Advocating Constitutional Democracy in Libya

January 30, 2009

Re: Gaza’s suffering

Dear Sir/Madam:

Although Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005, it maintained a crippling blockade of Gaza since 2007.  Airspace, land crossings, and sea outlets were tightly controlled by Israel, preventing trade and commerce with Gaza; its population of 1.4 million inhabitants became virtual prisoners in an ever-shrinking space for movements.  Such a blockade and siege, as well as a 40-year brutal occupation had disastrous effects on life in Gaza. 

Although there are seven land passages in and out of Gaza, six of them were tightly controlled by Israel, and the seventh outlet was tightly controlled by Egypt in compliance with orders from the US and Israel.  Foods and medicines and other necessities were prevented from reaching the impoverished population, forcing them to dig tunnels to smuggle their basic needs across the Gaza-Egypt border.  Now the Americans, aided by Europeans want to shut those tunnels to add to the misery of those trapped in Gaza. 

The blockade and siege of Gaza are illegal acts of war, and are in violations of the Geneva Conventions.   As if the blockade and siege were not sufficient, Israel had sent assassins to murder activists opposed to its occupation, and continued its bombardment of the Gaza strip by land, sea and air.  The options left for those besieged were either to wait silently and perish or to resist; while the Palestinians endured extreme hardships, public opinion remained oblivious to their ongoing suffering.  To break the deadly silence, and the international community indifference, Hamas fired a few home-made rockets that rarely caused any loss of life or material damage. However, the firing of those rockets drew immediate condemnation of Western powers; and signaled to Israel that the ground has been prepared to unleash its military attack, which had been prepared at least six months earlier.

On December 27, 2008 Israel embarked on a devastating attack lasting 22 days and resulting in over 1330 civilian deaths, most of them are children, women and elderly; and over 5500 injured, mostly civilians; and destroying Gaza’s modest infrastructure which had supported the entire population.  Israel used US-made F16s, white phosphorous bombs, and rockets tipped with depleted uranium for maximum impact.  According to Israeli numbers, one million Kilograms of high explosives were used, and 2500 air raids concluded, many of those explosives were forbidden under Geneva conventions.  Israeli losses were 3 civilians and 10 soldiers killed. Western condemnations of this latest war ring hollow as their statements do not consider the disproportionate loss of lives on both sides; however, such hypocritical stances have typified European responses to Palestinian-Israeli concerns.  For example, one frequently hears concerns for Israeli prisoner Gilad Shalit, yet never hears of the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.  One senses lack of fairness and outright racism.

Although the Palestinians have endured Israeli brutalities for over 60 years, the Gaza invasion and Palestinian resistance have proven the courage and resilience of Palestinians; and the short sighted policies of Israel’s reliance on military might to resolve political issues.  Now is the time for the international community to ensure fairness in dealing with the Palestinians, and to convince Israel that it is expected to abandon its long-held view of disposing of the Palestinians, and to end its occupation and degrading treatment of them.

Sincerely,

Mohamed M. Bugaighis, Ph.D.

American Libyan Freedom Alliance ( ALFA)

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