To Palestinians, Gaza is a symbol of resistance. To Israel, Gaza is a template to pummel and isolate that resistance.
On June 19, Israeli combat helicopters fired missiles into the camp, ostensibly as part of an arrest operation that ended up killing five Palestinians, including a 15-year-old girl named Sadeel Naghniyeh.
Then in early July, in the worst attack on the West Bank since 2002, the Israeli armed forces terrorised the inhabitants of Jenin for two days and killed at least 12 people, including children. The massive aerial and ground assault involved helicopter gunships, missiles, drones, armoured vehicles, bulldozers and more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers.
That is what happens, it seems, when Palestinians keep rebuilding – and keep existing. Indeed, Al Jazeera quoted 56-year-old camp resident Ahmed Abu Hweileh on the takeaway from the bloody escapade: “The message to the world and the occupation is that this camp will keep on going. They tried to destroy it and it came back up.”
Israel’s recent comportment in Jenin – and particularly the sudden use of air strikes in the West Bank for the first time in years – has invited comparisons to the Israeli modus operandi in the Gaza Strip, another location that has come to symbolise Palestinian resistance.
As if it’s been anything but that, ever in it’s existence? The PA is Gaza, Fatah is Gaza, Hamas is Fatah, there is no discernible difference between any Palestinian group whatsoever, as an identifiable discernable difference would mean one is more willing to work towards a lasting responsible peace with Israel than the other, and no Palestinian group, faction, camp, or town has ever honestly worked towards one, ever.
Play silly shell games for another 70 years, it’s cool, the Jews can wait. And defend themselves.
You say that as if it’s a bad thing, Jews in their own land, willing and able to defend themselves against the Arab colonizers, who could live in peace if they chose to, or you know, fuck off back to Arabia, which is their own land, at anytime, but choose not to.
Huh I wonder what would discourage them from working together with Israel. Must just be one of those things I guess.
Arabs are from Arabia, Jews are from Judea. Hope that helps. And if it doesn’t we really couldn’t give a shit, if it’s not one thing with you people, it’s another, we’re pretty used to it by now. And we aren’t going anywhere.
It’s impressive the level of ignorance in this post. Palestinians have put forth multiple peace proposals and the Israeli government has turned them down without any counter offer. Abbas offered to permanently give up Jerusalem and Right of Return in exchange for just a meeting with Netanyahu on peace talks and was turned down. Netanyahu does not WANT a credible peace partner, which is why he jails Palestinian politicians and undermines the moderates, so he can create a fait accompli.
