Dear Bruce, At 12:01 this morning (local time), another 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began. As negotiations move haltingly ahead, what we do know is that Gaza is in a state of ruin. Even if the IDF doesnt fire another single shot, this attack already stands as the most destructive to life and property that we have witnessed. Israel has killed over 1,900 Palestinians, including 415 children, and injured more than 10,000. Its hard to imagine, much less make sense of. Here are four critical points to understand and push out into public debate - with links to some of the articles we think are most helpful looking forward over the coming days. Gaza has been decimated “I’ve never seen such massive destruction ever before,” is how Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, described Gaza last week. Over 10,000 homes have been destroyed, with another 30,000 damaged. Gaza’s lone power plant that was hit by Israeli missiles July 29th, affecting sewage treatment, communications, refrigeration, healthcare, and almost every aspect of daily life . Hundreds of schools, mosques, factories, and farms have also been destroyed or damaged. And even before this attack, Gaza was still rebuilding from the Cast Lead offensive in 2009 and Pillar of Cloud in 2012. A Major Health Crisis is Unfolding Before this crisis, Gaza had just 2,047 hospital beds. Thats roughly one for every 5 injured Palestinians. People are being discharged far earlier than they should be as even more critical patients come in. Medical supplies - including pain medication - are in extremely short supply. And of course those returning home to recover often have no home to go to, and almost all of them, certainly, face the same water and power crisis as they try to heal. The key Palestinian “demand” is a basic right. In the formal negotiations in Cairo as well the courts of public opinion worldwide, the key sticking point is the Palestinian demand that Israel lift its 7-year siege of the Gaza Strip. But the blockade shouldn’t even be on the negotiating table. The siege is patently illegal, and so lifting it isn’t a concession- it’s an overdue obligation. The blockade is the impediment to a more lasting truce. Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat said it best: “The current situation is a recurrence of Israel’s bloody attacks on Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009 as well as November 2012. Absent efforts to address the root causes of this conflict, it will be repeated yet again in the near future. The primary issue is that of Israel’s military and colonial rule over the Palestinian population of the occupied territories, including Gaza, which is characterized by a discriminatory apartheid legal regime and brutal repression. When the rockets stop flying and the aerial strikes cease, Palestinians will continue to die a slow and protracted death under the boot of Israel’s occupation. What we have here is a difference between one side negotiating for its fundamental rights, and another angling to extend and deepen its occupation. Global outrage has not (yet) led to Israeli accountability As Israeli journalist Larry Derfner said this morning: The world is shocked by the death and devastation in Gaza, it understands that the “root cause” is Israel’s half-century denial of freedom to the Palestinians, and it knows that the Netanyahu government has no interest whatsoever in setting the Palestinians free – yet the world, even now, is letting Israel get away with it. In spite of the massive public outcry over Israels ongoing assault on Palestinian civilians, Israel continues to enjoy absolute impunity from governments around the globe. Even as tens of thousands gather in the streets in the US, our senate passes unanimous resolutions endorsing the war and the Obama administration admitted we are restocking Israeli ammunition even as it is used to decimate civilians. The fact is, governments including our own arent going to do it. Its down to you and me to hold Israel accountable for its actions. What can we do? Even after so much suffering, prominent American Jewish institutional leaders remain committed to this war, and silent in the face of the clear moral outrage that is the blockade. This silence provides cover for those who would profit from ongoing conflict and killing. This silence erases all of us - Jews and allies - who want to resolve not only this devastatingly escalated period of violence, but the underlying systems of occupation, discrimination, and displacement driving it forward. Last Friday, six members of JVP Philadelphia were arrested trying to deliver the more than 26,000 signatures on an Open Letter to the heads of the Jewish Federations of North America, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs. This week, we’ll continue to pressure them to shift course and decide to stand with the growing segment of our community that wants genuine peace with justice. Sincerely, Stefanie Fox Organizing Director - Jewish Voices for Peace (USA)
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:29:32 +0000