The following item is a correspondance between myself and two Christians, one of whom is a pastor, regarding the war on Gaza that broke out last year. Pastor CW spawned the conversation after recieving an email from a Christian-Zionist.
CWL & Kent,
Thanks CW, for initiating this discussion, dialogue is always a step in the right direction. I skimmed though the articles provided in the email- from what I could tell, the links go to the website provider.
Concerning this issue one has to understand that it is very complex and goes back to the removal of Palestinians and subsequent land grab in 1948. Groups like Hamas and the Fatah grew out of the apartheid conditions implemented by the Israelis and supported by the west, specifically Britain and the US. War crimes (as defined by secular laws and the Shari’a) have continually been committed on both sides although the damage inflicted by the Israelis is typically 100:1 . The ongoing war on Gaza is simply a new phase of the longest military occupation on modern history. To answer CW’s question about a justification for the violence, there is none.
As with past conflicts, I whence each time I hear the oft-repeated Israeli propaganda disseminating its stories in the American press which swallows it up at a rate far greater than the media outlets it within Israel itself. Few have even mentioned Israel’s ban on journalists entering Gaza, yet, here are these blind supporters for Israel just repeating the Zionist tune, line after line. I have yet to hear any coverage in the mainstream media about the actual cause of the cease-fire ending. What remains repeated, again and again, be it in writing as provided in the initial email or on the news, is the lie spun in the American media and gobbled up by the under-informed which is that Hamas broke the cease-fire. Hamas did not break the cease-fire. For one, it expired; Israel broke the conditions of the cease-fire agreement six months ago, before the ink had a chance to dry.
On July 19th of last year, the two governments agreed to a cease-fire whereupon the Israelis also agreed to increase goods going into Gaza by 30% within 72 hours, and to "allow the transfer of all goods that were banned and restricted to go into Gaza" within two weeks of the signed agreement. Israel refused to live up to its promise. This was the initial breach. In the meantime, basic necessities of food and medical supplies remained (and remain) halted. The only means of obtaining these items has been through the tunnels controlled by the black market. The response from Hamas: maintain the cease-fire. On November 4th, Israeli soldiers crossed 300 meters into Gaza, and killed dozens of Palestinians, including the assassination of six government officials. The excuse for the incursion was a tunnel that was discovered by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Had the July cease-fire been fulfilled, the need for such tunnels would have been unnecessary. It was at this point that rockets were, in fact fired into Israel from Gaza by Hamas. Purveyors of the kind of rubbish found in the above article, Implications of the Violent Hamas Take Over of Gaza, ignore this fact and predictably place the blame on the victims.
There has been a considerable amount of attention placed on this idea that the city of Sderot has been the victim of thousands of rockets raining down upon it. By the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s own admission, none of the rockets have resulted in a fatality or significant damage and the average number of rockets during the first four months of the cease fire were three per month− down from 179 and none were the work of Hamas. Since the invasion of Gaza, the Israel Foreign Ministry has revised its numbers to support its military operations, casting such a revision into serious doubt. (Of course, if readers are just beginning to read these statistics, they would be unaware of the changes.) In any case, homemade rockets composed of fertilizers which have inflicted minimal damage over several years cannot compare to even the first day of the Israeli aerial bombardment of 14,000 pounds of explosives. The most recent addition to the arsenal is phosphorous bombs which often detonate in mid-air. The damage? An enormous cloud of burning-hot chemicals that often burn through the skin to the bone even after having been cleaned and dressed. Doctors are reporting children coming in to over-crowded, under-stocked emergency rooms with faces nearly melted.
