As day 14 draws to a close, world pressure to stop the violence in Gaza is mounting. What is occurring, on the ground, is a humanitarian crisis-- one that journalists are unable to report. The information that leaks out comes from Palestinians in Gaza and from what Israeli officials report. The UN, nonetheless, fears an escalation of the crisis and is gravely concerned about the impact of the violence on civilians. Thus far over 770 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,100 have been wounded. Of those killed, 219 were children and 89 were women. Since the invasion, 14 Israelis have been killed.


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We are now at the end of day 12 of the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Remember that the June 1967 war lasted only six days. In that war, Israel was able to defeat Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and a few other Arab states that contributed some troops to the war against Israel. Israel's quick victory demonstrated to the world, and to the United States in particular, that they were mightier than they were in 1948. The victory not only crushed Arab Nationalism and unity, smashed Nasser's political relevance, and gained them huge territorial gains, but it also earned them the support of the U.S., who wished to use Israel as a bulwark against any possible Soviet Union incursion into the middle-east. Israel took the Sinai peninsula, the Golan Heights, and they also took control over the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. This war and the ongoing occupation has continued to influence the conflict in the region.



In the last few days, the violence in Gaza has escalated. An Israeli attack on a school in Gaza where the UN was sheltering about 350 civilians has resulted in the deaths of 40 people, injuring dozens more. This has been the third attack on schools in Gaza in the last twelve days. Most of those killed were civilians, according to paramedics, though Israel maintains that Hamas militants were using the school to fire rockets into Israel. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. General Avi Benayahu said, "We face a very delicate situation where the Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as a protective vest." The UN will begin investigations into the school bombing. John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said that the UN schools were all "clearly marked" with UN flags and that Israel had been given the global positioning coordinates of all school locations. Ging went on to say that, "We're demanding full accountability in accordance with international law and the duty of care that the parties to the conflict are obliged to adhere to." He also denied Israeli assertions that Hamas militants were using the school, saying, "So far we've not had violations by militants of our facilities." He insisted that the UN had vetted all civilians requesting shelter.
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On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told a delegation of European foreign ministers that "Before the military operation, the equation was that Hamas targets Israelis whenever it likes, and Israel shows restraint... This is not going to be [any] longer the equation in this region. When Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate." This would come as a surprise to many in experts in the region who have criticized Israel's long military occupation of the Palestinian territories.

On Saturday, January 3, 2009, Israel launched its ground offensive into Gaza. There had been talks of establishing a truce: Hamas wants the 18-month blockade lifted; Israel wants the rocket firings to stop.The failure of Hamas militants and Israeli leaders to halt the violence has precluded any such progress in that direction. In the meantime, tanks and ground forces entered Gaza, quickly taking Gaza City. Suspected militant sites have been shelled and most of Gaza's infrastructure is in shambles. Israeli military officials have also claimed to be striking tunnels (used by Hamas for smuggling weapons), and weapon caches. Hamas has fought back by launching rockets into southern Israel. Three Israeli civilians have been killed, and many buildings, including schools, have been destroyed by Hamas rockets. Since the Israeli ground invasion, two Israeli soldiers have been killed.



Despite Israel's claim that they are not targeting civilians, the Palestinians in Gaza have suffered tremendously. Since the begining of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, over 530 Palestinians have been killed-- 82 since Saturday. Of that, over 100 deaths have been women and children. In addition to the deaths, over 2,600 people have been injured, and thousands more have fled their homes in order to escape the violence. Humanitarian agencies, such as the UNRWA and UN's World Food Program, have had difficulty trying to bring food and water to civilians caught up in the violence. Many civilians are stuck in their homes without running water, without electricity, and a dwindling food supply, which they are unable to replenish. In all of the Gaza Strip, there are only two bakeries still open, and there are long lines of people trying to get what little food they can for their families. Hospitals are being overwhelmed and the few medical supplies that they have are being diminished. Some doctors on the ground insist that the body count is much higher, but they cannot get an accurate count because the conflict presents grave danger to ambulances and rescue crews. One ambulance, reportedly, was shelled by an Israeli tank as it was evacuating victims. One paramedic was killed while the other lost his foot.

