“Post Mortem” on the Israeli Elections

The Israeli Electorate spoke and the results are most disappointing. They did not give any party an absolute majority as predicted. However, a trend can be observed and this trend is a very dangerous one. It is a threat for any form of compromise towards peace.

The trend is towards the right wing and an increase of anti-Arab hate in the guise of the fascist Yisrael Beitenu Party which holds the balance of power in coalition wheeling and dealing. The handwriting is on the wall and the peace that we need so much has receded into the mists. No matter who forms the coalition whether Benjamin Netanyahu or Tzipi Livne whose party won the most votes will be unable to form a coalition without Yisrael Beitenu. The various wheeling and dealing for coalition formation is about to begin and no matter how one views it, it is a disaster for peace and future coexistence with our Palestinian neighbours and the neighbouring Arab World.

The left wing Zionist Parties has been trounced. Labour can barely be called left wing these days as its ideology of social democracy has lost its way as it moves more towards the centre. They cannot bear the idea of being in the opposition and return to its original platform of socialism and workers’ rights not to mention equality of the various population groups living in Israel. It had even tried to dance tango with the right in adopting an expedient attitude towards the enlargement of settlements in the occupied West Bank. Meretz, the left of centre party had a very fuzzy message and their campaign was not convincing. It is not the party of Shulamit Aloni or Yossi Sarid. The party lost its direction.

What has happened in these elections is that the so-called Zionist left has lost its direction. Zionism is now the monopoly of the right wing camp. According to Gideon Levy of Haaretz, Zionism is “an archaic and outdated concept born in a different reality, a vague and delusive concept marking the difference between the permitted and the proscribed. Does Zionism mean settlement in the territories? Occupation? The legitimization of every act of violence and injustice? The left stammered. Any statement critical of Zionism, even the Zionism of the occupation, was considered a taboo that the left did not dare break. The right grabbed a monopoly on Zionism, leaving the left with its self-righteousness.” This includes the settler movements in the occupied territories. We all remember the infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution of November 1975 and the late Israeli ambassador to the UN Chaim Herzog’s reply. However, the results of these elections have given credence to the “Zionism is racism” resolution. It would not be surprising if a resolution stating that “Zionism is racism” will be reconsidered in the General Assembly of the UN for debate. If not, it will certainly come up for discussion in the Durban 2 anti-racism conference to be held later this year. Avigdor Lieberman-style Zionism with its racist approach is sufficient to redefine the Zionism of Israel today. Lieberman’s Beitenu Party holds the key to coalition building. It would not be surprising if the spineless Labour Party will be in the new coalition sitting next to Lieberman against their better judgment maybe.

Left wing Zionism is undergoing rigor mortis. Eventually there will hardly be any vestiges left of the tolerant, humane Zionism of the past. The moment a political party loses its ideology and its message is not clear, it will not attract votes. This is what occurred to both the Labour and Meretz parties. The people seek a clear message and this was provided by the right wing Likud and its allies as well as Kadima. The people voted for these two blocs and abandoned the left wing parties. The Likud and its occupation policies won the day and it seems that Benjamin Netanyahu has a better chance of becoming Israel’s prime minister.

The only left wing party that did gain was Hadash – the non-Zionist Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. It is the only party that stands by its ideals. Many disgruntled left wing voters decided to support it this time round. Today it holds four seats in the Knesset. They gained an extra seat.

Now, it is curtains down for left-of-centre Zionism. Maybe it will be the end of moderate Zionism only to be replaced with the occupation Zionism of the right and the racist overtones of Avigdor Lieberman and his ilk. Naturally the right wing religious parties will find a way to adapt themselves to accept Lieberman in a Likud led coalition which will arise under Benjamin Netanyahu. This is an ill omen for the future.

The Israeli General Elections in the Aftermath of the Gaza Tragedy

The war against Hamas in Gaza has come and gone. The damage done to Gaza was horrendous, especially the loss of innocent lives and immense suffering of the Palestinian population. Hamas still appears to have its honour intact and there is still sporadic firing of Qassam rockets into Israel despite the declared cease-fire brokered by Egypt. This means that despite the outcome of the war, Hamas remains as adamant and determined as ever not to reach any agreement with Israel or recognize Israel’s right to exist. This will influence the Israeli voting patterns very strongly.

The Israeli General Elections are in the offing and it is very difficult to show any enthusiasm for it. The atmosphere is far from that of the US Election where there was some hope for a new deal for the American people. A fleeting optimism was released when Obama was elected as president of the US. Here in Israel, there is none of that optimism. It will be more of the same and probably even worse for peace.

A very clear trend amongst the Israeli electorate has emerged since the end of this war. It is an almost foregone conclusion that the Likud and the right wing parties will win the elections and the next Prime Minister will be Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli public will swing to the right and racial overtones will be very much of the right wing campaign for votes. Avigdor Lieberman, a Russian immigrant from Moldavia, will become a very important factor. His ideology is similar to the defunct racist Kach Party. His Yisrael Beteinu Party, which is racist and anti-Arab, is embarking on a campaign of citizenship for Israeli Arabs based on their loyalty to the state. This is abominable! What criteria will be adopted to assess Israeli Arab loyalty to Israel? How will this be put into practice? Does he expect Arab citizens of Israel to be Zionists and if not, agree to transfer out of Israel? Lieberman was instrumental in trying to ban the Arab Parties Ra’am –Ta’al and Balad from taking part in the upcoming elections. He even managed to get Labour and Kadima to support preventing these parties from participating in the elections. Fortunately, the High Court overturned the Lieberman-run electoral committee’s decision and these parties will be participating.

