"No, the current violence in Gaza is not a ‘retaliatory war’ but rather a continuation of the resistance to the military occupation of Palestine since 1967 and a continuation of the Nakba since the mid 1930’s when the Zionists commenced using violence to obtain their ‘homeland’ offered to them by the United Kingdom in 1917."
January 10, 2024
Dear Editor,
I write with concern about the article of January 9 “Israel says it's moving into a third stage of the war in Gaza. Here's what that could bring”
The article is strongly slanted towards support for Israel. This slant deserves correction.
The State of Israel conquered the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza in 1967. Palestinians have been living under the occupying power of the Israeli Occupation Forces since that time. Gaza has been unique in that the Israeli settlements were withdrawn in 2005, however, the community was placed under a land, sea, and air blockade by Israel in 2007 following the Hamas success in Palestinian elections and in the violent ousting of the Fatah party from Gaza.
The battle between Hamas and Israel is not a ‘retaliatory war’. This is ongoing violence between the land, air, and sea military of the occupying power attempting to eradicate the land based resistance fighters of Hamas since 1967. The Israeli routinely attacks the community of Gaza expressed by senior military personnel as “mowing the grass” as they indiscriminately bomb the community.
The article is clear that the settler-colonial power, Israel, will be deciding as to the form of government the population of Gaza will have at some undefined time in the future. The message is clear that the Palestinians will not decide their own form of government and will remain occupied by Israel.
The current Israeli estimate of 1200 Israeli casualties killed by Hamas is allowed to stand despite Haaretz publishing an article referencing an Israeli family seeking compensation from the Israeli Occupation Force for using a tank to shell and kill their family while putting down the Hamas attack.
Much is made of the hardship of the hostages held by Hamas and the conditions they must endure while the military destroys Gaza in their attempt to destroy Hamas. No mention is made of the many hostages, including women and children, Israel holds in prisons in the West Bank and Israel. Nor does the article include a comment on the conditions of torture experienced by the hostages. No mention is made of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and theft of their land and property by the illegal settlers in the West Bank.
No, the current violence in Gaza is not a ‘retaliatory war’ but rather a continuation of the resistance to the military occupation of Palestine since 1967 and a continuation of the Nakba since the mid 1930’s when the Zionists commenced using violence to obtain their ‘homeland’ offered to them by the United Kingdom in 1917.