From here, the situation in Gaza is penetrating lots of different realms of my awareness. This morning I heard the news about the rocket fired from South Lebanon, and listened to the analysis of what it might mean. People were trying not to be alarmist, but it was really hard not to think ‘oh no, it’s going to spiral out of control’. In between going into the kitchen, eating my breakfast, brushing my teeth, I was hearing lots of people discuss the latest increase in tension, the latest step towards the unknown. It seemed to be running on a kind of momentum of blind panic, it was like there was a collective lurch, and a collective despair at the mess. I don’t know how to begin to separate all of the strands. That’s the point: everyone is implicated in what is going on in Gaza. All of us.
Last night I finished an essay on the impact of war and conflict on gender in the Middle East (a huge gaping hole of a subject, consuming so many different dynamics of power and identity it’s impossible to even begin. Wherever you think you’re highlighting one issue you’re cancelling out another one which by rights is equally as valid). This morning I heard someone saying on the news that because Hezbollah is now represented in Lebanese government (LM correct me if this is wrong), Israel might retaliate against central Lebanon or Beirut – attacking the country as a whole for not doing enough to stop Palestinian factions in South Lebanon. The only person I know from Beirut is LM. We don’t know each other well, but still, it makes you think and I thought this morning, ‘that is LM’s country’.
I am getting emails from a friend about all the demonstrations in London. I keep thinking, should I go? I’ve never been to a demonstration before. Today she sent an email with cartoons by a Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff, they’re pretty blatant in their anti-Israel message, they make me uncomfortable. All the primary colours and the national stereotypes – this kind of oversimplification isn’t helpful surely? But then, how obvious and striking does the message have to be to make people see that the attack on Gaza by Israel is completely inhumane? But then I keep thinking, what about the people in Israel terrified in their safe houses and bunkers, scared to go out, living in a state of tension and fear. Then I think about the people in Gaza who have lost family, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers. No medical supplies, no flour for making bread, no electricity or fuel, no freedom to pass through borders, let alone the thought of a bunker or shelter from Israeli air raids.
Then, bizarrely, we were talking about hummus. Someone has a favourite kind of hummus that they were going to buy from Sainsbury’s, but then they said that they couldn’t buy it because they realised it was made in Israel. Then it felt slightly uncomfortable in the room and no one knew how to respond.
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2 responses so far ↓
1 dris abdellah // Jan 8, 2009 at 10:50 pm
free GAZA
2 Booha // Jan 9, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I am not surprised with the mixed feelings that you and others in the west have , its the result of decades of brain washing by the western media about terrorists and that is obviously and inevitably always of arab origin, but let me just ask a couple of questions : 1 – have you ever thought for one second why the hell do these human beings ( you cant say they are not ) end up as terrorist( I dont share this qualification but for the sake of a rational debate I will dare call them so ) ? 2- Why does a democratic state as Isreal occupy lands that are not theirs in total impunity for the last 50 years without fearing the so called UN security council which issued no less than 20 resolutions ordering them out of these occupied lands ?
Now here is a couple of analogical situations that will describe exactly what isreal is doing , take the BASQUE region is SPAIN there is a terrorist organisation called ETA that is fighting the Spanish government for independence and committing acts of terrorism all over the spanish territory ,,,,,,,, DID the SPANISH AIRFORCE BOMBARD the BASQUE region in self defence , or why didnt the ROYAL AIR FORCE in Britain bombard northen ireland in retaliation on the IRA terrorist attacks , even the french army could have done the same thing against CORSICA island as there also an independence movement taking to arms and committing acts of terrorism .After all these arguments I will not be able to understand mixed feelings on two sides , one that is in fear to be blessed by a hand made rocket and the other side that is sitting roofless expecting the most sophisticated bombs that man ever made to fall on there heads with god only knows what sort of substance is being poured on them , some humanity is all those poor palestinians are asking for a homeland as every other nation aspires to a safe school for their kids , something to eat and where to shelter , the only way Isreal will have peace is by giving those kids of Gaza and the west bank a country of their own on their own land with their own borders and stop flexing its muscles on them every now and then , otherwise those same kids that didnt get killed this time will just grow up with such hatred that neither me nor other moderates will ever be able calm down , Hamas is the result of the Isreali arogant posture ever since they won a couple of wars ,this idea that they can still force their enemies to accept their dictates must be revised , the problem is that the ruling political class of Isreal now is the old victorious generals of these wars that were won in the past , maybe we have to wait till a new generation of Isrealis take over from the old guards to see some hope of peace in the region .
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