The elections this year are very lack luster with a plethora of has-beens such as Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu attempting re-election as Prime Minister. There is also Tzippi Livni also having a go for that position. All in all the choice is not great. A vote for the Likud-Labour-Kadima triumvirate is not going to bring peace any closer to this region. After all, there is not much difference between these three parties. In any case, Yisrael Beiteinu will also be a part of this new government which will give its citizens pretty much of the same.

The voter who happens to be left has a real problem in deciding for whom to vote. Meretz is not the Meretz of the stalwarts such as Shulamit Aloni and Yossi Sarid. It is a rather watered-down version of what it once was. The fact that Meretz supported the war effort in the beginning, despite the terrible loss of innocent lives, has driven many potential voters on the left away. The Arab Parties are no less one-issue than the extremist right wing Zionist parties are.

It is as if both the extreme right wing of Israel and Hamas has a common language in assuring that peace will never occur. Both sides are against a two state solution and both sides survive on unrest and hatred. It seems as if Hamas would like to see an extreme right wing government in Israel. This is obvious from the cease-fire violations that they have committed. Every missile fired into Israel will garner more votes for Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu Party. This will give Hamas legitimacy by proving that Israel does not want peace. This tactic will work in Lieberman’s favour.

The choice available to the Israeli voter is large because of the number of small parties participating, but the issues that are so important have not been addressed. Issues such as peace with the Palestinians, economic issues, education and so on have not been addressed by the main parties. Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party behave as if they have won the election. Netanyahu who always seems to have plenty to say at election time has remained silent. When he does open his mouth he utters some banality.

The religious parties such as Shas and Torah Judaism will wait for the juicy pickings from the winning party in order to feather their own religious nests. They will do almost anything to become part of the coalition after the elections. They need the tax payers’ money to maintain their religious institutions of bigotry. The easiest way they can achieve this is to extort whichever government comes into power after the elections. This scenario takes place every time once the elections are over and the results are finalized.

The voter’s choice in this lack-luster election is poor. The left wing has been shattered by Hamas violence that resulted in the Gaza War. Even on the left, there are those who supported the war and only after the injuries and deaths of innocent Palestinians became known, they did an about turn and ceased to support the war.

Israel maintains that Hamas used the Palestinians as human shields and this caused the loss of lives of many innocent Palestinians. Weapons had been hidden in the homes of many Palestinians who had been coerced under the pain of death to shelter Hamas militants and their armaments. Whether this is true has to be verified. Israel is also not truthful in its assessments of the situation and the total secrecy that it had declared on any information coming out of Gaza. Under these conditions it is very difficult to assess the entire truth of the Gaza operation.

The “disproportionate reaction” of Israel against the Palestinians and not only against Hamas is there for all to see. One cannot help not being outraged by the total destruction of many homes and towns in Gaza. The aimless wonderings of victims of IDF retaliation looking for their possessions and families buried in the rubble is heart rending.

Israel’s reaction to the rockets fired into Israel by Hamas militants over the last 8 years is understandable. The heavy loss of innocent Palestinian lives is not justifiable.

While Hamas does not show any signs of wishing to negotiate with Israel or recognizing Israel’s rights to exist makes it very difficult if not impossible to reach an agreement with them. Despite this, one must also remember that Israel is an expert at double talk. On the one hand Israel claims that it has no desire to rule over another people while in practice, settlements on the West Bank are being expanded and new settlements are even being built. This surely results in the displacement of Palestinians and the encroachment of Jewish settlers into their agricultural lands. This also results in another nail being hammered into the coffin of the two-state solution. Even the Labour Party under Ehud Barak has been instrumental in establishing new settlements by stealth in the occupied territories.

The dilemma of the Israeli left for whom to vote has never been greater than in these elections. Labour is not left anymore but a slightly watered down version of the Likud and even Kadima. All three parties would even be prepared to sit with Lieberman despite his repulsive and racist ideology. Meretz has not tackled the important issues of peace in these elections. Perhaps they felt that discussing peace would lose it votes and it is not popular these days.

For the Jewish, secular non-Zionist left, the choice is even poorer. All that remains is to vote for a party that makes Jewish and Palestinian coexistence and equality a central part of its platform as well as remaining democratic in its ideology. This could send a strong message to the right wing racist Zionists of Avigdor Lieberman ideology that his message as well as the message of the right wing religious parties is unacceptable.

The Aftermath of the Gaza War

All reasonable people agree that Israel has a right to defend its people from Hamas rocket attacks in the south of Israel which ignited the Israeli response. Now those Israeli troops have withdrawn from Gaza, including the reservists, there still does not seem to be any desire on the part of Hamas to maintain the cease-fire. There have been violations which met with an Israeli response. We witnessed rather macabre scenes of the masked Hamas terrorists coming out of their holes, shielded by the Palestinian population in Gaza, many of whom lost their lives, or were severely injured. They declared a victory against Israel. Weird! The fact that they survived while many Palestinians were killed does not seem to make any indents into their false sense of pride and honour. It makes one wonder whether these “brave” soldiers of terror and fantasy are victims of a psychosis based on delusions of grandeur which is the disease of many megalomaniac power hungry dictators such as Hitler of Nazi Germany and their brutal followers of the last century.

The Palestinian victims of this war, many of whom were dug out from under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the IDF give them a sense of victory. Suddenly the cowering in bunkers ceases and the Hamas leaders come up for air spewing their hatred and fantasies against Israel! While the shelling and bombing was going on they were sheltering behind defenseless women and children sending them to their deaths while their tough skins were saved. The behaviour of Hamas towards their own people proves how indifferent they are to their peoples’ suffering.

Now that Israel has withdrawn most of its troops, the true scale of the damage and loss of life on the Palestinian side can be assessed. Many questions will be asked and the blame for much of the loss of Palestinian lives and their untold suffering must be at the door of Hamas and their terrorist allies. The architect of it all – the chief catalyst if you will is without a doubt – Iran! The smuggling of arms through tunnels on the Egyptian-Gaza border is proof of Iran’s involvement.

