Getting Gaza Straight

http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2009/01/07/Forum/Guest.Column.Getting.Gaza.Straight-3582233.shtml

This is an article written by a Northwestern student in Chicago. I, also a Northwestern student, but in Qatar, decided to respond.

Article (Daniel Farahi):

I learned a great deal during my five months spent studying abroad in Israel. Whether it was making Israeli friends or eating authentic falafel in Israeli homes, my experience there gave me a real taste of life in the Middle East's only true democracy.

Few experiences, however, were more powerful than my visit to Sderot, an Israeli city that directly borders the Gaza strip. Since Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in 2005 in a gesture of peace, Israel has been bombarded with more than 6,300 terrorist-launched rockets and mortars. Their rockets can land anywhere and can be launched at any time. And you don't know where the rocket will strike until it hits.

The families I met in this small town spoke of the constant fears and anxiety that I, an American with friendly neighbors in Canada and Mexico, have never experienced. I saw pain in the eyes of every parent I met in Sderot. They build their days around their proximity to bomb shelters, making leaving home even for the shortest errand or playground visit a nearly impossible task. Why? Because in Sderot, you have 15 seconds. Fifteen seconds from the time the rocket warning system sounds to the moment that rocket hits the next home, school or playground. Fifteen seconds to gather your family and try to run to the nearest shelter, feeling helpless when you can't find a loved one in time. This is the painful reality for the nearly 500,000 residents of southern Israel. And with Hamas's newest technology, an estimated 900,000 Israelis are now in range of their rockets, according to the Jerusalem Post.

During an Egypt-brokered "cease-fire," Hamas periodically sent rockets into Israel and allegedly continued smuggling weapons into Gaza. The end of the cease-fire brought a declaration from an emboldened and Iran-supported Hamas that the rocket attacks would increase substantially. And unlike the cease-fire, this declaration was a promise Hamas kept. After days of deliberation and restraint, Israel was forced to retaliate and defend her citizens.

This is a defensive war-even Egypt condemned Hamas for offering Israel a reason to attack on a "silver platter"- but Israel has still gone to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, including treating injured Palestinian civilians in Israeli hospitals. As the Associated Press reported on Dec. 27, Israel even disseminated "Arabic-language cell phone messages...urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons." No civilian deaths should be celebrated. Israeli citizens (both Jewish and not) publicly condemn and mourn the deaths of Palestinian civilians-the same cannot be said for Hamas.

On the other hand, Hamas pursues a policy of using the Palestinian people as human shields, storing weapons caches and rockets in schools and mosques. It is the Hamas government that is at war with Israel, not the Palestinian civilians-yet Hamas puts the women and children of Gaza on the front lines of a war it started. Hamas' human-shield policy is directly responsible for a significant number of civilian Palestinian casualties.

While speaking with an Arab cab driver during my time in Israel he said, "It is the extremists on both sides who have killed the peace process, Hamas has hurt the Palestinians as much as the Israelis." Hamas puts hatred before peace, compromising its people, and forcing the Israelis to play their hand. No sovereign nation would stand by while its citizens were targeted, and Israel should not be expected to be the first.

Response (Omer Mohammad):

I am a student at Northwestern University in Qatar. I'm not sure how to respond to what you're saying, because you've actually seen what'd happening. But you are telling the story from the Israeli perspective.

You're saying that Sderot is hit hard by Gazan bombs all the time. They have fifteen seconds to respond to the alarm. Hamas' new technology is killing more Israelis that ever before. 900,000 potential victims. wow. Thats shocking.

But tell me this, in the past weeks (right before the attacks on Gaza began) how many Israelis were killed by the Hamas missiles? I read an early article that said 1. ONE Israeli was killed. In one day Israel killed 200 people in Gaza. What type of a ratio is that? 200:1. It's reached 700 now, and I'm very sure the Israeli death toll has not even broken 10.

Yes I agree that Hamas is wrong. But with that logic it is only right to say that Israel is too. You mentioned that Sderot has an alarm system right? Does Gaza? No. Hamas has this new "super" technology that will wreak havoc on 900,000 Israelis. Wow.

Where are these bombs made? In their homes! Where are the Israeli bombs made? In America!! Who has the upper hand? Pssh! no question! Gaza!! Hamas!! of course!! Homemade bombs are totally better!!

This is your logic.

Another point, you're use of the word Hamas makes it seem like they are some sort of hardcore militia. They're not! They know a bit about explosives, whatever they could find, but other than that they are as normal as you and me. Of course at some level, there are highly trained people in Hamas, but the people firing these rockets are not highly trained soldiers. On the other side of the border though, its a different story. Israel uses very highly trained soldiers in battle. Firing rockets, in their tanks, on the ground. These men are so disciplined in face that they forced paramedics to get out of their ambulance, walk 2km to a damaged building to rescue men, and walk 2km back to the ambulance to give them aid. Wow. Now THAT is hardcore!

But of course, Hamas is the bad guy.

Israel is merely defending itself right? right... Gaza is starving, thats defense. a weeks worth of bombs, followed by a ground assault, defense. children scattered on the ground, defense. Whats the limit of defense? When does defense turn into offense?

Now I can guess what you will say, its all Hamas' fault. ok, yes it is. But you also have to consider that Israel got themselves into this mess. This town Sderot is on land that used to belong to Palestine! You act like Israelis are such heroes, but you fail to consider all of the facts in the situation.

Now I'll be the last person to defend Hamas. I'm an advocate for humanity, no matter who it is. But saying that Israel is right to be attacking Gaza in this way is heinous!

There has been an 18 month blockade on Gaza, which continues to this day! Don't act like Gaza is an oppressor. There was a ceasefire that ended recently. Hamas stuck to the rules of that ceasefire, whether you want to admit it or not. Hamas might have launched a few bombs after the ceasefire ended, but Israel attacked first. Launching bombs and attacking are two very different things.

When you have the means (f-16's and guided missiles) thats an attack. When you have homemade bombs, thats nothing. Its like David vs. Goliath, and David doesn't have his slingshot.

So you say that you saw fear in the eyes of the citizens of Sderot, well atleast they have that privilege. Gaza is being bombed. The citizens have no time to be scared, they have no time to find courage. They have no time.