians makes sense. After all, why negotiate over a map you have no intention of ever compromising on?
“I think the Israeli people understand now what I always say: that there cannot be a situation, under any agreement, in which we relinquish security control of the territory west of the River Jordan,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement about the current Gaza military operation, the Times of Israel reported.
Yes. You read that right. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister for the coming years (unless he is unseated by a political opponent who outflanks him from the right) said that there is no way he would ever pull the Israeli army out of the West Bank. It’s official. Not that this should really surprise anyone, as long as Netanyahu is the Israeli prime minister the occupation is forever and there will be no sovereign Palestine. ...
10) Palestinians struggle to compete with Israeli PR machine
Daoud Kuttab, Al Monitor, July 14, 2014
Alongside every war waged by the military is an equally important war of words. The current Israeli war against Gaza is no different. The Palestinians concede they are miles behind Israel in public relations as international media largely repeat Israel’s account of the war. The Palestinian and Israeli narratives are so divergent one would think people are talking about two different conflicts. The Israeli narrative revolves around a self-defense argument, specifically that Israel is defending itself from Hamas rockets that have turned the lives of innocent Israelis into a psychological hell because they have to go bomb shelters every time warning sirens blare.
Palestinians, on the other hand, claim they are the victims because the Israelis started this unprovoked war. They insist that Israel, without substantiation, began by blaming Hamas for the abduction and killing of three Israeli settlers. This unproven accusation was then followed up with massive arrests and other punishments, including house demolitions, travel restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and bombings in Gaza. When Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching rockets toward Israel, Palestinians argue, the Israelis launched the current disproportionate war whose victims are largely civilians. ...
11) Delusional living in Israel
Michal Yudelman O'Dwyer, Ha’aretz, July 15, 2014
When the sirens wailed in Tel Aviv last Tuesday, it seemed the famous bubble had finally burst, and we Tel Avivians were part of the country again. No more would we be called stuck-up and aloof – especially when Hamas gave advance notice that it was going to bombard the city at 9 P.M. the following Saturday night. But the bigger barrage that struck Tel Aviv was of text messages, phone calls and Facebook pleas from abroad, telling us to get out of this crazy place. ...
This is a battle Israel has already lost, and if it hasn't yet, it's about to. You can't win against pictures of bombed streets and civilian casualties, no matter how right you are.
So who's really cut off from reality and who's living in a bubble? Is it really Tel Avivians and the many Israeli media columnists who see things in a wider context? More likely, the bubble boys are the ministers and generals who still think we're winning, endlessly yakking away on TV. …
12) Jews Against Genocide hold memorial for Palestinian children at Yad Vashem
July 12, 2014
[On July 12], Jews Against Genocide (JAG) held a memorial service for Palestinian children killed by Israel in its current attack on Gaza. JAG set aflame to a pile of dolls covered in red paint at Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial museum. JAG is a movement of Jews from all over the world, including Israelis, who are protesting against Israel’s intent to commit genocide against the non-Jewish indigenous people of Palestine.
The Yad Vashem security guard attempted to disrupt the memorial, confiscated JAG’s fire extinguisher, and called the Israeli police to arrest the participants.
Read more on the Jews Against Genocide Facebook page here.
13) Hamas, Islamic Jihad submit 10 conditions for truce
Chris Carlson, International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group, July 16, 2014
... Israeli daily Maariv reported today that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have submitted a list of 10 demands to Egypt in establishing a 10-year truce with Israel:
1) The withdrawal of Israeli military tanks from the border fence area, to a distance which enables Gaza farmers to access their fields and tend them freely.
2) Israel must free all Palestinian prisoners detained after the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers in the southern West Bank, including those who were freed as part of Gilad Shalit prisoner swap. (This precondition also includes softening procedures against all prisoners in Israeli custody, according to Ma'an News Agency.)
3) Israel must end the crippling siege on Gaza, meaning all border crossings must be opened and the entry of construction materials and all requirements needed to run the Gaza Strip’s power station must be allowed.
4) An international seaport and airport must be opened in the Strip -- one which is to be run and monitored by the United Nations.
