THE six Palestinians killed in two separate operations in Nablus and Gaza was the highest toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in a single day since the Israeli onslaught on Gaza a year ago. A fact just as significant is that Saturday’s attacks came on the eve of the first anniversary of the Gaza siege, one of the deadliest Israeli offensives ever launched against Palestinians. A de facto cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has held since. But the conflict still exists, as are its fundamentals, meaning another blitz is only one serious incident away.
The weekend West Bank attack saw three members of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement shot by Israeli troops searching for the killer of a settler. But the troops entered Nablus homes without warning and killed all three men in cold blood — though none resisted arrest or opened fire.
A year earlier, almost to the day, Israel launched its crushing 22-day offensive that killed 1,500 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians including 252 children. In turn, 9 Israelis were killed by Palestinian fire.
We remember those horrific three weeks not only because of Saturday’s deaths but because Palestinian civilians in Gaza continue to suffer grievously. Israeli attacks did huge physical damage in Gaza to homes, businesses and the rest of the infrastructure. Israel has kept up its blockade, allowing in only the barest essentials. Enough food comes in to make sure people don’t starve. It has been impossible to repair war damage because Israel has let in only 41 truckloads of construction materials since January 2009.
The hardest hit in Gaza, then and now, has been the children. Save the Children warns that these little innocents are suffering from psychosocial disorders as their experiences of violence and loss during the conflict are compounded by the hardships of life under the blockade.
One year later, we are once again reminded of Israel’s twofold task: To be the occupier and the aggressor. This is doubly brutal for Palestinians, who must remain the victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Egyptian aid groups operating in Gaza accuse world powers of abandoning Gaza, of simply wringing their hands about what is happening. The same might hold true of Barack Obama. Obama was president-elect at the time of the massacre, but in retrospect, he would not have been able to stop Israel had he been president officially. Obama’s election raised some hopes of peace and American even-handedness. However, as elegant and inspiring as he is, he has not been able to face down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ehud Olmert launched the offensive but his successor could well do it all over again. Netanyahu has not mitigated his position that any Palestinian state would have to be without Jerusalem and effectively controlled by Israel. Likewise, he says no to the repatriation of the refugees and a return to the 1967 borders.
In between Obama’s weakness and Netanyahu’s adamancy stands Palestine President Abbas, befuddled and bewildered, unable to extract much of substance from either.