The Hamas reaction after the war – the arrogance and hate for Israel, as well as the total lack of desire for negotiating a political settlement with Israel does not give any room for any form of peace in the future. These Islamist fanatics are still determined to destroy Israel and it seems that they will soon find ways of re-arming and having another at chance at Israel in the not too distant future.

Hamas is a master of deception and lies. They expose defenseless innocent Palestinians to the wrath of the IDF. By doing this, they successfully mobilize world opinion against Israel by filming the most horrible scenes of blood and suffering of women and children. This is the result of them forcing innocent men, women and children to face a certain death, while they themselves hide in bunkers. Arsenals of weaponry had been discovered in cellars under Palestinian homes including explosives. The use of these people as human shields is very much part of Hamas tactics.

Both sides, Israel and Hamas have been involved in war crimes against each other. Both sides have exploited innocent people in order to achieve their aims. Hamas had been involved in unjustifiable rocket launchings into Israeli towns in the south in the hope of killing as many Israeli citizens as possible. Israel had retaliated very severely and this had resulted in Palestinian homes being destroyed as well as many innocent Palestinian casualties. The destruction and pillage of Gaza is evidence that apart from hitting strategic Hamas targets, many unfortunate innocent people were also killed. So much had been reduced to rubble and many Palestinian bodies were dug up from underneath. An independent enquiry ought to be made in order to investigate the possibility of war crimes committed by both sides.

The Tragedy in Gaza

After 8 years of Qassam rocket fire into Israel with the minimum of Israeli Army retaliation, Israel decided to react. There was no real reason for Hamas’s illogical behaviour. There is no justification for damage caused by these rockets to the population in southern Israel! The damage, apart from being physical and life threatening is also psychological. It is tough carrying out one’s daily life and having to run for shelter because of these rocket barrages. Children are scared to go to sleep at night. There are also incidents of bed wetting and nightmares. Fortunately, the loss of life has not reached catastrophic proportions because of the inaccuracies of these rockets. Nevertheless, the psychological damage to children is very often irreversible. There are also many incidents of permanent injuries as well as fatalities. The list of rocket attacks is long.

Israel has responded to these attacks after 8 years of patience and now the world accuses Israel of using “disproportionate force”. Rockets are fired on unarmed innocent people for no apparent reason. Surely this is also “disproportionate force!” These people have not carried out any aggressive activities against Hamas or against Palestinians. The civilians are unarmed. The term “disproportionate force” is relative. The defenseless civilians are unarmed while the Hamas has been firing rockets on them for eight years with no retaliation.

It may be helpful to try to understand why Hamas and its terrorist allies are firing rockets against innocent people in Sderot over the years. The main reason is hate for Israel and its people and the refusal of Hamas to recognize Israel’s right to exist. All that follows from this is based on this fact. They believe that by their behaviour which is based on total fantasy in their cloud and cuckoo land that they could hasten Israel’s total destruction. The Hamas Covenant is very clear on that! The biggest tragedy of it all is that they influence the Palestinians, who put them into power that this is attainable and, by their folly, they dragged their people into a tragedy that nobody really wants, apart from Hamas itself. Their belief in their fantasies of Israel’s destruction has heaped untold tragedy on the Palestinian people because of Israel’s severe military retaliation.

The Palestinian people had overwhelmingly voted Hamas into power 3 years ago because of the corruption of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority which had not done anything to alleviate the Palestinian People’s poverty in Gaza. Hamas had also done nothing in that direction apart from feeding the Palestinian people with hate for Israel based on their fantasies. Pragmatism was never part of Hamas’s lexicon. Hamas was actually strengthened by Israel. Thanks to the Mossad, Israel's "Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks", the Hamas was allowed to reinforce its presence in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, Arafat's Fatah Movement for National Liberation as well as the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression and intimidation

Let us not forget that it was Israel, which in fact created Hamas. According to Zeev Sternell, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, "Israel thought that it was a smart ploy to push the Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)".

Israel had adopted a “divide and rule” policy in trying to maintain the occupation. It was a matter of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. However, this had backfired to Israel’s disadvantage, a monster terrorist group became stronger, and the result was total violence, suicide bombings and various terrorist acts over the years which climaxed into the war in Gaza today.

Hamas knew how to manipulate the Palestinian People and their violent deeds had resulted in Israel introducing very repressive measures which also limited the freedom of the Palestinian People. This resulted in the “pressure cooker of hate” in Gaza. Gaza had been a human prison for many years. Overcrowded and poverty-stricken, Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas per square km in the world. There is no viable harbour or airport and the people are living in a crisis. Even before the intifada, Israel was more busy encouraging occupation rather than rehabilitating Gaza which was under its rule since the Six Day War of 1967 until the unilateral disengagement of August 2005. Two generations of people had grown up under appalling conditions. These people were ideal bait for the extremism of Hamas to take root.

This war was the last thing that the people of Gaza needed. Hamas had brought it on their people. While Israel has a right to defend its citizens against Hamas terrorism in the south, it does not have the right to inflict injury on innocent Palestinian men, women and children as this war progresses. The Israeli claim that Hamas uses innocent people as human shields needs to be verified in detail. The scenes of a terrible human tragedy with so much loss of innocent lives are heart-rending! We witness the most horrifying scenes of whole families being wiped out by Israeli Army action. The human situation is deteriorating in Gaza as the war goes on and there is a definite human crisis.

The increasing human tragedy in Gaza is not going to help Israel in her war effort. The attacks on an UNWRA school resulting in the death of 40 people who sought refuge are despicable. This must be condemned by all. According to reports, there were no Hamas terrorists sheltering there contrary to IDF claims.