5) Israel increases the Gaza fishing zone to 10 nautical miles and allows Gaza fishermen to use large fishing ships.
6) The Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip should be monitored by international crews from friendly and Arab countries.
7) Israel must commit to a 10-year ceasefire which includes closing Gaza airspace to Israeli aircraft.
8) Israel must give Gaza residents permission to visit Jerusalem and pray at al-Aqsa Mosque.
9) Israel abstains from any intervention in Palestinian internal affairs, including political arrangements, the reconciliation agreement and all its consequences.
10) Gaza's industrial zone must be re-established.
14) Hundreds of British leftists protest BBC's “pro-Israel” war coverage
Ha’aretz, July 16, 2014
The BBC is widely believed in Israel to be biased in favor of the Palestinians. Yet in Britain, which can fairly be called the nerve center of Western pro-Palestinian sentiment, hundreds of left-wingers have protested in recent days over what they call the state broadcaster's pro-Israel bias in its coverage of the fighting with Gaza.
The Independent reported Wednesday that protesters have rallied outside Broadcasting House, the BBC's London headquarters, as well as in Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
On Tuesday the protesters presented a letter to the BBC from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and other groups.
The letter charged that the broadcaster's coverage of the fighting was “devoid of context or background” about Israeli military control over of Gaza.
“We would like to remind you that Gaza has no army, air force, or navy, while Israel possess one of the strongest militaries in the world,” the letter continued. “When you portray the occupier as the victim, and the occupied as the aggressor, we would like to remind you that resistance to occupation is a right under international law.”
A week ago Owen Jones, a left-wing columnist for The Guardian, wrote: "'Israel under renewed Hamas attack': this was last night's BBC headline on the escalating bloodshed in Gaza. It is as perverse as Mike Tyson punching a toddler, followed by a headline claiming that the child spat at him." In the nine days of Israel's Operation Protective Edge, over 200 Palestinians have been killed, along with one Israeli.
A spokesman for BBC News did not address the specifics of the protesters' criticism, saying only that this was an "ongoing and complex conflict," and that the BBC is "committed to continuing to report and analyze sometimes fast moving events in an accurate, fair and balanced way."
Numerous protests have been held in British cities against the BBC's coverage and Israel's attacks, and the Stop the War Coalition says additional ones will be held in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Worcester in the days ahead.
15) NBC sends reporter back to Gaza after sudden exit
Associated Press, Israel News, July 19, 2014
NEW YORK - NBC said Friday it was sending Middle East correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin back to the Gaza Strip this weekend after he left the region for unexplained reasons following his eyewitness report on the killing of four Palestinian boys on a beach this week. The network praised Mohyeldin for his "extraordinary reporting" throughout the conflict in Gaza. NBC said that as with any news team in combat zones, deployments are constantly reassessed.
Mohyeldin's firsthand reports on the deaths of the four boys Wednesday were aired on the "Today" show and MSNBC, and he tweeted that he had played soccer with some of the victims shortly before the attack. But then his social media account went quiet, and when NBC's "Nightly News" reported on the deaths Wednesday, correspondent Richard Engel did the story …
His absence was immediately noticed in the news world. When NBC refused to discuss the situation, there was much online speculation that the network had problems with his reporting. Mohyeldin, who has worked extensively in the Middle East and reported for Al Jazeera English before joining NBC in 2011, has received some criticism of his reporting from pro-Israeli groups.
In announcing his return to Gaza on Friday, NBC still would not discuss Mohyeldin's temporary absence. But the network made a point to compliment him. "Ayman Mohyeldin has done extraordinary reporting throughout the escalation of the conflict in Gaza, filing 25+ reports over the past 17 days, including his invaluable and well-documented contribution to the story on the deaths of the four Palestinian children on Wednesday," the network said in a statement. News organizations are usually reluctant to talk about security of its personnel in danger zones, or if some of their employees had been threatened. ..
Tensions in the region affected another reporter, CNN's Diana Magnay, as she reported live Thursday on Israel's launch of a ground attack in Gaza. Magnay tweeted that she was surrounded by Israelis watching the action who cheered the explosions and threatened to "destroy our car if I say a word wrong."
