Gaza Under Siege, Silence is Crime to Humanity

By Mohammed Khaku

ccun.org, January 29, 2008

The crisis cause by an Israeli-imposed blockade - “collective punishment” of 1.5 millions residents of Gaza is unlawful, un-justifiable and violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The United Nation's top human rights body on Thursday condemned Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank by 34 votes in favor and one against. Washington’s refusal to endorse a United Nations Security Council resolution effectively advocates the collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians. Bush Administration is not a honest broker, in fact United State is a partner in the crime to starve and kill Palestinian civilians on the basis that the Jewish State has a right to defend its citizen in towns like Sderot (formerly known as Najd), before the village was ethnically cleansed of all its Palestinian resident in 1948.

 

When it come to “self-defense”, the question is does Israel actions of denying food, electricity and medicine to the resident of Gaza guarantees the security of Israel or does it creates more forces of extremism? I think it give rise to a new generation of Palestinians to seek arms to retaliate against their oppressors. The siege of Gaza neither advance the goal of Israel to have a permanent homeland in Middle East nor does it bolster the moderate Muslim states to have friendly ties with the Jewish state. In fact it weakens the Arab leaders in the eyes of their outraged citizens.  How can President George Bush broker Palestinian-Israel peace deal when he cannot even condemn the Gaza siege? Does he really think that the people of the region will forget the killing and suffering in Gaza, West bank and Lebanon? What kind of message he is sending to the people of the region by remaining silence on Israel’s brutal siege or not saying anything on the almost three thousand settlements authorize last week? Was he serious about his promise to build peace and better future for the next generation, or giving false hope to the Palestinian children. Silence from Bush administration will only serve to increase the sentiment worldwide that our nation cares little for the suffering of the Palestinian people and creates the perception that the US support cruel and inhumane treatment of civilian populations. President Bush is acting like the old imperialist; supporting Abbas to torture Hamas. His policy is shameful; it is based on division and not peace for Palestinians. If justice is employed, peace becomes sustainable, if not, it is farce.

 

This escalation of violence and punishment must end, and for that to happen, President Bush must act swiftly to pursue diplomatic means to attain a ceasefire with Hamas that includes prevention of Israeli incursion in to Gaza, to stop ceasing Palestinian land, to stop rockets attacks and the reopening of border crossings into Gaza to allow fuel and humanitarian supplies. However, with the appalling death toll in Gaza, relentless assaults on the West Bank and Israel's blatant settlement expansion, one must wonder how long Israeli atrocity will continue and how long will Bush Administration and international community remain silence. What Israel is doing is wrong, and we need to speak up. The Gazans are the oppressed ones; the world stood by and did nothing when Rwanda, Bosnian genocide was happening. And now, shame on us if we do nothing and see people die because of starvation and lack of medication. Look at the people as human being, not their politics.

 

 Because American taxpayers provide Israel with billions of dollars of economic support each year, we have the right and the responsibility to require that Israel abide by American and universal human rights standards and end its practice of “collective punishment” against the Palestinian populations. Such practice amounts to war crimes. Israel has no sympathy over the sorrowful tragedies in Gaza and West bank. Israel has always tortured, drove Palestinian homeless, encroached on their land since 1948 and deprived them of their political and human rights.  Israel has no qualms of destroying cities, town and villages by dropping prohibited cluster bombs. However, The rocket attacks against Israel cannot be tolerated, but at the same time, Israel's response, which amounts to collective punishment against the entire population of Gaza, has created a humanitarian crisis, resulting in power outages, water shortages, and a lack of medical supplies. The Gaza Strip is the largest prison on earth and the tearing down of the Rafah wall was an act of liberation