One of the most awful aspects of this situation is the strong element of Catch 22.
Put basically, Isreal attack Gaza because Hamas have been attacking Israel, firing rockets daily across the border. By invading Gaza, Israel has put themselves in danger of driving international opinion against them and yet a response is needed from them given the intense bullying and provocation they have recieved.
In turn the attacks on Hamas can bring sympathy, but of course it doesn't help when they make it clear that they are not interested in peace with Israel, and then there is the fact that this is the sort of situation that is food and drink for the extremists.
We need a ceasefire and we need international mediation and fast. Hopefully the French/Egyptian plan will secure that!
2 comments:
There was a cease fire, then Hamas calculated it had something to gain by firing rockets at Israeli towns.
Perhaps the tragedy is that it hoped to gain what it just has - an Israeli reaction where it could parade dead civilians afterwards. ( Remember Hamas TV has characters for small kids encouraging them to become suicide bombers and as the BBC's Panorama prog showed they teach this ideology of death in their schools ).
The problem is you can't negotiate long term with Hamas as their ideology prevents such long term commitments that get in the way of their conquering their enemies. ( Tactical ceasefires are fine - to rearm and weaken your enemy ).
The Israeli's have a mad man at their throat and you want them to loosen their grip on him ?
The Israelis are likely to see the double standards from Western Europe on self defence and conclude such people can't be trusted to guarantee anything. ( After all they didn't stop Hezbollah rearming in Lebanon ).
Everyone's hearts bleed for the innocent victims of this clash, just as most people who thought about it would have for the casualties of Allied bombing in the War. But if you sow the wind you reap the whirlwind. Hamas have brought this about and are thinking of victory not those innocent victims - except perhaps how to pose their bodies for press photos.
For an alternative view of what's just happened in Gaza, and which the BBC refuse to report, see here.
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