The time has come to reassess whether there is any point in continuing this war. Hamas has received a powerful blow to its capabilities and now with various mop up operations taking place, it is questionable as to whether there will not be more blood shed as a result.

As the situation is, the IDF is preparing for the third phase of the war in Gaza. It means calling up reserves and tightening control in Gaza. Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, sits in his palatial home in Damascus unscathed by the suffering of the Palestinian People. He can afford to be brave while Israel’s military might wreaks destruction and havoc in Gaza. He is not ready to accept a cease-fire. Why should he? His butt is not burning! On the other hand, Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister in Gaza is looking for ways to declare a cease-fire. His rhetoric against Israel has toned down and his speeches are colored with religious dogmas. These are signs that Hamas is cracking. The Hamas leadership in Gaza is well sheltered in bunkers under homes of Palestinians. This also places the Palestinians at severe risk of IDF attacks. So many Hamas weapon caches have been discovered by the IDF in Palestinian homes. Many of these people were not even aware that their homes were used for storing weapons.

Before an IDF attack, the people are warned to vacate their homes. The problem is that they have nowhere to go and Hamas prevents the people from vacating so that the IDF can inflict heavy injuries on these poor people. This serves the Hamas purpose of illustrating IDF cruelty which could garner world opinion in their favour and against Israel. Hamas forces innocent men, women and children into the streets during the Israeli bombing raids to face certain death while their leaders hide underground.

There are terrible tragedies occurring because of the war in Gaza. Some of these human rights infringements and tragedies are because of Israel’s military activity.

According to B’tzelem reports, Israel is also using phosphorus bombs against the Palestinian population. This has been denied vehemently by the IDF spokesman.

In light of the fighting in Gaza and in Israel, Israeli human rights groups are working together to inform the Israeli public of the impact on civilians, particularly regarding events that are not reported by the media. The data is limited. It should not be taken as a comprehensive picture of the human rights violations currently taking place.

Every day that passes as the war continues, increased suffering is the result. The foolishness of the diehards in Hamas results in continued missile fire in southern Israel. Hamas has been weakened considerably but their ability to fire missiles remains intact although the number of missiles fired daily has decreased. The firing is a final act of desperation to illustrate that they still have not lost the war. Their false sense of honour remains based on their fantasies.

Many Hamas militants are deserting and are fleeing into the Sinai Desert. When this war ends, Hamas will be weakened considerably. It remains anybody’s guess as to who will fill the Gaza vacuum of anarchy. This can result in a renewal of Israeli occupation or military rule which is the worst scenario possible.

The War in Gaza

The pressure cooker had threatened to blow up for a long time. Hamas had been firing rockets indiscriminately into southern Israel turning the lives of the people living there into a living hell. This has been going on for nearly eight years and nobody, apart from Israel, protested. These inhabitants are not occupiers of Arab lands as is the case in the West Bank. They are living within the green line. The firing of rockets into Israel is so pointless and no strategic advantage could be gained from it. Hamas had been warned to cease this hostile activity against Israel. They refused to renew the cease-fire and opted for continuing the violence. Hamas and its extremist allies must be held responsible for the turn of events.

After much debating in the cabinet, Israel decided to retaliate and created a situation that is disastrous for the Gaza Palestinians. What is the purpose of it? Hamas is stubborn and continues its destructive path. They have no chance of winning this war and everyday that the war continues, more Palestinian lives will be lost and the suffering of the Palestinian people will increase. This is such a pointless war! Blood is being spilled at a tremendous rate approaching catastrophic proportions.

The problem of Gaza should be seen in a different context to the problems in the occupied West Bank where Hebron is one of the main centres of friction between the Palestinians and illegal Israeli settlers.

In the West Bank, the illegal settlers encroach on Palestinian lands uprooting olive trees and carrying out vandalism against the Palestinians living there. The behaviour of the settler youth and their supporters is disgusting towards the Palestinians. They are hooligans! They have no right to be there. The responsibility for the skirmishes between the two sides lies in the illegal settlers’ court! What right do these extremists have to justify their disgusting behaviour? There is no connection between what is happening in the West Bank and the developments in Gaza. The West Bank is under occupation with limited autonomy for the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority.

Gaza is an independent entity in so far that Israel has disengaged from it. Hamas was elected in democratic elections 2006 to rule Gaza which to all intents and purposes is separated from the West Bank. This being the case, the situation must be seen separately from what is happening in the West Bank, where the occupation and the Israeli illegal settlers are very much in place. In Gaza, there are no illegal settlers or Israeli occupation. It is true that Israel has blockaded Gaza preventing freedom of movement into Israel because of security reasons. This has contributed to much hardships for the Palestinians residing there.

Hamas must be held responsible for Israeli military action in Gaza. Over the last 7 years, Hamas and their allies have been firing Qassam rockets into southern Israeli towns turning the lives of Israelis in these towns into a living hell. Their intention is to kill and maim as many Israelis as possible in their quest to destroy Israel. The fact that the casualty rate and damage was relatively low in Israel is because of the inaccuracy of their rockets fired into populated areas. Many rockets fell short of their intended targets. The Israeli population in these towns is well disciplined and knows what to do when the alarm of a rocket attack is sounded. This is not the case in Gaza, where the Palestinians have no bomb shelters. This is reserved for the Hamas leadership and their lackeys. Regard for human life is not a priority in Hamas-ruled Gaza only if it serves their propaganda purposes.

