Palestine/Israel - an Avoidable Massacre that's Gone too Far.

 

For many across the globe it has been an indescribable month since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. (especially Gazans) Israel’s response, however, has been nothing less than diabolical. Only last week, I visited a friend who asked for “updates” on the slaughter, and my response: in all my years as a human being, a citizen, a teacher of history, have I seen such violence against people in such a brief period. I cannot bring myself to go to my social media feeds because the atrocities committed by Israel, is not only against the rules of war, (Geneva Convention) but the international document on human rights. Israel is committing War Crimes, and western governments around the planet are letting them get away with it.  

Israel’s justification for their wartime atrocities against Gaza in Palestine, is, “Israel has a right to defend itself.” Indeed, any country has the right to defend itself, though Israel has occupied Palestine for 75 years; they are not defending itself but maintaining their power as the occupier. As the occupied country, under brutal rule for decades, according to international law, Palestine has the inalienable right to fight against their oppressors. Israel has spun it around, victim shaming, and like true sociopaths, blame the victim, (after beating their wife half to death,) “Look what you made me do!”  

What is most astounding to me is that the US government and their allies, refuse to recognize these war crimes. In fact, if one knows anything about the history of the occupation, Israel have been committing these crimes against the indigenous people for decades and getting away with it. 

Why?  

It is complicated, but once analyzing the situation, realize it is a combination of factors, including geopolitics, religious fanaticism, the politics of Zionism, that is a radical political movement started around 1890, that politized Judaism, hiding behind the religion to justify occupation, war, and the expansion of Israel. American Evangelist Christians hold a lot of power in DC. Many US government officials are of this Evangelical/eschatological persuasion (desiring Armageddon because they and only they will survive, rising to heaven.) Add AIPAC, the most powerful Israeli lobby group in Washington, financing these corrupt politicians to gain office, all morality goes out the window, and these creeps will say anything to keep Israel money flowing to their campaigns.  

The hypocrisy of the United States is quite astounding. After supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars to “defend” themselves against Russia, calling Putin a war criminal, now these same people are silent on the war crimes of Israel, not to mention their own war crime over the past twenty years.  

This entire conflict and those in power attempting to silence any support for Palestine, including the threat of jail time and fines, certainly reveals who these people in power really are about. They are becoming desperate. Public opinion is turning against them, and the world views these Iraeli actions since October 7, a bridge too far. Their propaganda is becoming more transparent.  

Iraeli actions against Gaza is nothing less than genocide.  

As ceasefire should have been called weeks ago. The US is talking from both sides of their mouth, while the carnage continues. The US could stop the carnage with simply a phone call, but they will not as the neocons in the US desire the war to spread into Iran – a World War. These people (neocons) have pushed, created, and pushed more war in the last twenty years so that even counting them is becoming difficult. Remember, all these wars ended in disaster, with only a few corporations benefiting from the spoils.  

All it will take is the international community, including those under the US “rules-based-order" doctrine, to cut the funds and weapons going to Israel. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening. We have watched and supported Israeli crimes against the Palestinians for 75 years, and nothing substantially has been done to stop the oppression.    

I will quote British philosopher Bertrand Russell; from a letter he wrote in 1963: 

 

No people anywhere in the world would 

accept being expelled en masse from their 

country; how can anyone require the people 

of Palestine to accept a punishment WHICH 

NOBODY else would tolerate?   

 

Similar but not unlike Ukraine/Russia conflict, thousands of deaths could have been saved at the beginning but was thwarted by the UK and US.  

The same applies to Gaza.