|
|
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
Over 5,000 Palestinians demonstrated yesterday on the main north-south road in Gaza to protest Israel's chronic shortage of food, medical supplies, fuel and electricity to Gaza. The event was organized by Hamas.
The crowd hoisted banners in English and Arabic, saying "End the siege of Gaza now", and "Your siege will not break our will," according to The Guardian.
The event was a commendable demonstration by Hamas – who usually make headlines because of violent attacks. But the human chain, despite its amazing show of Palestinian solidarity against Israel’s life-threatening blockade, did little to ease tensions along the border.
Toward the end of the demonstration, Isreali troops opened fire on two youth who set a tire on fire, injuring them both.
Other violence was reported after the demonstration when some Palestinians tried to charge the border.
The demonstration ended with heavy rain along the strip: an ominous symbol of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Photograph: Abid Katib/Getty Images
!
Also missing here is the question, when are the people of Gaza going to stand up to there Government (Hamas) and say quit firing rockets over there and they wont come here!
Lets face it, we've all had friends or family tell us something that got us worked up, only to find there was the other side of the story.
This story is tragic to be sure but please let us put a little more info out there so we can each make a better informed opinion then possibly a knee jerk one.
I couldn't agree more that the citizens of Gaza could and should make a pressing case for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel to end the loss of civilian life there.
I am also left to wonder when the people of Israel are going to stand up to their government and ask it to end its illegal occupation, stop the construction of the wall that is severly impacting the lives of many Palestinians, and to reduce the number of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli retaliatory missile strikes.
1. The "Palestinian" Arabs did not complain when they were illegally occupied by Egypt and Jordan.
2. The Israeli public understands that their existence is threatened by an exploding Arab population that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist.
I am not a right-wing reactionary. I am a progressive atheist who fails to see what is so "progressive" about supporting a bunch of terrorists. Since when is setting things on fire and throwing rocks a "peaceful protest," anyway?
Link
It answers L. Wilson quite well.