Citizens drowning in the pissing contests of high politics

[axver]

So, open conflict has broken out in Palestine again, with both Israel and Hamas dramatically raising the stakes in Gaza. I have become sufficiently jaded that I simply see this as another International Relations pissing contest where actual civilians disappear into the smog of mindless political one-upsmanship. It is conflict such as this that

Comments

[anonymous]

Elections have consequences. Gaza elected a government that denies the right of Israel to exist, in effect, electing war with the State of Israel. Wars also have consequences. The people who elected a government that chose that path are now receiving the consequences of that choice.

So here we have Hamas claiming to be the injured party while in fact engaging in warfare. How long do you suppose the Government of Australia would sit idly by if Canberra was being regularly attacked by rockets?

It was Hamas that ended the cease fire. It was Hamas that didn't show up for talks in Cairo at Egypt's invitation. Hamas has twisted the tiger's tail once too often, and then escalated the conflict for good measure. Hamas grossly miscalculated the likely response to years of provocation.

Those who elected Hamas to begin a war, are going end up as the victims in that war.Save your sympathy for more deserving causes.

The reality is nobody has any use for Hamas at this point. They are in fact a terrorist organization. The people of Gaza voted to create these consequences. Bad choice by the people of Gaza, and the bad choices have bad consequences.

[tcpip]

Yep, it's just right to apply collective punishment to an entire population for electing a government that someone else disapproves of.

Who's "Hamas" in this context? Is it those who voted for Hamas because Fatah representatives were corrupt? Is it those who voted for Hamas because of their social welfare programmes, which they managed to accomplish without the resources of their self-enriching rival? Is it those who voted for Hamas because they needed the world to take their plight seriously. Do people of this ilk, whom have never fired a Qassam rocket in their life deserve to be bombed by air strikes?

Are they the people who deserve to be starved? Who have had the medicines, electricity and water cut? Who live in utter destitution? Do they deserve this?

Tell it to the mother of six-month old Layan, that the child somehow has 'collective responsibility' for the policies of a political movement that she knows nothing about.

You could try telling it to Tahrir, 17, Ikram 15, Samer, 13, Dina, eight and Jawahar, four. Except they can't hear you, because they died yesterday as an Israeli bomb struck a refugee camp.

But of course, this is Hamas' fault. And anyone even vaguely associated with Hamas - which includes everyone who lives in Gaza, apparently - is collectively responsible.

BTW, Hamas omitted its call for the destruction of Israel from its election manifesto, calling instead for "the establishment of an independent state whose capital is Jerusalem.", in accordance to the 1967 borders. It has had that position for almost three years now.

The ceasefire

[tcpip]

On 23 December 2008, Hamas issued a statement declaring the six months ceasefire was over as Israel had not respected its terms, which was supposed included lifting the blockade.

The following day Hamas issued a statement that they would consider renewing the expired truce "if Israel stopped its aggression" in Gaza and opened up its border crossings.

In comparison, Olmert has described the attacks as the "the first of several" military campaigns planned in Gaza. The defense minister, Barak, has said he's not interested in arranging a cease fire, rather he want a "war to the bitter end". His words have been echoed by the deputy defense minister, Vilnia, that the IDF "has made preparations for long weeks of action".