OPINION
Dr. Hikmat Ajjuri
Israel, over the past 47 years, had brutalized the Palestinians under its occupation and denied them freedom and dignity in their own homeland. In Gaza, for the past 8 years, Israel imposed an inhumane blockade. This blockade is equated to collective punishment and accordingly a war crime. In a blatant act of piracy, Israel never stops using force to prevent the International aid by sea, from reaching the imprisoned people in Gaza. Approximately, 1500 lives were lost as a direct effect of this inhumane siege on Gaza.
Meanwhile, thousands of innocent lives have also been lost and injured during those years as a direct effect of the Israeli malicious offensives, it has launched against Gaza, since 2006. These unjustified brutal offensives and the inhumane blockade made Gaza, the biggest open prison in the world an abattoir as well. Ironically, Israel waged all these offensives in the name of alleged self-defense. In fact, they were meant to serve a shortsighted political glory and also aim to restoring the reputation of the invincibility of the Israeli army which was damaged during the Israeli war against Hezbollah, in Lebanon, in the summer of 2006.
Operation Cast Lead preceded the last Israeli elections of Feb 2009 by one month, and Operation Pillar of Defense that was launched on November 2012 preceded the January elections. Of course this relevance is never a coincidence as it became clear that Israel thrives on external threat which is the only bond that keeps the Israeli super multi-cultural society intact.
On record all these military offensives by Israel started by provoking Palestinian reactions in order to justify an alleged Israeli self-defense aggression. In Israel, only Hawks are elected and doves remain in their nests.
In fact the approach of provoking others is a legacy of the founder of Israel who says “we have to learn how to provoke the Arabs into provoking us”.
The aggression “protective Edge” on the 7th of July 14 is another planned aggression in order to destroy the newly emerged unity Palestinian government. Its formation proves Israel wrong that the Palestinians are split and have no official representatives.
However, it looks as if angry individuals did the disappearance and the killing of the three Israeli settlers. Yet Hamas was used as a pretext for Israel to kill arrest and torture Palestinians at large as a means to provoke a Palestinian factional violent reaction. Israel in its alleged self-defense has blatantly breached the international humanitarian law, which is made to protect civilians and their infrastructure during the war.
The whole world once again surrenders to the Israeli narrative. I welcome the Egyptian initiative on the 26th of August to stop this Israeli aggression, which in 50 days caused the death of 2200 Palestinians, and seriously injured 12000, of them 90% civilians including children and babies. Yet I find it quite shameful to talk about a cease-fire as if the war in Gaza is between two equivalent powers and not between occupying power (Israel) and occupied people. This wrong perception makes me feel that the Israeli Palestinian conflict belongs to another planet and aliens law. The Israeli narrative needs to be read in its middle-eastern context.
Palestine and after 67 years has on Nov 2012 finally been issued with its birth certificate by the mother of nations (UN). The state of Palestine side by side with the state of Israel is the only internationally recognized solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It is the moral duty of the International community to observe its laws and resolutions by exerting all possible pressures on Israel to end its occupation of the state of Palestine.
Mindful, of the fact that the acceptance of Israel as a member of the UN was conditioned by its recognition of the full implementation of the partition plan (resoultion181) calling for the establishment of the two states Israel and Palestine in historic Palestine. It is now the right time for the friends of Israel, to act for the sake of peace by calling on Israel to end its illegal military occupation of the state of Palestine as a civilized means to ensure a secure and peaceful life for the future Jewish, Christian and Muslim generations in holy land and the rest of the region.
Ambassador of Palestine
Article first appeared on 30.08.2014, Expresso