One thousand and thirty-five Palestinians in Gaza, mainly innocent civilians, women and children have been massacred and so far the world turns its head away. And the number is increasing by the hour. We don’t want to feel the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Alongside this 1,035 dead Palestinians there are 42 Israeli’s who have died. Just imagine what the Israeli lobby would be saying if 1,035 Israelis had died.
We are angry and concerned that 297 innocent people lost their lives when MH17 was shot down by separatists in the Ukraine. These separatists were obviously funded and armed by Russia. That is of concern to us. But the US supports, funds and arms the Israeli army which is now conducting this massacre in Gaza. When will we get the balance right. But it is not only the US government and the Israeli lobby that must be held accountable for what is happening today in Gaza. The Australian government has consistently sided with Israel against the Palestinians and even wants to deny the term ‘occupied’ which is a way any reasonable person would describe what Israel is doing on Palestinian land. The Israelis are occupying Palestinian land and imprisoning Palestinian people.
There has been a pattern of Israeli massacres and the Gaza massacre is one of many. Just think of the massacres in Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982.
Israel is naturally concerned about home-made rockets being fired out of Gaza into Israel but the response is out of all proportion. What is more, the core reason for the dispute is not these rockets, it is occupation by Israel of Palestinian land. That occupation and colonisation must be ended if there is to be a just peace.
See below an article this weekend by Robert Fisk for The Independent. It is headed ‘Eight hundred dead Palestinians. But Israel has impunity.’ John Menadue