Why I Object to Israel’s Military Campaign

[pbel]

The reason for 65 years of conflict is obvious: Israel intends to choke and expel all Palestinians from Eretz Israel... Peace will never be on the table until then...


Why I object to Israel?s military campaign in Gaza: Israel turned the occupied territories into a prison.

Why I Object to Israel’s Military Campaign

Even as Hamas fires missiles at my city.

By Noam Sheizaf

Palestine 3.
Palestinians look at the damage following an Israeli air strike on July 14, 2014, in Gaza City.

Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images


This article originally appeared in +972.


Even today, when rockets are exploding above the city I love most in the world, even when we rush into our apartment building’s stairwell and march downstairs along with the neighbors to the bicycle room that has been turned into a makeshift bomb shelter. Even now, I oppose this military operation wholeheartedly. The sight of the Israeli air force’s attack helicopters crossing the sky, going south along the Tel Aviv coastline does not fill me with pride or gratitude—it horrifies and depresses me.


Even after operations such as Defensive Shield, Summer Rains, Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense, and the Second Lebanon War, I still cannot get used to the unshakable consensus that takes hold of the Israeli public. I would still like to believe that this whole thing is a misunderstanding, and that if my own people would only give some more thought to the reality in the occupied territories, they would change their minds overnight. I want to believe that they don’t fully grasp the nature of the occupation, which is why they are so enraged by whatever the Palestinians do. This mindset leads to yet another violent Israeli response, which only paves the way for the next escalation. I do not know if this line of thinking is more naïve or more patronizing on my part, but what other explanations are there?






I keep running into Israelis who don’t know, for example, that we still control Allenby Bridge (which connects the West Bank to Jordan), and with it each entrance and exit of every Palestinian into the West Bank; or they don’t know that the Israeli Defense Force still operates in Area A, supposedly under the full control of the Palestinian Authority; or that there is no 3G network in the West Bank because Israel doesn’t permit the Palestinian cellular providers to use the necessary frequencies; or that we imprison hundreds of Palestinians without trial for months and years; or any other factual, undeniable aspect of the occupation. If all this is unknown, then perhaps this is all just a big misunderstanding.

 

[MHunterB]

HAMAS has committed continuing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

And HAMAS refused the cease-fire which had been 'suggested' by the Arab League..... as long as HAMAS continues to put over half the Israeli population in grave danger, the IDF will act to reduce HAMAS' ability to harm Israeli citizens AND Palestinians.

HAMAS claims that Gaza is NOT occupied. They're there: you're not. You believe everything else they say, why not that?

 

[Indeependent]

Very embarrassing...Jewish accountants beating the shit out of Arabs.

 

[aris2chat]

The reason for 65 years of conflict is obvious: Israel intends to choke and expel all Palestinians from Eretz Israel... Peace will never be on the table until then...


Why I object to Israel?s military campaign in Gaza: Israel turned the occupied territories into a prison.

Why I Object to Israel’s Military Campaign

Even as Hamas fires missiles at my city.

By Noam Sheizaf

Palestine 3.
Palestinians look at the damage following an Israeli air strike on July 14, 2014, in Gaza City.

Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images


This article originally appeared in +972.


Even today, when rockets are exploding above the city I love most in the world, even when we rush into our apartment building’s stairwell and march downstairs along with the neighbors to the bicycle room that has been turned into a makeshift bomb shelter. Even now, I oppose this military operation wholeheartedly. The sight of the Israeli air force’s attack helicopters crossing the sky, going south along the Tel Aviv coastline does not fill me with pride or gratitude—it horrifies and depresses me.


Even after operations such as Defensive Shield, Summer Rains, Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense, and the Second Lebanon War, I still cannot get used to the unshakable consensus that takes hold of the Israeli public. I would still like to believe that this whole thing is a misunderstanding, and that if my own people would only give some more thought to the reality in the occupied territories, they would change their minds overnight. I want to believe that they don’t fully grasp the nature of the occupation, which is why they are so enraged by whatever the Palestinians do. This mindset leads to yet another violent Israeli response, which only paves the way for the next escalation. I do not know if this line of thinking is more naïve or more patronizing on my part, but what other explanations are there?






I keep running into Israelis who don’t know, for example, that we still control Allenby Bridge (which connects the West Bank to Jordan), and with it each entrance and exit of every Palestinian into the West Bank; or they don’t know that the Israeli Defense Force still operates in Area A, supposedly under the full control of the Palestinian Authority; or that there is no 3G network in the West Bank because Israel doesn’t permit the Palestinian cellular providers to use the necessary frequencies; or that we imprison hundreds of Palestinians without trial for months and years; or any other factual, undeniable aspect of the occupation. If all this is unknown, then perhaps this is all just a big misunderstanding.

Jordan does not want palestinians to control the bridge crossing or the valley. That has been made very clear on numerous occasions.

Abdullah may have been a child at the time and family might have believed themselves the king of palestine (trans-jordan) but Black September has left deep scars.