Hamas has continued to fire rockets into Israel indiscriminately. They had no intention of acting responsibly towards their own people. There was never any rehabilitation plans to improve Palestinian lives or their economy. Plans for long term improvement of infrastructure, health, education and basic essential services that citizens of any country are entitled were never initiated, nor did they intend to initiate them. Hamas survives by intensifying the suffering of their people in order to remain in power. They provoke Israel into taking retaliatory action by their terror activities. They also engage in rhetoric and propaganda based on fantasy. This fantasy is their strong belief that in time they will demoralize Israelis and destroy Israel which they have no desire to recognize. They also never wish to negotiate with Israel.

The strength of Hamas lies in its oppression of opposition groups by torture and murder. Their fantasy world only intensified Palestinian suffering by provoking Israel into retaliation without regard to the cost in human life. We are witnessing this now as Israel continues to pound Hamas power centres and the human shields surrounding these centres. This has resulted in tremendous collateral damage and great loss of innocent lives. By their wicked tactics they feel that they can increase their support amongst their own people, neighbouring Arab states and the international world community. They rely on these elements to pressurize Israel into accepting a cease-fire on Hamas’s terms.

The international community must be made to realize that Hamas is a terrorist organization, no different from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Al Qaeda. These two terrorist organizations view Hamas as an important ally in their terrorist causes. All these organizations are in the same league. They are not seekers of peace, democracy or human rights, nor are they liberation movements. The intense suffering that Hamas causes to their own people by their behaviour shows a total lack of regard for human life. They are criminals!

Israel, in this case, is exercising its right to defend its citizens from the indiscriminate Hamas rocket launches that had been plaguing the south of Israel for nearly eight years! What country on earth would allow a neighbour state to launch missiles into its territory in order to kill its citizens? Is there any logical reason for this insanity? Hamas, as is typical of extremist Islamist terrorist groups, tries to live out its fantasies in the hope that it would become their own warped reality. Hamas is tempting fate and destroying the lives of the people who had elected them into power. They do this because of their intense, uncontrollable hate for Israel. Their motive is to destroy Israel.

Why was the world silent when Hamas was firing rockets in the south? Why are they condemning Israel when it retaliates to defend its citizens from Hamas rocket attacks and terror against its Israeli citizens?

The international protests will gain momentum and it is possible that the UN will have Security Council emergency sessions to enforce a cease-fire. Already there are countries such as France who are trying to get a cease-fire into place.

Hamas is so intoxicated by its fantasies and delusions of victory that they have not exhibited any signs of surrender. They have a false sense of dignity based on total fantasy. This will only increase the suffering of the Gazan Palestinians.

The reason that Israel has failed so miserably in its public relations work and explanations is that it is still an occupying power. It has done very little to remove the illegal settlers from the West Bank. It states that it does not wish to rule over the Palestinians while de facto they still do. This does not do much for Israel’s credibility.

The tragedy in Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinian people is heart rending. Our sympathies should be with them in their plight. It would be appropriate to assist the innocent men, women and children as much as possible by allowing food, medicines and other essential supplies into Gaza in order to minimize the suffering as much as possible.

Introducing a 48 hour cease fire is a questionable tactic. It may allow Hamas to regroup and continue the firing of rockets into Israel, they would view this cease-fire as Israel’s weakness, and this could weaken the momentum to defeat Hamas. While Hamas remains adamant and they do not cease firing rockets into Israel there is no point in even discussing a cease-fire. Hamas has even stated that they are not amenable to discussing a cease-fire and wish to fight on to victory whatever that means. They have declared war on Israel. In a war the victor dictates the terms of surrender or cease-fire not the loser. If they would show a desire for ceasing the rocket fire into Israel and wish to embark on a different path to the one they are treading now, there is a greater chance of the cease-fire being affective. If Hamas is allowed to dictate its terms for a cease-fire, it will see itself as the winner. This would be bad for peace and stability in the region. It would give them the freedom to break the cease-fire when it suits them.

The leadership of Hamas is sheltering in bunkers under the ground. They are surrounded by human shields of women and children which explains the high casualty rate. This is the way they defend themselves!

The Israeli Air Force bombs Hamas installations and headquarters. The resulting collateral damage is enormous and this increases the human tragedy. It also creates more animosity towards Israel which is regarded as the aggressor. Photographs and TV clips of the destruction in Gaza is working against Israel. No amount of public relations on Israel’s part can obliterate those tragic and vivid images of destruction and bloodshed!

This pointless war continues unabated taking its toll in human lives and suffering.There are no black or white solutions to the problems in Gaza. One can be sure that the immense poverty, overcrowding and economic hardships are conducive to the survival and support of Hamas. Israel’s military action, assuming that it overthrows Hamas may also increase Palestinian animosity towards Israel. Under no circumstances must Israel remain in Gaza for any length of time.

The only way to end the siege is for Hamas to agree to cessation of violence and aggression towards Israel and Israel must cease military activity against the Palestinians. This must go hand in hand with negotiations for a genuine peace treaty observed by both sides.

The presence of an international peace keeping force with powers to ensure that a peace agreement, if signed, is observed by all sides.

The leaders of Hamas, especially those in Damascus like Khaled Mashal are unconcerned about their peoples’ suffering. They are experts at capitalizing on it.

According to the International Herald Tribune editorial of Wednesday 31^st December 2008, there is no justification for Hamas’s attacks or its virulent rejectionism. Also others must take the responsibility for this mess. Hamas never fully observed the cease-fire that went into effect on 19^th June 2008 and Israel never really lived up to its commitment to ease the tough embargo on Gaza.

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert also did nothing to stop the illegal settlements and support Mahmoud Abbas who happens to be a sworn enemy of Hamas.

However, if one wishes to get a sense of balance in this tragic situation, Hamas is responsible for the destruction and wide scale loss of life in Gaza. They had been warned by Israel in the past to cease launching missiles into Israel but to no avail. Now they are paying the price for their folly in their fanatic beliefs in the fantasy world they desire to create in their dreams of destroying Israel.

