Further Bloodshed In Gaza

BBC reported today on further air strikes in Gaza. Israel claims these are in response to recent rocket attacks by Hamas. These air strikes come nearly two weeks after Israel's raid of two Palestinian private TV stations in the West Bank, in a deliberate attempt at censorship of regional events.

I am highly critical of Israel's role in this whole situation. It's policies hardly have a humanitarian overtone, have succeeded in exacerbating an already bad situation in the West Bank and Gaza, and have cemented a deep hatred within the Palestinian people. It's not rocket science to see that if you oppress and kill people of a certain ethnic group enough, they will develop hatred toward you, and that hatred will be deeper routed in further generations, and as the road to peace becomes more narrow and rocky, outright genocidal feelings will develop. This is plainly obvious to see when you read Arab opinions on Israel. A number of the governments reject the Israeli state, and have attempted to crush it in the past. Those days of Arab supremacy are, however, in the past. Modern day Israel possesses a very powerful and highly experienced military, totally backed by it's ally, the United States. It also possesses the only nuclear arsenal in the Middle East. At this point in time the actual threat to Israel is very minimal, contrary to the over exaggerated victim it seeks to portray itself as.

However, the home made threat to the Israeli nation is growing. This threat lies in Islamic Fundamentalism, which is a growing cause in the Middle East. Places like the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon are perfect culture dishes for which Islamic Fundamentalist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah can grow and expand. The desperate conditions in these places, created by and maintained by constant violence and economic suppression, leaves the people no choice but to look to these organizations. Hezbollah runs a large social development program, which includes hospitals, education, and economic support programs. It's clear that popular support for them will continue to grow as these programs increase the quality of life in Lebanon, something Israeli bombs fail to do. As they become a larger part of Lebanese politics, inevitably so will their hard line Islamic values. This will further galvanize the divide between the Arab and Israeli people.

My view is that Israel has to back down. It must demolish the barrier fences around the West Bank and Gaza, stop and demolish it's settlement program, withdraw behind the Green Line, stop the blockade of Gaza, recognize the right to dual religious worship within Jerusalem, and support humanitarian programs within these areas. This can all be done in relative security to Israel. It's powerful military can easily repel invasions and counter insurgency action within it's borders, and the new Iron Dome system, when further expanded, will provide security from potential rocket attacks from outside it's border. Only then will a road to peace come back into sight, and the idea of reducing Islamic terrorism be taken seriously.