"This armchair analysis and presumption of a lack of protest against the ongoing “carnage” in Gaza is ultimately decontextualized from the actual reality on the ground."
August 1st, 2024
Re: “Gaza deaths are being used as a tragic pawn” by Gwynne Dyer, July 29, 2024
Dear Editor,
Gwynne Dyer’s piece provides an oversimplified analysis of the now ten-month siege on Gaza by Israel.
Mr. Dyer states that in “many western cities there are weekly protest marches against the carnage in the Gaza Strip. However, there have been virtually none in Israel or in the Gaza Strip itself.”
No kidding?
Given the constant bombardment and threat to life, it's no surprise protests in the Gaza Strip are scarce. Even so, there have been protests in the occupied West Bank, with the most recent example being against the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. As for Israel, there have been many large protests against Netanyahu’s government demanding a ceasefire and the return of the civilian hostages.
This armchair analysis and presumption of a lack of protest against the ongoing “carnage” in Gaza is ultimately decontextualized from the actual reality on the ground.
I also take issue with the sentence: “to be fair, most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are too busy running for their lives to protest much.” On one hand, Mr. Dyer acknowledge the suffering of Palestinians, but then in the same line he attempt to turn their pain and trauma into a racist, dehumanizing punchline for a joke.
Lastly, Mr. Dyer makes an incorrect and irresponsible claims about Hamas and frames the non-state group as this irrational actor. He claims that Hamas punishes “anybody who openly demands a ceasefire,” but Hamas has been part of numerous ceasefire talks, making this claim misleading and flat out wrong. He also asserts that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, which is an unproven, tired and dangerous trope that shifts blame away from the actual aggressor: Israel. This surface level argument downplays Israel’s responsibility for targeting civilian infrastructure, and overlooks the broader and systematic nature of Israel’s assaults in Gaza. Suggesting that Hamas's strategy involves sacrificing Palestinians to achieve political aims is both absurd and offensively misguided. For ten months, Israel has been carpet bombing the strip collectively punishing the Palestinians of Gaza through the same exact rhetoric Mr. Dyer is parroting.
Palestinians are being killed and forcibly displaced because of Israel’s genocidal actions. Israel’s direct actions have caused the large loss of life and mass displacement of Palestinians in the strip.
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East