The Israeli Elections and Violence

All the political parties have had their primaries and will be going into the field to capture the votes of their supporters. It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Likud and its potential right wing partners will win these elections. This will be detrimental to Israel and Palestinian interests in the movement towards peace. Now, the peace process has stalled and this is what the right wing block wants. It means that they will leave the situation as it is. This also means the settlements will remain and the tension between Israel and the Palestinians will increase.

Benjamin Netanyahu will be the next prime minister. All we seem to get are lack luster leadership in the main political parties. The cease fire between Hamas in Gaza and Israel ended on 19^th December 2008. It remains to be seen whether there will be an increase of violence in the near future. As the situation is now, Hamas has been firing Qassam rockets into Israel and it will be a matter of time before the situation deteriorates further.

It is hard to understand what Hamas is trying to achieve by escalating the violence. They are inviting an Israeli Army action which will be disastrous for the Palestinians. Their actions are suicidal and the threat to the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, is real. If the Israeli Army decides to enter Gaza with all its forces, Gilad Shalit’s life could be placed in jeopardy. Hamas is the Gaza Palestinian’s choice and this is the group with whom Israel has to negotiate. While Hamas has no interest in negotiating with Israel as it does not wish to recognize Israel, the difficulties of negotiating under these circumstances makes it impossible.

Hamas is playing with fire. They have no interest in peace and coexistence with Israel. Even democracy for the Palestinian people in Gaza is not in their lexicon. It is a matter of time before they get what is coming to them from the Israeli Army. The closures in Gaza, the economic squeeze on the Palestinian population is not going to help to improve the situation. Hamas must be held accountable for the untold suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Their intransigence and violence towards Israel and their own opponents in Palestine are factors that prolong Palestinian suffering in Gaza. The message of Hamas is clear. They are a selfish, power hungry group of terrorists who can only survive by ensuring that the suffering of the Palestinian people continues. Economic hardships and Palestinian suffering somehow is Hamas’s strength. They initiate violence and the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel in order to provoke an aggressive Israeli response which they would turn into a victory by accusing Israel of aggression. They also hope that they can get improved conditions for a cease fire from their point of view. It looks as if they are on the road to brinkmanship. They are trying their luck to the point where Israel may be on the eve of a massive air strike of which they might stop short at the last minute once a renewed cease-fire is declared with Egypt’s mediation. There is no doubt that Hamas is a cancer in Palestinian society that rules Gaza by tyranny. In the coming days there will be an acceleration of Qassam rockets into Sderot and other areas in Southern Israel.

There has been further firing of rockets into the south of Israel – 18 rockets in all. There does not seem to be a cessation of this terrorist activity at all. Following the ongoing rocket fire, Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the defense establishment to cancel the planned transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, Israel decided to allow the delivery a limited amount of humanitarian equipment at 11 am Wednesday 24^th December 2008, but the crossings are now slated to remain closed.

Meanwhile, Israel is carrying out limited air strikes against the Qassam launchers but this is not going to make any dent in the Hamas ability to carry on the violence.

While this is going on, the main political parties in Israel are gearing up for the elections in February 10^th 2009. As I said, the trend is towards the right; the Labour Party will be trounced like never before in its history. Kadima will take second place and after the elections, it will be part of the Likud coalition and so will the Labour Party. Ehud Barak, the Labour leader may even retain the Defense portfolio under the Netanyahu Likud government that is on the cards, according to statistics. Those Israeli citizens who have the vote must be made to realize that a vote for any of these 3 parties is a vote for a right wing coalition because that is what we are going to receive.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is the rejuvenated Meretz Party which has attracted quite a few well known Labour Party celebrities who have left the Labour Party, which over the last decade or so has lost its direction and is prepared to sit in coalitions with right wing parties that are theoretically diametrically opposed to Labour Party ideology or what is left of it. The Meretz Party’s performance in the last Knesset has been poor, it had not been outspoken on many issues like the peace process, and social issues as it had been in the past. It is doubtful if the new Meretz Party will gain more support than what it has now. It may gain an extra seat or two in the Knesset.

The Shas Party will as usual resort to religious extortion as they have done in the past. They will be part of the right wing coalition after the elections.

The rest of the parties are marginal. The environmental parties will not gain any seats in the Knesset and a vote for them will be futile if not a total waste.

The serious voter will remain confused for whom to vote. A vote for the right wing is a vote for the settler movement and the continuation of the occupation. Hamas provides the right wing with the ideal fuel for that! While Hamas maintains its anti-Israel stance, the right wing in Israel will be pleased and will score a victory in the elections.

The coming elections will, unfortunately, be another wasted opportunity – an exercise in marking time to continue the occupation. This will be further emphasized as election fever heats up and the right wing of Israel becomes the next government.

The Violence Goes On with Israeli Elections in the Offing

The last week we all witnessed the terrible tragedy that occurred in Mumbai, India. The attack on the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Chabad Centre left in its wake 173 people dead. This heinous terrorist act was ghastly and needs to be condemned by all peoples no matter from where they come. It was an attack on Western civilization as well as Jews. This occurred at the weak economic underbelly of India which was so unprepared. Let us all hope that these terrorist acts will never occur again and that Pakistan and India will work together to destroy this evil that is threatening the peace between the two states. Pakistan has a history of intelligence services that went rogue and worked against the interests of Pakistan. This was a tragic case in point.

It would be a grave mistake if people condemn Islam because of the terror that was perpetrated by Islamist extremists. Certainly accusing the Palestinians of being part of the terrorist groupings is not constructive and it is not the case here.

