I haven’t written about Gaza and Hamas for quite a while, mostly because I am pretty bored with the same killings day after day. I think a lot of people, like myself, are just tired of seeing Gaza in the news every day. The media report that Israel has just bombed a high-rise building, but then there are photos that show vast areas of rubble. It looks as though there ARE no high-rises left.
Gaza – is there anything left?
There have been, however, some recent developments. For one thing, several countries are now recognizing Palestine as a country. What I find bizarre about this, is that there are two ‘countries’, Gaza and the West Bank. They have different governments – Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, who hate each other and have even fought each other. Which government is being recognized by France and other nations? Oddly, it appears that it is the PA that is being recognized, as a political statement about what is happening in Gaza, not the West Bank.
Part of my boredom with the situation is the realization that Jews and Arabs have hated each other and killed each other for centuries, and this trend is likely to continue for more centuries. Normally, I would just say, “Let them fight it out.” The trouble with that attitude is that Israel is receiving billions of dollars in military aid from the West, and in fact, Hamas is receiving support from Qatar and the Arab world. It’s a sort of proxy war. If the US and Qatar would stop supplying arms, I’d guess the conflict would end PDQ.
Unfortunately, as in all wars, there are rich people profiting from those arms sales. It is in their interest to prolong the war. I’d even like to compare the situation with the Epstein files. The rich and powerful can act behind the scenes with impunity, either in sex trafficking or arms trafficking. I have to wonder how much Trump himself, along with his family, is enriching himself from the war.
Also contributing to my boredom is the fact that siege warfare has been the norm around the world for thousands of years. One side surrounds the walled city and starves the people out – women and children. Meanwhile they catapult in some fireballs to kill more civilians. So Gaza is nothing new. Civilian casualties? It’s always been that way. Even in the past century, the US fired-bombed Dresden and killed some 25,000 people in a day or two. Not to forget Japan, where hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed (either immediately or long-term) by the A-bombs. Even before that, the US carpet-bombed Tokyo, killing an estimated 100,000 civilians, and leaving a million homeless. Then there’s the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The US shouldn’t be lecturing other countries about civilian casualties.
‘Disproportionate response’ is another over-used phrase. I guarantee you that if Cuba sent just one rocket into downtown Miami, Havana would instantly be reduced to rubble.
So now there’s yet another peace proposal on the table. Yawn! Trump’s “20 point proposal” to Hamas could be reduced to one point, nay, one word: “Surrender”. Hamas may be pretty well defeated on the battlefield, but I doubt they will outright surrender. And the fighting will continue.
In summary, I can’t see how the Gaza story will, or even WHETHER it will end. For Hamas, ‘winning’ means simply surviving, so they will fight to the last Gazan. And Israel claims they must eliminate Hamas, which is impossible. And the rich and powerful will continue to make their millions in profits. I can’t see this ending any time soon.