The Israeli army attacked Gaza last night with huge military means. The first assessment reported 150 dead, mostly civilians. This massacre was announced, considered and discussed in recent days in the Israeli press, after the truce observed by Hamas and broken all the time by the Israeli army. This crime was made possible by the impunity given to Israel for nearly 9 years and the active support they enjoy within the European Union. It is the direct result of the enhancement of cooperation with the EU imposed by the French presidency against the vote to postpone the European Parliament.

For years now, the Gaza Strip is suffering, with the complicit support of the European Union a criminal seat who deliberately violates all international laws: one and a half million civilians are trapped by the Israeli army and deprived of everything: food, fuel, electricity, medicines, school materials ... Less than one tenth of trucks required for the normal supply of the population reach it. The airport and port were destroyed before they could ever work. It is forbidden to fish. Only a few boats chartered by militants have forced the blockade. The population undergoes a "punishment" for collective ruthless "wrong" vote. (they voted democratically for the Hamas) The international community does nothing, even encourages this seat. The occupant had expelled Robert Falk, the Special Reporter on the situation of human rights of the United Nations.

There is no status quo as possible, any possible continuation of the siege and ruthless criminal. Every people besieged has the right to resist oppression.

No symmetry can be established with the few missiles that fell on Israeli cities. There will be no security for Israel without security for the people of Gaza. The EU and U.S. policies since Annapolis, avoiding to face the reality of the occupation, leading to the deadlock expected that once the Palestinian people pay any price.

The French Jewish Union for Peace denounces the crime against the people of Gaza. It calls everywhere to demonstrate against this new aggression. The FJUP requires an immediate reaction from the French government, the European Community and the United Nations to stop the aggression and to put an end to the blockade of Gaza.

http://www.ujfp.org/modules/news/articl ... toryid=448

Did we not know this was coming in some way, shape, or form?

First I knew of it, but then I've not been watching much international news. What is all this talk about rockets being fired on Israel from Gaza?

All the world's bystanders can do is shake their collective heads at the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. They seemed doomed to kill each other off.

this conflict has been going on for thousands of years between these 2 cultural groups. those of us on the outside find it hard to understand the level of hatred that has existed for so long.

How can we justify the suffering that the Palestinian people must endure in the name of security of the Israeli people when one tolerate illegal occupation for more than 40 years?

It's going to be interesting to watch what happens between these two warring nations in the next months. Like rooster says, they've been killing each other for eons and will probably continue to do so for eons more. Generation teaching hatred and intolerance to the next generation. I am also wondering if this may not be a way of testing Obama's allegiance to Israeli policies...even before he's inaugurated. What do you think?

Please visit this site to see and understand for yourself the reality of everyday life in Palestine. The videos are particularly revealing…

http://www.btselem.org/English/

A suggestion Cat: Update the thread title everyday with the new amount of dead...it has impact to see it in headlines.



Also, and it bears repeating over and over, it comes down to the the fact of Israeli's being Jews. Which equates to the holocaust. Which means if you say Israel shouldn't randomly and senselessly kill innocent people and keep and entire country caged within itself you are pro-holocaust and anti-semetic. While I realize this is an over-simplification and a generalization on my part, this is what has somehow become ingrained into the world (or at least some parts of the world's) psyche. I cannot, cannot, cannot understand why its wrong to condemn the Israeli government for their blatant wrongs. When Obama said that crap about if someone was shooting into his house...blah, blah, it just made me want to puke. I think that the analogies are never taken far enough. Perhaps the analogy should be something like this:

If someone whom I have caged in my backyard with limited access to food, medical care, education, the outside world in general finally gets fed up and creates something to get my attention and lobs it at my house and breaks my window...do I really have the right to walk outside with a machine gun and kill everyone that I have personally caged? And then, should I expect my friends, neighbors, police, etc., to all pat me on the back and tell me how sorry they are that my window got broke, and damn those caged fuckers, they shouldn't be trying to break out like that??????

Website of photos of the victims updated daily:
http://na.mo.free.fr/gaza2008/

Thats an accurate analogy...................well said.

The reason why Israel was able to continue on with its slaughter for so long was because of its close relationship with the U.S. You notice that things are winding down now that it is getting closer for Bush to finally hit the road.

Many Israeli objectives were met of course. But, the main one being the utter destruction of Gaza and of weakening Hamas ( the duly elected government ) as much as it could.

Some have speculated that the real aims of Israel are much bigger than just crushing Hamas. Other objectives would be to start a war again in Lebanon and finish off Hezbollah as well. And, yet another objective might have been to try and draw in Iran so that a war could get started there as well. Remember, it remains a goal of Israel to eliminate this big threat to her hegemony in the region. That is why we hear non stop the rhetoric against Iran and its wanting to become a nuclear power, etc.

Israel does not want peace. It wants to continue to weaken the Palestinians and to force them to move away from the land that it wants. Remember, it stole the Palestinian lands when the state was created and mayn Palestinians were expelled and their villages were levelled to the ground. And, Israel continues to build settlements on the occupied land agains the will of the international community. So, when you see Israel making statements about defending itself just stop and take a deep breath. Israel has greater motives than just defending itself. And, it has very influential friends to aid her in this endeavor.

And, just one more thing.... It is the Zionists who control things in Israel. And, when they start calling you an anti-Semite for criticizing their activities do not let them get away with it. Most of these Zionists are not even real Jews, but Ashkenazi Jews. That means that they simply borrowed the religion of the original Jews and are using it for their own political purposes. Most of these people are actually atheists. So, the real anti-Semites are not the critics of Israel, but the Zionists themselves who kill willy nilly and without regard for life- the Semites who inhabit the occupied lands, namely the Palestinians.