Back home, the violence in Hebron continues between right wing Jewish extremists and Palestinians. In this case, the Jewish religious extremists are to blame for the violence against the Palestinians. They flouted the law, and remained in the House of Contention in Hebron, wreaking havoc on the Palestinians. They maintain that this House of Contention belongs to them by right and they refuse to evacuate it. They also caused damage to Israeli Army property and injured soldiers carrying out their duty in maintaining law and order. Eventually the army succeeded in evacuating them. The army blames the settlers for instigating clashes with Palestinians, which led to the injury of 18 Israeli security personnel and settlers Tuesday 2^nd December 2008, including a 15-year-old boy whose skull was fractured after he was hit in the head by a rock. Twenty Palestinians have been hurt in the clashes since Monday, the Palestinian Authority said.

The Israeli Border Police continue to treat these settler extremists and their supporters with kid gloves and as expected, no arrests were made. Why are these youth not punished? They have caused so much damage to property – Israeli as well as Palestinian. It all boils down to education. The so-called extremist rabbinical educators of the yeshivas where these kids study “firebrand” Judaism – the Judaism of hate not the authentic Judaism of love and tolerance should be blamed for the violence that these religious extremists commit. It is people of the likes of the racist Rabbi Dov Lior that foments hatred and is a catalyst for the settler youth violence. Other rabbis of this ilk preach the same.

The following is a quote from an article “Rabbis who bring shame to Judaism” by Khaled Amayreh:

“Religious extremism is very dangerous. It means that every thinkable vice under the sun can be committed, “sanctioned” and “justified” in the name of the Almighty. In Israel, rabbis with hundreds of thousands of followers, many of whom serve in the Gestapo-like Israeli occupation army, openly teach that non-Jews are only human in form but animals in substance. These racist teachings can’t be dismissed as “innocuous” or “esoteric.” Very often, they constitute “a manual for action” for many Jewish settlers roaming the hills of the West Bank, searching for an Arab prey to kill, or attack or tie up to a power pole.

The teachings also serve as a direct inspiration to numerous Israeli soldiers (by no means all the soldiers. It is NOT the policy of the Israeli Army to indoctrinate the soldiers with religious teachings. I have served in the Israeli Army and this statement is NOT true! The Israeli Army is NOT a racist army. It is concerned with the defense of Israel. While the methods it uses may be questionable, this does NOT make it racist or responsible for the ideology of various right wing extremists. The “hill top” youth have NOT served in the army because of their age. S .Z. Klein) operating in the West Bank who, thanks to the racist indoctrination they receive from their rabbis, have come to view the estimated 3.7 million Palestinians living under Israel’s military rule, not as real human beings, but rather as animals walking on two feet. The often barbaric treatment meted out to the Palestinians in the occupied territories testifies to the rampantly racist indoctrination soldiers and settlers receive at the hands of religious Zionist rabbis. Last year, a Jewish immigrant from France, who murdered an Arab taxi driver after luring him to his home north of Tel Aviv, told police interrogators that he didn’t kill a human being; he only killed an animal.

“Merkaz Harav”

Merkaz Harav (the Rabbi’s Center) is the ideological and theological central nervous system of religious Zionism in Israel. Established in honor of Rabbi Abraham Kook, Israel’s first Chief Rabbi, the center, which is actually a religious college, teaches students that God Almighty created the entire universe for the sake of “the Jew,” and that all non-Jews ought to be slaves laboring for the “chosen people.” As to the Palestinians, Merkaz Harav teaches that “non-Jews living under Jewish law in Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) must either be enslaved as water carriers and wood hewers, or banished, or exterminated.”

Some rabbinic authorities associated with Merkaz Harav have been preaching the view that Palestinians are descendants of the Amalek, or Amalekites, whom the Bible says must be exterminated. Such hateful views are actually espoused by hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. This is the religious doctrine of religious Zionism. This is the theology taught in hundreds of Yeshivas (religious schools) throughout Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Settlers as well as the increasingly Settler-dominated Israeli army (This is untrue! The Israeli Army is NOT dominated by settlers – S. Z. Klein) may very well act on these doctrines in a more wanton manner if the world goes into a slumber. They are only awaiting the opportune time to do it.

According to Rabbi Kook, “The difference between a Jewish soul and souls of non-Jews-all of them in all different levels-is greater and deeper than the difference between a human soul and the soul of cattle.” The late Israeli philosopher, Yisrael Shahak, pointed out that the teachings of Kook were based on the Lurianic Cabala, one of whose basic tenets is the absolute superiority of the Jewish soul and body over the non-Jewish soul and body “so much so that the world was created solely for the sake of Jews.”

Religious zealots of the right view it as their privilege to settle the West Bank (Judea and Samaria as they call it). They demonize the Palestinians and their hate for them knows no bounds. The violence directed towards the Palestinians is a logical outcome of the occupation. These hooligans, attired in the traditional attire of religious Jews, are the offspring of the religious rightwing settler movements. After years of occupation that resulted in the usurpation of Palestinian lands, justification of violence against Palestinians and the Security Forces has rendered the government powerless against them. Successive Israeli governments since the June War of 1967 are responsible for this cancer in Israeli society. This cancer manifests itself in the warped teaching of religious right wing rabbis residing in the territories who goad their students to commit acts of violence against the Palestinians as well as the Israeli Security Forces entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order.

The extent of the violence recently exhibited by the settlers has been "nearly unprecedented" over the past few days and could spark Palestinian revenge attacks, IDF sources said. They called on educators in West Bank yeshivas and high schools to restrain their students, adding that most of the settlers involved in the fighting were young people from the territories.

Rabbis and principals are "turning a blind eye to their students' skipping school to go to Hebron, and some are even encouraging them," an IDF source said.