Israel claims it is targeting only members of Hamas and the civilian casualties are the result of so-called “insurgents” attempting to blend in with the general population. Gaza is little more than a concentration camp with 4,000 people per square mile− the most densely populated land on the planet. This claim is akin to arguing that an aerial bombing of Manhattan could spare civilian casualties. Included in the bombing spree has been a university, a UN school, and at least two UN aid trucks, clearly marked, carrying much needed medical supplies. Contrary to statements of UN staff present in the school attack, the IDF claimed they were fired upon by militants inside the school. Not only was this statement refuted by UN staff, the IDF received GPS coordinates of all UN buildings. Unreported in any mainstream source was the ramming and firing on a boat carrying volunteer doctors from the US and UK by the Israeli Navy. Israel’s response? Civilians should leave the area. Where to?
Although there has not been any official figures (or discussion that I have seen), I think it only obvious that many of those fighting the IDF are actually civilians. The only other choices are either run or be gunned down. I don’t believe Americans would do anything different if we found ourselves in a similar situation− in fact, many gun-nuts point to this type of scenario whenever lawmakers attempt to limit assault weapons. The other often heard line is “what would you expect the US to do if it were being fired upon by Canada?” To which I respond, “what would Canada do if a Marine unit were dispatched into Canada and killed dozens of Canadians, including the assassination of six government officials?” To again address some of the claims made in the above article Implications of the Violent Hamas Take Over of Gaza the fact is, Hamas is the legitimate government of both Gaza and the West Bank, as voted by the people of Palestine free and fair elections. Despite its election victory, Israeli and US-supported the Fatah party took control of the West Bank by force. (Although Ariel Sharon closed the settlements in Gaza in 2006, settlements that were illegal to start with. In the meantime, it seized significant territory in the West Bank and has moved in over 12,000 settlers into Palestinian lands.) One of the reasons Hamas fighters blend in with civilians is because the military wing of Hamas is a civilian army. When Hamas won a victory in Palestine, attempts for creating a defense force of its own was met with a military blockade. The myth that Hamas had been building up its infrastructure for decades is a farce. There remains to be any solid governing infrastructure let alone significant Hamas force- no air force, navy, or elite ground forces exist. Yet, they are somehow a threat the second most equipped army on earth.
There may be some truth to the assertion that Hamas wants to build an Islamic state and implement Shari’a Law. Is not a democratically elected government allowed to be a sovereign state with self determination? Do opponents of Shari’a have even an ounce of understanding concerning its meaning? The same critics who constantly condemn the secularists in this country believe they themselves to be in the right when they unleash their tirades against Shari’a. It would appear then that secularism is not an option nor is Shari’a. Who, then, would like to impose their religion on whom? For if Palestine is barred from secular and Islamic governance, what else remains? Perhaps a Christian theocracy? It’s a wonder how the so-called Islamic threat is invoked by the right wing Christian Zionists, who, after all, argue “once they [Muslims] judge they are strong enough, they will move into the third stage of power when violence will be used, if necessary, to gain total control of state and society.” I challenge anyone to look at a global map and point out a single non-Muslim country that is occupied by a Muslim force. Switch the challenge around, and it becomes obvious who the aggressor is. The US has either occupied or otherwise directly or indirectly through financial and/or military support, violated the sovereignty of Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya….
Does all of this boil down to my support for Hamas and its crimes against Israeli civilians? No. There is no Islamic basis in the Qur’an or the prophetic tradition for attacks on innocent people. In fact, the Shari’a is very clear about the rules of military engagement. Even the mere use of fire as a weapon of war is forbidden which clearly includes all explosive devices. Suicide bombing, be it against civilians or military targets is likewise a capital offense, two-fold, in fact. A lot of what perpetrates these acts is a lack of knowledge when it comes to the fundamentals of Islamic education. More often than not, these are acts of desperation. People are fed up. They lack proper knowledge to deal with their frustrations in a reasonable manner and many have little faith in Islam. Sometimes referred as “the Mother of the Qur’an” God tells us in Sura al-Asr (103), “Verily, throughout time, mankind is in a state of loss, except those who come together for the mutual exchange of truth, patience, and consistency.” None of these guides is exclusive, especially sabr or “patience and consistency.” When people loose this, they become capable of the most horrific crimes. Those who believe they are in fact carrying out a religious duty murdering non-combatants are no more informed than the advocates of Christian white supremacy who pray for they day when they can liquidate anyone who doesn’t fit their profile of a master race.
