Tragedy of Gaza will fuel hatred
12/01/2009
BY LES HORTON
Whatever side of the fence you may stand on, surely no
one can deny that what is happening in Gaza is an
unacceptable human tragedy.
As usual it is civilians who are bearing the brunt of
the Israeli onslaught, with even children being killed
or maimed as the assault continues.
No rocket is "smart' enough to distinguish between
fighter or civilian, adult or child and the targets
Israel claims it is aiming for are in amongst areas
where ordinary people work or live and children play.
This is not the time now to argue about who is to blame,
in this latest chapter in a story of conflict stretching
back to more than 50 years, when the international
community created Israel on land stolen from the
Palestinians.
What is needed now is a halt to the aggression, with
food and medicines being allowed through to help a
community already living in misery under months of
physical and economic siege.
Bahrain has joined the international community in
sending aid, but perhaps it could go further by bringing
here for treatment some of the injured children, as it
did for the children of Iraq.
Tokens of solidarity may lift the morale, but they are
of little real value when shells are blowing apart homes
and the people sheltering inside them.
The Palestinians are not going to get military aid. The
Arab world will not go to war against Israel and,
indirectly, its chief ally, the US.
There will be the usual lip service, a round of
emergency summits and the regurgitation of the same old
statements demanding peace and the restoration of the
Palestinians' homeland.
The Arab world will not send what the Palestinians need
most, such as weapons or troops to keep Israel in check
- so the best we can do is to help clean up the mess
after the fact.
But the money that will no doubt be sent to help rebuild
the shattered buildings will not heal the physical or
mental wounds, it will not bring children back from the
grave or restore severed limbs.
This latest carnage will end only when Israel feels it
has crippled Hamas - and a nation along with it.
But amongst those left to grieve will be tomorrow's
fighters, their hearts hardened by what they have seen
and suffered - and the cycle of violence will continue.
lhorton@gdn.com.bh
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