The region in conflict is seeped in history. One cannot fathom how it was to be a Jew, fleeing from one country to another, genetically marked, persecuted because you don’t belong to a ‘good’ race in almost all the countries during that old World order. Millions of genocide victims and a World War to end the viciousness. Even today, the younger generations still feel the pain of losing a grandfather, or grand uncle, or grand mother to fascists, for just being a Jew. The stigma, the sense of foreboding might have trailed them in every forward step they make. Yet, they fought back and though small in number, is one of the powerful ‘race’ in human history.
One of the core principles of Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) is to wipe off Jews and Israel from the face of the earth. Hamas is declared as a militant organization even by the current Palestine Authority Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas. Though combatants, unlike the Hezbollah of Lebanon, they are not that heavily armed or funded. With the limited ammunition, they launch rockets to Israel’s territories, to create havoc. Not many people get killed with these rockets, except for a stray few, but it creates panic and confusion. Hamas trains terrorists, plans suicide bombings and is a radical organization unleashing terror on ordinary citizens. Hamas uses human shields, takes cover in schools and hospitals, endangering their own.
Flip a few pages and look at year 2006. When Hamas, an organization that was nurtured by Israel itself against PLO (Palestinte Liberation Organisation), won a landslide victory in the Parliamentary elections at Gaza Strip, Israel reacted by creating hurdles for free trade in Gaza, putting more unemployed Palestinian youths on the streets, a key recruiting element for Hamas and other terrorists organizations. Along with this, Israel destroys homes (the infamous house demolitions), stops schools from functioning and suffocates Gaza with poverty. Poverty in Gaza fetches cheap Palestinian manual labor to the Israelites thus keeping Israel homes and business running smoothly.
Dec 2008. I am reminded of this Russian folk story where two kids wandered deep into the woods while playing and is eaten up by a giant bear, when they accidentally poke the sleeping carnivore, mistaking it for a giant rock. What Hamas has done is that, wandered into the woods and pelted stones at the bear. If Hamas ever thought Israel would not retaliate, when more than 80% of the Israeli population, poll after polls sanctions the Government for a war, they need to fire their war strategist.
Now, Israel can reoccupy Gaza, destruct the infrastructure Hamas has painfully built and move back to the 1967 map of the 6-day War. Now, Israel can go ahead as it wants, without any real condemnation from the World, but slight inaudible whimpers. “Look, ma! Hamas did it first”. It is working beautifully. When no real journalists are allowed inside the war-zone by Israel and when official sources fills up propaganda through their own media outlets, face book, twitter and blogs, everything just looks so black and white.
Israel’s timing for the attack was well thought out. There is no better time than the transition of the U.S presidency to wage a war. U.S can easily wash its hands off any actual accountability. No U.S President’s legacy will be tainted for this murderous rampage. Israel then leaves the table clean for the new U.S President to start the negotiations. One of the first ‘tough’ negotiations would be Israel giving back Gaza. So easy! Occupy and then release. There is no question of why? Back to square one.
Growing up in India, like many Indians, I always had a soft corner for Palestine. People without a nation, fighting a war with stones, against an enemy beefed up with billions of U.S dollars. But, now there are no more tears for Palestine. I am not sentimental about it anymore. Smaller nations have fought wars and won against powerful nations, when they stood united, when they fought passionately for their country. I don’t see that anymore in Palestine. All I see is a bunch of war mongers at either sides, wannabe terrorists, wanting to wipe of each other from the face of the earth with no rhyme or reason, quoting a Tora or Quran. The only qualm is for the children, caught under the rubble, stone faced.
I have always wondered why there is no Gandhi in Palestine; a weapon I think will deliver more results, faster and much more fruitful.
It is not that Palestinians have always fought the Israel occupation with violence. First Intifada (war of the stones) was more of a peaceful resistance that occurred during 1987–1993, a non-cooperation movement and civil disobedience by the Palestinians. Israel fearing of World opinion turning against them, created the gravest human rights violations in Palestine trying to break up the Intifada. All non-violent measures were met with brutal Israeli military force.
During the first two years of the Intifada, 159 Palestinian children below the age of 16 were killed by the Israeli Army. Many of these children were shot, when they were throwing stones at the Israeli tanks. An estimated number of 23,600 to 29,900 children, a one-third under the age of ten were brutally beaten up by the IDF. All these statistics especially of the children were alarming to the International community and there was stiff resistance from European Nations and even from U.S for Israel’s vicious techniques. Even the public opinion in Israel changed dramatically in favor of Palestine. Israel was increasingly trying to break the Intifada spirit and Israel won finally when in July 1989, the first suicide attack occurred at Tel Aviv Jerusalem bus 405, killing innocent Israeli civilians by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Palestine freedom struggle turned violent again. 1993 marked the end of Intifada with a string of suicide bombings.
The violence and hatred continues, the most recent shocking announcement by Matan Vilani, Israel’s deputy defense minister warning Palestinians a “shoah”, a Nazi style Holocaust.
Many of India’s trigger-happy citizens have always accused her for not behaving like Israel. She has been accused of being soft on terror, of not performing vengeance, the Munich style. For me it is the other way, Israel and Palestine needs to learn a lot from India.
One day, all this will change. Israel has to agree to a Palestine and so as Hamas and such terrorist organizations. They have to learn to live with each other and in peace. They cannot keep on invading, keep on killing themselves in order to wipe off every Palestinian or Israeli from the face of the earth. When that eventually happens, what would be left will be bloodied big open gashes, that will take longer time to heal. With such hatred in citizens’ minds, for generations to continue with such violent memories, it would be acerbic for the psychology of such nations. It will rear its ugly head one way or the other. That wrath you cannot escape easily and it will be a struggle to pacify the recurring nightmares. Hatred, my friends, is not easy.
Sources: BBC, Save the Children, Amnesty International.