Jan 11 2009
Diplomacy – Will It Work To Stop The Violence In Gaza
Israel dropped bombs and leaflets on Gaza on Saturday, pounding suspected rocket sites and tunnels used by Hamas militant and warning of a wider offensive despite frantic diplomacy to end the madness. While thousands in Europe and Lebanon protest Gaza violence and a senior Vatican cardinal compared Gaza under Israel’s military offensive to a concentration camp.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the cardinal adopted the kind of language that Hamas and other Islamic militant groups have used to demonize Israel and equate it with Nazi Germany. The whole world is committing on and criticizing Israel for the violence it has been consistently perpetrating on Gaza for the past two weeks yet, Israel has not understood the words so wrapped up and justified in the assumption that they are right in their efforts to stop Hamas from sending, for the most part, ineffective missiles into their land.
Cardinal Martino has said that both sides were concerned only with their own interests and quite frankly and sadly this is true. This attitude is causing Palestinians their lives and diplomacy if not being effective. This situation has been allowed to go on for too long and now the participants are blinded by the rage that both groups carry and I’m wondering just how this is going to turn out, how many lives will be lost.
Cardinal Martino also acknowledges that the consequences if this selfishness is hatred, poverty and injustice.
Meanwhile, Egypt hosted talks aimed at defusing the crisis but the momentum of the war created a blood day in which more than 30 Palestinians, many of them noncombatants, were killed, according to Gaza medics, while Hamas fighters, still able to launch missiles, sent 15 missiles at southern Israel, injuring three Israelis in the city of Ashkelon according to Israeli military.
Israel has said the Security Council resolution passed Thursday was unworkable and Hamas was angry that it was not consulted regarding this resolution. Israeli defense officials say they are prepared for a third stage of their offensive which will lead the ground troops further into Gaza but are waiting for approval from the government.
A Palestinian witness says that Israeli forces fired phosphorus shells at a village near the border setting a row of houses on fire, while a hospital official has said a woman was killed and more than 100 injured, most suffering from gas inhalation and burns however, Israeli military spokesman Captain Spigelman categorically denies these claims.
Few are more exposed to the carnage of Israel’s attack than Gaza’s medics. Many have lost friends and family, but the overwhelming workload leaves little time to process what they’ve seen although, awaiting coordination with Israel often delays access to the injured.
One volunteer medic, Shawki Saleh, who is 24 years old describes the scene by say that “Disgusting is not the word. If it’s not a dog, it is rats around the bodies lying in the streets uncollected. Who know how many people are still under the rubble. We are carrying them out screaming.” These volunteers are risking their lives to do what they can but they are taking Israeli tank fire that showered a driver with glass.
How long will the madness last? One medic has said the hardest thing to handle is not seeing the dead but rescuing the wounded, some of whom have horrific injuries like missing limbs that have them screaming for help.
What a tragic situation.
And that’s the way I see it!!!
