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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Report From The Middle East: Gaza Under Attack; 133 Killed
Thursday 04 November @ 08:56:18 |
 Palestinians, Israeli peace activists protest escalating conflict
by Flo Razowsky, Mohannad Ghawanmeh and Tracy Molm
From Sept. 29 until Oct. 15 of this year, the Israeli military carried out its most deadly operation since “Operation Defensive,” which included the Siege of the Church of Nativity and killed more than 125.
This most recent military offensive, dubbed “Operation Penitence,” took place mainly in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, within the Gaza Strip. In the first 17 days of this operation, the Israeli military killed at least 133 Palestinians, with at least 50 of the casualties being civilians, and 26 being under the age of 18.
Among the victims was a 13-year-old girl whose body had been riddled by over 20 bullets fired at her while she was on her way to school — at least
five had hit her in the head. The number of Palestinians wounded is said to
be no less than 432, 139 of which are children, while according to the Israeli
human rights organization B’tselem, the Israeli military has had one fatality.
More than 150 homes have been severely damaged and 85 completely demolished,
leaving thousands homeless.
Israel justifies these actions as a response to Palestinians firing one qassam
rocket into the Israeli town (settlement) of Sderot, killing two children. According
to sources in the Gaza strip, however, these rockets were not fired until several
hours after the first Israeli tank had entered the Jabalia refugee camp. They
also said that for several weeks leading up to this incursion, the people of
the northern region of the Gaza strip had watched as an estimated 2,000 fresh
troops and 100 new tanks and bulldozers rolled into Gaza.
 These
troops had arrived as an addition to the already stationed Israeli military
in Gaza which is supposed to be a Palestinian run/operated territory.
Alongside the devastation of death and destruction caused by “Operation
Penitence,” residents of Jabalia have been without food and water for
days, 610 dunums (approximately equal to 152.5 acres) of farmland have been
leveled, and police and security posts, schools, mosques and kindergartens have
been destroyed or severely damaged.
Despite these human rights travesties, the International Red Cross and all other
humanitarian aid workers have been denied permission to enter the area in order
to administer food, water and medical services, which has only served to perpetuate
the already horrendous situation.
Unlike the much less deadly Israeli military operation in Rafah during May 2004,
called “Operation Rainbow,” in which 40 people were killed, there
is virtually no international outcry against “Operation Penitence.”
The U.S. State Department has, after its usual statements that “Israel
has the right to defend itself,” urged Israel to keep its response proportional,
although this comes at a time when hundreds of people have been wounded and
killed in a 17-day period that is a supposed response to a rocket that killed
two.
The United States later vetoed a U.N. resolution that had majority support and
would have condemned Israel’s devastating attack on the Palestinian people.
In the United States’ mainstream news sources, any and all information
that alluded to these most recent travesties in the Jabalia refugee camp has
failed to present the full case of this massacre. It is important to recognize
that both presidential candidates gave their unconditional support to the military
actions of the Israeli government.
It is also imperative to remember that those of us who pay taxes bear the responsibility
for military actions such as “Operation Penitence.” The United States
forwards around $3 billion each year in aid to Israel; this aid carries no restrictions
other than the Israeli government’s discretion. Undeniably, our money
funds Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine!
Let us not forget that it is our tax money that paid for the bullets that went
through 60-year-old Amnah Al Najfar’s head as she stood in her own home
in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Because massacres like “Operation Penitence” will not end
without public pressure, it is imperative that you call your Congress people.
They may be reached through the Washington switchboard at 1-202-225-3121; Sen.
Mark Dayton 1-888-224-9043; Sen. Norm Coleman 651-645-0323; Rep. Martin Olav
Sabo 612-664-8000 and Rep. Betty McCollum 651-224-9191. ||
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