The constant tirades against Muslims and the card blanche support for Israel in this country seems almost unconscionable. America sends tens of millions of tax dollars to Israel to keep it afloat, while its own economy nears the breaking point. Despite all its rhetoric against its nuclear adversaries surrendering their arsenals to inspection, Israel has never been cited for concealing its nuclear stockpile. Less we forget, one of the arguments used to invade Iraq were its so-called weapons of mass destruction. The same argument has been aimed at Iran but any moves against them have been delayed with our occupation of Iraq. Had “mission accomplished” been based in reality, the Bush administration would have gave the go-ahead to Israel’s recent request to attack Iran using American-controlled Iraqi airspace. It was a rare show of restraint; it should be mentioned, however, the timing for the invasion of Gaza could not have been more planned and is expected to end before next Tuesday with the swearing in of the president elect.
Perhaps someone could explain for me the concept of Christian support of Israel. It seems to me that both are each other’s pawns, at least among the right wingers. On one side, there are the Jews who believe themselves to be the chosen people of God and therefore superior to the human race or gentile heathens living in the world. On the other are the Christians who also believe the Jews to be God’s chosen people but after the Second Coming will either convert or be “left behind” to suffer divine punishment. What’s amiss about this, aside from the contemptible concept of God being a racist, is when Jews learn that Christian Zionists only support Israel for their own purposes of hastening the coming of the Messiah, they are shocked. Likewise, when Christians consider they are included among the gentile savages of the world. Now, obviously, these are two extreme modes of thinking, but at the same time very fundamental to understanding the current crisis surrounding Israel and Palestine but I would like to know your educated opinions on this.
There is so much more to address here but I thought it only pertinent to address the overall theme of the contents of the email under concern which feeds a lot of the anti-Islamic sentiment in the west today.
God Bless,
Zain
CWL & Kent,
Thanks CW, for initiating this discussion, dialogue is always a step in the right direction. I skimmed though the articles provided in the email- from what I could tell, the links go to the website provider.
Concerning this issue one has to understand that it is very complex and goes back to the removal of Palestinians and subsequent land grab in 1948. Groups like Hamas and the Fatah grew out of the apartheid conditions implemented by the Israelis and supported by the west, specifically Britain and the US. War crimes (as defined by secular laws and the Shari’a) have continually been committed on both sides although the damage inflicted by the Israelis is typically 100:1 . The ongoing war on Gaza is simply a new phase of the longest military occupation on modern history. To answer CW’s question about a justification for the violence, there is none.
As with past conflicts, I whence each time I hear the oft-repeated Israeli propaganda disseminating its stories in the American press which swallows it up at a rate far greater than the media outlets it within Israel itself. Few have even mentioned Israel’s ban on journalists entering Gaza, yet, here are these blind supporters for Israel just repeating the Zionist tune, line after line. I have yet to hear any coverage in the mainstream media about the actual cause of the cease-fire ending. What remains repeated, again and again, be it in writing as provided in the initial email or on the news, is the lie spun in the American media and gobbled up by the under-informed which is that Hamas broke the cease-fire. Hamas did not break the cease-fire. For one, it expired; Israel broke the conditions of the cease-fire agreement six months ago, before the ink had a chance to dry.
