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College Tribune | January 20th 2009
Features News
Above the cityscape a dirty blue sky is pierced by a ball of light that descends slowly to earth. With the distinct appearance of an unexploded firework, it flickers from side to side and leaves a trail of smoke in its wake. It is a Hamas rocket that infiltrates the Israeli skyline. A few miles away screaming Palestinian children are carried into overcrowded hospitals by their parents. They have been injured by Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Hamas’ rockets. In recent weeks you have probably been confronted by these images on the evening news or on the front page of a newspaper. They show the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Gaza strip. Those with any exposure to the media will be aware of the renewal of fighting between these two states. Since the last weekend in December Israel has responded with overwhelming force to Hamas, causing many to question whether this is an offensive rather than a defensive reaction. Israel has launched a war from the air and initiated a ground invasion. After three weeks of fighting, the current Palestinian death toll stands at over 1,000, one third of which are children. At the time of writing the number of Israelis killed by Hamas rockets is 13, including 3 civilians (an added four Israeli soldiers were killed accidentally by their own forces). Angry protests against Israeli and the number of Palestine deaths have since broken out in Arab nations and across the wider world, including a rally in Dublin attended by eight-hundred people. Pro- and anti-Israel protesters have clashed violently outside Israeli embassies. The conflict is centred in the Palestine territory of the Gaza Strip, which is separated from the West Bank by Israel. The Israelis are led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Mahmoud Abbas is the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and he is recognised by both Israel and the Americans. He is open to negotiation with Israel and has called for Hamas to halt firing. However, popular support in the Strip is for the Palestinian Liberation Authority (PLA) which is fronted by Hamas. Hamas controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist organisation for the suicide bombings it has carried out in Israel. Professor Scott Lucas lectures in American Studies at the University of Birmingham and is adjunct professor at UCD’s Clinton Institute. Lucas has been blogging on his website EnduringAmerica.com with rolling updates since Day One of the conflict. He explains that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended on the 27th of December 2008. Hamas began firing rockets into Israel and the Israelis responded immediately with aggressive force. What does Lucas think caused the failure to renew the ceasefire? “There are a number of reasons. Israel does not recognise the right of Hamas to exist in a political sphere; they are considered a terrorist organisation that is not to be negotiated with. Even though Hamas were legally elected to power in the Gaza Strip. Similarly, Hamas does not recognise
Trouble in the Middle East The Israel-Palestine Conflict Explained
Professor Scott Lucas speaks to Karina Bracken about the current situation in the Middle East, and how culture and politics can never be divided Israel’s right to exist and would like to see the obliteration of the state of Israel. So the question is: who broke their side of the agreement made in June 2008? Well, under the term of the ceasefire, Israel was supposed to lift the economic blockade on Gaza but they never did. Additionally in November of last year, a group of Israeli soldiers went into Gaza and killed six Hamas activists. This incident triggered an increase in the number of rockets fired into Southern Israel by Hamas and an escalation of hostility between the regions. Under these circumstances, the ceasefire was unlikely to be renewed.” During the recent election campaign in the U.S., “Joe the Plumber” proclaimed that “Obama’s election would mean death for Israel”. While Obama may be more empathetic to Palestine than previous administrations, he is not anti-Israel. Since President Truman, America has always been a supporter of Israel. Professor Lucas hails from Georgia, Alabama. Why does he think America espouses Israel?
“It’s because of what I call the notion of “political culture”. Israel was created in 1948 when the Holocaust was fresh in people’s minds. During the war, American culture had been decidedly anti-Semitic at the time. In fact they initially refused to accept Jewish refugees from Europe.
tinians were displaced in 1948 they had no where to go. Therefore, there has been an on going cycle of conflict ever since. But in 1967 the U.S. backed Israel against the Arab states, which also meant that they supported the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. The Americans subsequently moved military personnel and equipment there. Israel had become a strategic ally for the U.S. in the Middle East. However, this political strategy can never really be divorced from culture and the American affinity for Jewish people.” Israeli forces have defended their actions in Gaza by informing the world media that whenever they plan to bomb an area the inhabitants are forewarned by leaflets that are dropped from the sky. Is this a humanitarian consideration or a clever propaganda ploy? “It is complete psychological warfare, intended to scare people into turning away from Hamas. It is similar to Israeli claims that Hamas are using civilian structures to fire rockets from, effectively using their own people as human shields. Palestinian
“It’s like my son said the other day. It’s like two persistent children fighting over a toy. My opinion, and it is controversial, it that it was never just about the rockets”
Instead they sent them elsewhere like Palestine and Britain. After the war, America felt guilty for its treatment of the Jewish people so Truman recognised Israel. When Pales-
civilians are certainly not willingly protecting Hamas military structures. The Israeli authorities have so far neglected to provide evidence that Hamas is using civilian buildings. A video was released by the Israelis after the bombing of a UN school in Jabliya showing Hamas allegedly firing rockets from the building. Yet it turned out that this tape was from ’07 and there is no proof that it was the same building.” According to Lucas, what is the solution to the conflict in Gaza? “It’s like my son said the other day. It’s like two persistent children fighting over a toy. My opinion, and it is controversial, it that it was never just about the rockets. Israel wants regime change in Gaza by ousting Hamas. Whether this will happen or not is impossible to comment on. For now though, the bottom line is for Israel to end the siege and cease the economic blockade of Gaza while Hamas must agree to desist from firing rockets.”
» For further detailed information, updates and comment on the conflict and see Lucas’s website EnduringAmerica.com.