Of course: the firing must stop. Israeli artillery, warplanes, gunboats and drones, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in recent weeks, has to silence. The not very precise Hamas rockets, which mainly spurred fear and radicalization among Israeli civilians, need to stop. Peace must be given a chance. No sensible person could object to that.
When the cease-fire, however, is only a pause in the fighting, it’s hardly good news. Real peace can not be provisional. Mowing the grass, as some Israeli cynics call the wars to disarm Palestinian activists that killed hundreds of innocent civilians in those repeated “anti-terrorist” operations in recent weeks. Statistically one Palestinian child per hour, is regrettable but, according to the same Israeli-cynics ultimately not their fault but that of Hamas and related groups. In the Israeli version of the conflict there is no mention of the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel and the lack of a peace settlement. No mention is made of Israeli politics that led to an almost complete isolation of Gaza, which is totally degenerated, impoverished and yes, radicalized.
The deterioration of the economic situation in Gaza is artificial, imposed by the Israeli and Egyptian blockade. It is almost impossible for Gazans to travel to Israel, the West Bank or elsewhere and export products from Gaza is practically impossible. Fishermen may fish only a few miles from the coast, and on some days not at all. The small coastal strip (not much bigger than Schiermonnikoog) is actually beeing suffocated.
The figures from the violence of recent days are terrible: 570 dead, 3700 wounded and 1000 destroyed houses and buildings. But there are other alarming statistics: almost 60% of young people in the age between 15 and 29 are unemployed. The overall unemployment rate stands at 40%. Eight out of ten Gazans are dependent on humanitarian aid for survival.
To prevent violence in the future a political solution is needed. The blockade of Gaza is inhumane and ultimately only contributes to the cycle of violence and radicalization. The occupation and continuous control of the Palestinian territories by Israel is untenable. There will be difficult choices to be made by Israel: cessation of settlement policy, refugees should have their rights, release of political prisoners and the country (including Jerusalem) divided between two nations.
A violent manner “mow the grass” is ultimately a futile activity. After all, the grass grows irrevocably again, as the Palestinian resistance against injustice and inhumanity will always flare up.
Again in Groningen, as in the rest of the world, we are stunned by the unbridled violence in Gaza and Israel. Because of the special bond between the municipality of Groningen and Jabalya in northern Gaza, some people in Groningen are more involved. We are fairly powerless, though we can give money for emergency medical care in Gaza. And we can loudly call for peace: let the guns be silent and let there finally be an end to oppression and occupation.