"We're sorry about the boy who was seriously wounded Tuesday," a military official added, "but the truth needs to be said: He is not a resident of Hebron and there was nothing for him to be doing there, in the heart of the riots. He should have stayed in school."

Right wing extremist rabbis are goading the youth to take the law into their own hands from the roof tops of the so called House of Contention to throw rocks at the Palestinians.

Nearby, a Palestinian youth walking home from school keeps his eye on the rooftop of the building. He knows a stone may be thrown at him from there at any moment. Mohammed al-Jabari, 46, who just finished praying at the Cave of the Patriarchs, said the youths on top of the building throw stones at every Palestinian passing on the street below.

Munwar al-Jabari, 62, lives down the road from the building. Her arm is covered with blue marks she said were caused by stones thrown at her by Jewish youths.

"They called me names. Whore, prostitute," she said. "Then they threw stones. One of them hit me and I haven't received medical treatment since."

Her sons later confronted the Jewish youths but three of them were arrested by police. A Red Crescent ambulance was called to treat Munwar, but Jewish youths threw stones at it too.

The word "vengeance," daubed by settlers on the door to the al-Jabaris' backyard can still be seen underneath a layer of white paint. Three weeks earlier, settlers wrote "death to Arabs" on another wall.

Hate graffiti and stone-throwing recur repeatedly. Such incidents have become routine for Palestinians living near the "House of Contention."

Youths at the building seem determined to make their neighbors' lives a living hell. Seven Palestinians were wounded from stones thrown from the building yesterday, and another seven the day before. However, for some unknown reason, the police's reaction has been very soft.

Amjad al-Jabari, a photographer for the human rights organization B'Tselem, complained to a police officer on Saturday about the constant stone-throwing.

"I asked the officer to place police officers on the rooftops," he said. "He said he could not do such a thing. A few minutes later I was hit with a stone." He takes off his hat and reveals a bandage placed on his head in a way that resembles a skullcap.

"Three days ago I caught a youth who threw a stone at me," he said. "I took him to the police but they let him go after ten minutes."

As Amjad spoke, a police vehicle approached him. The officer stuck his head out the window and shouted angrily toward him: "Tell them, tell them everything." Almost all the Palestinians living near the "House of Contention" have been attacked by settlers.

A few settler youths play the guitar near the entrance to the building - an almost pastoral scene. A youth carrying a backpack gets off a bus at the bus stop set up right outside the building for the settlers' convenience. He enters the building and joins the ranks of those inside. Outside, two women sit in a vehicle keeping an eye on the traffic and warning against unwanted visitors.

Basam and Nabil al-Jabari are renovating their home opposite the Peace House. "We aren't interested in politics," Basam said. "But you are occupying us, so protect us. They attack people randomly, men, women and funerals. What do they want from us?"

The behaviour of these youths is shocking and needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The right wing rabbis are no asset to Israel and certainly they are a great obstacle for peace. These rabbis are so full of hate for the Palestinians and it reflects in their interpretation of Judaism which they teach to the yeshiva students under their tutelage.

Their Judaism is violent and their rabbinical teachers encourage these hooligans to attack Palestinians. According to a Haaretz report of 5^th December 2008, a pogrom was committed by the Jewish settlers against the Palestinians:

“An innocent Palestinian family, numbering close to 20 people was surrounded by a few dozen masked Jews seeking to lynch them. This could best be described as a pogrom in the worst sense of the word. First the masked men set fire to their laundry in the front yard and then they tried to set fire to one of the rooms in the house. The women cry for help, "Allahu Akhbar." Yet the neighbors are too scared to approach the house, frightened of the security guards from Kiryat Arba who have sealed off the home and who are cursing the journalists who wish to document the events unfolding there.

The cries rain down, much like the hail of stones the masked men hurled at the Abu Sa'afan family in the house. A few seconds tick by before a group of journalists, long accustomed to witnessing these difficult moments, decides not to stand on the sidelines. They break into the home and save the lives of the people inside. The brain requires a minute or two to digest what is taking place. Women and children were crying bitterly. They had fear on their faces. Stones land on the roof of the home, the windows and the doors. Flames engulf the southern entrance to the home. The front yard is littered with stones thrown by the masked men. The windows are shattered and the children are frightened. All around, as if they were watching a rock concert, are hundreds of Jewish witnesses, observing the events with great interest, even offering suggestions to the Jewish wayward youth as to the most effective way to harm the family. The police and the army were nowhere to be seen.

Ten minutes prior, while the security forces were preoccupied with dispersing the rioters near the House of Contention, black smoke billowed from the wadi separating Kiryat Arba and Hebron. For some reason, none of the senior officers of the police or the army was particularly disturbed by what was transpiring at the foot of Kiryat Arba. Anyone standing hundreds of meters away could notice the dozens of rioters climbing atop the roof of the Abu Sa'afan family home, hurling stones”.

The settler youths who committed these ghastly acts have the audacity to accuse the Israeli Army of being Nazis. If anything their loutish behaviour and the destruction of Palestinian property and injury they caused illustrates who are the real Nazis and racists in the territories.

The apologetic attitude of the right wing Likud and its further to the right allies towards the settlers is appalling. While admitting that those “hill top youth” ought to be punished for their hooliganism towards the Israeli Security Forces, they did not condemn the violence towards the Palestinians. This is the party destined to win the Israeli Elections in February 2009 and has no desire to make peace with Israel’s Palestinian neighbours. The settlers in the occupied territories will remain with the religious hooligans under the influence of their right wing rabbinical mentors in the bigoted, racist yeshivas in the territories.

The losers will be the Israelis and the Palestinians as the Likud and its right wing allies will lead Israel towards a true apartheid society resembling the old, detestable regime of White South Africa.