So, what's their aim? Well, according to Israeli officials, they want all rocket firings into Israel to stop. But Israel also wants to topple the Hamas regime, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist. They are attempting to dismantle their weapons supplies, while at the same time castrate their political power. Also, remember that Israel has elections in February. They certainly aren't forgetting. This is not the whole story, however: right-wing extremists, who have been in control of Israel's government since its inception, belive that Gaza (and the West Bank) is rightfully theirs, according to God's promise. Little by little, there is the hope that they will leave the region altogether, assimilate into neighboring Arab countries, and leave all of Palestine to Israel. Settlers continue to build on Palestinian land, homes are demolished, and Palestinian land continues to be taken. What Israel needs to remember is that the more violence it spreads, the more deaths that are caused, the longer the suffering occurs, the more they are pushing the population of Gaza into the Hamas corner.

The violence of the last ten days, or so, stems from the failure of both sides to adhere to the terms of the Egyptian brokered truce, which expired December 19, 2008. However, one must recall that Hamas abided by the terms of the cease-fire until Israel's November 4, 2008 air strike into Gaza that killed five people and wounded many more. As always happens in this region, tensions and violence escalated through a series of retaliatory strikes.



French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been pressuring both sides to accept a truce, is now in the middle-east. He made stops in Egypt, the West Bank, and Israel today. He met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, where he gave a press conference condemning both Hamas and Israel. Meanwhile, U.S. UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has been instructed by State Department Officials (probably including Condoleeza Rice) to torpedo any efforts by the Arabs to request assistance from the UN Security Council. While French President Sarkozy has been even-handed in his criticism, President George W. Bush has continued his unflinching support for Israel: "I understand Israel's desire to protect itself. The situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas." President-elect Obama has been silent on the issue of Gaza. He has continued his mantra: "There is one President at a time." True, but, like Representative Barney Frank, I think he "seriously overestimates the number of Presidents we have." I think that since he is going to be President in... 15 days, it matters what he thinks. Since the Bush camp has decided to sit on their hands, he should at least voice an opinion. Perhaps he does not want to express an opinion that is at odds with the current President, thus undermining anything Bush says, but I think that the violence is such that it requires a response.

Yesterday, Israel launched air-strikes against the Hamas governed Gaza Strip. F16's and Apache helicopters rained missiles down upon 150 targets yesterday and today, killing at least 280 people and wounding about 600 people (though some estimates are as high as 700). Israel's Defense Minister (and former PM) Ehud Barak said that the operation ('Operation Cast Lead') in Gaza were going to continue and expand: "This will not be a short operation. The war on terrorism is an ongoing one, and we will have to stand firm in order to change the situation in the south." The breakdown of the 6 month Egyptian-brokered truce ended December 19th, which Hamas failed to renew because of Israel's failure to uphold the terms of the truce. A tit-for-tat, eye-for-an-eye, escalation ensued, resulting in the violence over the past few days. Whereas there have been massive Palestinian casualties, only one Israeli has been killed and 4 have been wounded from the 110 rockets that Hamas militants fired into Israel.


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Obama meets with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have set-up a website called change.gov. This is the first step in "building an open and transparent government and seeking input from all Americans." So, being the opinionated bastard that I am, I put in my own two cents:

I am a supporter of President-elect Barack Obama. I also support his call for change. However, I do not see change in your middle-east policy. You must understand that all the anger and resentment in the region stems from the failure to reconcile the Isareli-Palestinian conflict-- it also stems from our unflinching and unconditional suuport for Israel. By resolving this long conflict, and bringing statehood to the Palestinians, we not only bring greater security to Israel, who will be in goodstanding with its neighbors, but it will also bring the US much greater security.

Your plan for the middle-east will fail even more miserably than President Bush's-- which is a sad, sad statement. You not only supported Israel's invasion of Lebanon, but you also reject any notion that Jerusalem should be divided. I also have not heard you condemn the illegal settlements in the West Bank. You even went as far as to demand that Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist, even though the PLO have done just that many times over the last few decades. Israel has never recognized the Palestinians right to exist.

If you want change, as you so often say, start in the middle-east. Listen to your friend Rashid Khalidi, he knows what he's talking about. Also, I would recommend not appointing Dennis Ross as your middle-east peace envoy. Not only is he very biased towards Israel, but he is also condescending towards the Palestinians, believing they suffer delusions of entitlement. He will not get the job done. You should appoint Dan Kurtzer. He knows the stakes and he understands that an evenhanded policy in the region will be successful.

In short, I would recommend an imposed two-state settlement. Its the only way to resolve this 60 year old conflict that threatens to send the world into even greater chaos. Every President before you has failed to be fair, and thus they have failed in bringing peace. You can change. You can bring peace and security to Israel, the middl-east, and America.
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