The Dilemma of the Gaza Strip
Despite the attestation by the authors of “Who Is a Civilian” that the onus for the dilemma in the Gaza Strip falls squarely on the shoulders of Israel, please consider the following reflections.
To begin, what type of organization representing the interests of the Palestinians and in pursuit of justice for perceived wrongs, would torture and decapitate human beings, especially the very young? Such acts are barbaric and generally not utilized in our contemporary world when an entity takes a captive.
In reference to Arabic/Israeli relationships, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once opined: “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” Recently, underground tunnels were discovered in a Gaza Strip hospital. Hamas has set up headquarters in that facility, effectively relegating their people to the status of “human shields.” In addition, how was Israel supposed to respond to the October 7 Hamas attacks on its people?
Since early Biblical times, Jews have occupied the territory known as “Israel,” even after the forced diaspora of first-century CE. There have always been a significant remnant of Jews inhabiting this area. After centuries of persecution culminating with the Holocaust and after which no other nation in the world would offer them a safe harbor, the need to fully reclaim this land became vital if Jews were to continue to survive. This tiny parcel of land, no larger than the state of Rhode Island, was purchased by Jews from the local Arabic communities and “absentee” Ottoman landlords. despite claims that it was seized or taken from them.
In 1947, the United Nations convened after a series of meetings with both the Arabic and Israeli factions and agreed upon allowing the partition of the two entities into two separate states. The Jews agreed to implement this proposal, the Arabs did not. They wanted the whole of Israel and would not compromise. Sadly, let us keep in mind that Hamas’ intention is to obliterate Jews worldwide. Enough said?