16) Is Netanyahu fighting just Hamas or the two-state solution as well?
Peter Beinart, Ha’aretz, July 16, 2014
Most Jews think the answer is clear: Israel is fighting to keep its people safe from rockets. Most Palestinians think the answer is clear too: Israel is fighting to maintain its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (According to the United States government, Israel still occupies Gaza despite withdrawing its settlers because it controls access to Gaza from air, sea, and—along with Egypt—land. If the United States controlled whether boats could dock, and planes could land, in Canada, we’d be occupying it even if no Americans lived there.)
A tremendous amount rides on how one views Israeli intentions. If Israel is only seeking to protect its people, then Hamas’ rocket fire really is - as Israeli spokespeople insist - the equivalent of Canada shelling the United States. Even if you acknowledge that the Canada-U.S. analogy is flawed because Israel occupies the West Bank and Gaza while America doesn’t occupy Quebec, it’s still possible to justify Israel’s behavior if you believe Israel wants that occupation to end. If, on the other hand, you believe that Israel desires permanent dominion over territories whose non-Jewish residents lack basic rights, then Israel’s behavior doesn’t look all that defensive. That doesn’t justify launching rockets into Israel. Hamas’ attempted murder of civilians is wrong, period, irrespective of Israel’s intentions. It is even more egregious because Hamas rejected a cease-fire, which Israel embraced. But as appalling as Hamas’ behavior has been, it’s hard to endorse Israel’s response if it is aimed not just at safeguarding its own people but at controlling another people as well.
Which is why Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments last Friday were so important. “There cannot be a situation, under any agreement,” he declared, “in which we relinquish security control of the territory west of the River Jordan.” With those words, explained Times of Israel editor David Horovitz, a Netanyahu sympathizer, the Prime Minister was “insisting upon ongoing Israeli security oversight inside and at the borders of the West Bank. That sentence, quite simply, spells the end to the notion of Netanyahu consenting to the establishment of a Palestinian state.” ...
17) Why the West Bank isn’t erupting against Israel
Amira Hass, Ha’aretz, July 18, 2014
Palestine Radio reported at midnight between Thursday and Friday that “the occupation this afternoon suppressed a protest demonstration near the Ofer checkpoint,” west of Ramallah. The announcer did not report that an hour before, a battery of about 30 Palestinian police from the riot suppression unit blocked about 200 protesters who were marching in central Ramallah toward the settlement of Beit El as an expression of mourning over the victims in Gaza and anger over Israel’s military offensive. “If we were 6,000 protesters, the police would not be standing here,” someone said. Indeed, the story here is not the blocking of the protesters but why they are so few. ...
18) The delusion of Hamas' military wing
Shlomi Eldar, Al Monitor, July 17, 2014
Nine years ago, in the course of my journalistic work in the northern Gaza Strip, my photographer, a Gaza resident, Majdi Arbid, was injured by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fire. Arbid was transferred by ambulance in very grave condition to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where his life was saved. After several weeks, when his condition improved, I got authorization from the Israeli Civil Administration to give him a tour of Tel Aviv before he returned to his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
On the Ayalon Highway, the highway leading to the big city, he first laid eyes upon the tall buildings, Tel Aviv’s towers, the branching road system, the bridges, the lights, the life. It was all so different from Gaza, which seemed light years away to him. On the way, we passed the sites Hamas terrorists struck some years before: the Dizengoff commercial center, the Dolphinarium night club, Mike’s Place bar and others. When the astonishment faded from his face, he summarized it thus: "Hamas militants are living in a delusion; they are convinced that with a group of suicide bombers (shahids, meaning martyrs) they could overpower Israel."
After that he had an idea, somewhat comical, somewhat practical: "If we get all of Hamas’ leaders on one bus, both the political wing and the military wing, and give them a guided tour from the Erez crossing to Tel Aviv, they will get wiser, return to Gaza and will stop threatening and dreaming that they could defeat Israel."
I recalled this story this week, when the spokesmen of Hamas’ military wing once again threatened that, through its rockets, it would shake the earth of Israel. Again, the military wing, which managed to force down the political wing and drag it along its path, proved not only the extent of its detachment from reality, but also the fact that the suffering of Gaza's 1.6 million residents is nothing to be measured, nor is it a consideration to be taken into account. ...
