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Leon Rosselson on Gaza
Rosselson, Leon
http://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/analysis/leon-rosselson-on-gaza/Publisher: Jewish Voice for Labour Year Published: 2018 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX22493 In Gaza the slaughter was premeditated and calculated. The snipers were primed to kill. They had their orders. They used the protesters, men women, children, for target practice. According to the latest reports, 109 Palestinians?—?including children, one an 8 month old baby -- have been killed and over 6,000 wounded, including nearly 1000 children. The wounds were particularly debilitating because Israeli soldiers used dumdum bullets which expand when they enter the body. The bullets used are causing injuries local medics say they have not seen since 2014. The entrance wound is small.The exit wound is devastating, causing gross comminution of bone and destruction of soft tissue. Abstract: - Excerpt: How can anybody be a friend of a state that turns its sons into murderers? Gaza is a prison where the guards watch your every move and kill you on a whim. Two million Palestinians, refugees and the descendants of refugees, live on one of the world’s most densely packed strips of land. In 2007, after Hamas had won a fair election, Israel imposed a blockade on the civilian population, a collective punishment that is a crime under international law. Dov Weinglass, senior advisor to Ariel Sharon, explained what it meant: The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet but not make them die of hunger. The minimum needed to just about keep children, women and men alive was, they calculated, 2279 calories a day. Among the goods Israel refused to admit were dried fruit, jam, chocolate, notebooks, crayons and toys. Israel, which has total control of Gaza by land, sea and air, banned exports from Gaza thus destroying its agriculture and its economy and creating mass unemployment. Fishermen fishing in their own waters are attacked. Children have become malnourished, their development stunted. Over half the population are now dependent on food aid. The health system is collapsing. Hundreds have died because Israel has refused to allow them to exit Gaza for treatment elsewhere. In 2006 Gaza’s power station was bombed resulting in periodic blackouts. Now, for most of the population, 4 hours of electricity a day is the norm. According to UNRWA, 95% of the water is undrinkable. The UN warned that Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020. Subject Headings |