19) Israel Defense Forces: the moral army?
Michael Mitchell, Ha’aretz, July 18, 2014
You probably know Israel’s army as the Israel Defense Forces, but the IDF has a more controversial name for itself: the “moral army.” For those unused to this rhetoric, hearing it at a time when Israel is engaged in cross-border fighting can spark everything from confusion to outrage – especially in the midst of horrifying reports of civilian casualties in Gaza from Operation Protective Edge.
There are a number of reasons to be wary of the title of “moral army” (it normalizes violence and discourages accountability, for example), but the most important issue is whether the IDF’s conduct upholds its commitments. The IDF claims that it aspires to respect secular and Jewish ethics in its operations, but especially when evaluated under the principle of “pikuakh nefesh” - the Biblical insistence that we prioritize the preservation of human life above all else - the IDF doesn't seem to be meeting the Jewish ethical standard for a "moral army."
Civilian casualties: In Gaza today, the ethical question the “moral army” must answer is this: When the IDF has good reason to believe there are civilians in a targeted area – or can even see them – should it strike anyway? In the scope of this month’s fighting, the crux of how we evaluate the IDF’s claim to be a “moral army” lies in what its behavior reveals about its approach to this dilemma. From the information that’s publicly available, the verdict seems less horrifying than Israel’s staunchest opponents would have it, but far more damning than Israel’s rhetoric – or its ostensible moral aspirations – admits. ...
20) "Gaza: this shameful injustice will only end if the cost of it rises"
Seumas Milne, Guardian, July 19, 2014
... [The] idea that Israel is responding to a hail of rockets out of a clear blue sky takes “narrative framing” beyond the realm of fantasy. In fact, after the deal that ended Israel’s last assault on Gaza in 2012, rocketing from Gaza fell to its lowest level for 12 years.
The latest violence is supposed to have been triggered by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank in June, for which Hamas denied responsibility. But its origin clearly lies in the collapse of U.S.-sponsored negotiations for a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the spring. ...
21) At least 60 killed In Shuja'eyya neighborhood of Gaza City, hundreds injured
Saed Bannoura, IMEMC and agencies July 20, 2014
In what Gazans have already begun to term “the Shuja'eyya massacre,” Israeli strikes in the crowded Gaza City neighborhood, Sunday morning, have caused the deaths of at least 60 Palestinian civilians, 17 of them children and babies, according to medical sources, and led to a mass exodus of people walking, running and driving out of Shuja'eyya toward hospitals, schools or anywhere they thought they could be safe from the constant bombing.
The Israeli army is continuing to surround the Shuja’eyya neighborhood of Gaza city, firing hundreds of shells into homes, streets, hospitals and medical facilities, and targeting Palestinian ambulances killing medics, and at least two journalists. Missiles have directly hit five ambulances, while several ambulances were fired at, and were rendered useless. Eyewitnesses said the bodies are everywhere, injured people, homes turned into rubble, and that every person seen leaving the Shuja’eyya, is directly targeted by the army. ...
IMEMC is a media center developed in collaboration between Palestinian and International journalists to provide independent media coverage of Israel-Palestine.
22) Egypt’s cease-fire proposal gains Arabs’ backing
Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz, July 20, 2014
... Two parallel tracks characterize the diplomatic maneuvering. The first, led by Egypt, calls for an immediate cease-fire, after which details will be worked out. These would include border crossings, salary payments and the easing of fishing limitations on Gaza fishermen. A keystone of Egyptian efforts is the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, for the first time since the 2007 takeover by Hamas. A senior Palestinian official said that Egypt told Hamas that any opening of the Rafah crossing would entail the return of Abu Mazen’s presidential guard there, with no Hamas men present.
Israel and the Authority accepted this proposal, but Hamas rejected it.
The second track is a Qatari initiative, supported by Turkey. It includes the acceptance of multiple demands made by Hamas, such as a lifting of the naval blockade of Gaza, the construction of a harbor and an airport. A key part of this proposal was that Hamas retain control of Gaza and official recognition of its sovereignty over the Strip. Senior Hamas officials, especially political bureau chief Khaled Meshal, adopted this proposal with open arms, refusing to negotiate the terms of the Egyptian proposal. ...
23) Despite war, Israel must act with magnanimity
Ha’aretz editorial, July 19, 2014
Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip, which is the second phase of Operation Protective Edge, has chalked up some achievements, but at a cost: casualties among its troops and a sharp increase in the number of Palestinians killed. The delusion, held by some, that a ground operation would be quick, easy and cheap was replaced within hours by a more bitter reality.
We can understand the efforts to find tunnels Hamas has dug under the border fence and uses to assault Israel’s sovereign territory and launch terror attacks on civilian communities and troops. The exposure and destruction of a dozen or more such tunnels will dull Hamas’ spearhead. This action is essential, but it carries the risk of more escalation, which can already be seen as the Israel Defense Forces makes its way into densely populated urban areas.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues to advance through Gaza’s densely packed cities to get to the rockets that can reach central Israel. But to avoid harming the civilian population living in these areas, the IDF is urging these people to uproot themselves from their homes and move south, which is exacerbating the humanitarian problem. ...
24) Reaping what we have sown in Gaza
Amira Hass, Ha’aretz, July 21, 2014
I’ve already raised the white flag. I’ve stopped searching the dictionary for the word to describe half of a boy’s missing head while his father screams “Wake up, wake up, I bought you a toy!” How did Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Greater Germany, put it? Israel’s right to defend itself.
I’m still struggling with the need to share details of the endless number of talks I’ve had with friends in Gaza, in order to document what it’s like to wait for your turn in the slaughterhouse. For example, the talk I had on Saturday morning with J. from al-Bureij refugee camp, while he was on his way to Dir al-Balah with his wife. They’re about 60-years-old. That morning, his aging mother got a phone call, and heard the recording instructing the residents of their refugee camp to leave for Dir al-Balah.
A book on Israeli military psychology should have an entire chapter devoted to this sadism, sanctimoniously disguising itself as mercy: A recorded message demanding hundreds of thousands of people leave their already targeted homes, for another place, equally dangerous, 10 kilometers away. What, I asked J., you’re leaving? “What, why?” He said, “We have a hut near the beach, with some land and cats. We’re going to feed the cats and come back. We’re going together. If the car gets blown up, we’ll die together.”
If I were wearing an analyst’s hat, I would write: In contrast to the common Israeli hasbara, Hamas isn’t forcing Gazans to remain in their homes, or to leave. It’s their decision. Where would they go? “If we’re going to die, it’s more dignified to die at home, instead of while running away,” says the downright secular J. I’m still convinced that one sentence like this is worth a thousand analyses. But when it comes to Palestinians, most readers prefer the summaries. ...
25) As casualties mount, the Gaza operation threatens to become a war
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz, July 21, 2014
Operation Protective Edge began as a military operation in the Gaza Strip, defined by the IDF as a limited one. By Sunday, Chief-of-Staff Benny Gantz was already talking of a “campaign.” With the current intensity of the fighting and the high number of casualties, the media may soon define this, with some exaggeration, as a war.
The Israeli public, followed by politicians, considers an event as a war only according to one criterion: the number of casualties. This number climbed to 18 yesterday. The question to be addressed in the coming days is whether it is still possible to stop now and halt the slide into a full-blown war. ...
26) Wall Street Journal op-ed’s defense of civilian deaths in Gaza “has no basis in existing law”
Kia Makarechi, Vanity Fair, July 22, 2014
With hundreds of largely civilian Palestinians dead, Israel’s attempts at crippling Hamas in the Gaza Strip have resulted in grim headlines and news broadcasts around the world. Regardless of whether or not Israel is winning on the ground in Gaza, it is slipping in its worldwide battle for hearts and minds.
It stands to reason, then, that friendly intellectuals are stepping forward to present their justifications for Israel’s actions. Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, for example, toured a Hamas tunnel and dined with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu before describing him as “a reluctant warrior,” echoing Israel’s official position that Hamas is forcing the Israeli Defense Forces to bomb civilian areas. ...
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