On July 19th of last year, the two governments agreed to a cease-fire whereupon the Israelis also agreed to increase goods going into Gaza by 30% within 72 hours, and to "allow the transfer of all goods that were banned and restricted to go into Gaza" within two weeks of the signed agreement. Israel refused to live up to its promise. This was the initial breach. In the meantime, basic necessities of food and medical supplies remained (and remain) halted. The only means of obtaining these items has been through the tunnels controlled by the black market. The response from Hamas: maintain the cease-fire. On November 4th, Israeli soldiers crossed 300 meters into Gaza, and killed dozens of Palestinians, including the assassination of six government officials. The excuse for the incursion was a tunnel that was discovered by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Had the July cease-fire been fulfilled, the need for such tunnels would have been unnecessary. It was at this point that rockets were, in fact fired into Israel from Gaza by Hamas. Purveyors of the kind of rubbish found in the above article, Implications of the Violent Hamas Take Over of Gaza, ignore this fact and predictably place the blame on the victims.
There has been a considerable amount of attention placed on this idea that the city of Sderot has been the victim of thousands of rockets raining down upon it. By the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s own admission, none of the rockets have resulted in a fatality or significant damage and the average number of rockets during the first four months of the cease fire were three per month− down from 179 and none were the work of Hamas. Since the invasion of Gaza, the Israel Foreign Ministry has revised its numbers to support its military operations, casting such a revision into serious doubt. (Of course, if readers are just beginning to read these statistics, they would be unaware of the changes.) In any case, homemade rockets composed of fertilizers which have inflicted minimal damage over several years cannot compare to even the first day of the Israeli aerial bombardment of 14,000 pounds of explosives. The most recent addition to the arsenal is phosphorous bombs which often detonate in mid-air. The damage? An enormous cloud of burning-hot chemicals that often burn through the skin to the bone even after having been cleaned and dressed. Doctors are reporting children coming in to over-crowded, under-stocked emergency rooms with faces nearly melted.
Israel claims it is targeting only members of Hamas and the civilian casualties are the result of so-called “insurgents” attempting to blend in with the general population. Gaza is little more than a concentration camp with 4,000 people per square mile− the most densely populated land on the planet. This claim is akin to arguing that an aerial bombing of Manhattan could spare civilian casualties. Included in the bombing spree has been a university, a UN school, and at least two UN aid trucks, clearly marked, carrying much needed medical supplies. Contrary to statements of UN staff present in the school attack, the IDF claimed they were fired upon by militants inside the school. Not only was this statement refuted by UN staff, the IDF received GPS coordinates of all UN buildings. Unreported in any mainstream source was the ramming and firing on a boat carrying volunteer doctors from the US and UK by the Israeli Navy. Israel’s response? Civilians should leave the area. Where to?
Although there has not been any official figures (or discussion that I have seen), I think it only obvious that many of those fighting the IDF are actually civilians. The only other choices are either run or be gunned down. I don’t believe Americans would do anything different if we found ourselves in a similar situation− in fact, many gun-nuts point to this type of scenario whenever lawmakers attempt to limit assault weapons. The other often heard line is “what would you expect the US to do if it were being fired upon by Canada?” To which I respond, “what would Canada do if a Marine unit were dispatched into Canada and killed dozens of Canadians, including the assassination of six government officials?” To again address some of the claims made in the above article Implications of the Violent Hamas Take Over of Gaza the fact is, Hamas is the legitimate government of both Gaza and the West Bank, as voted by the people of Palestine free and fair elections. Despite its election victory, Israeli and US-supported the Fatah party took control of the West Bank by force. (Although Ariel Sharon closed the settlements in Gaza in 2006, settlements that were illegal to start with. In the meantime, it seized significant territory in the West Bank and has moved in over 12,000 settlers into Palestinian lands.) One of the reasons Hamas fighters blend in with civilians is because the military wing of Hamas is a civilian army. When Hamas won a victory in Palestine, attempts for creating a defense force of its own was met with a military blockade. The myth that Hamas had been building up its infrastructure for decades is a farce. There remains to be any solid governing infrastructure let alone significant Hamas force- no air force, navy, or elite ground forces exist. Yet, they are somehow a threat the second most equipped army on earth.
There may be some truth to the assertion that Hamas wants to build an Islamic state and implement Shari’a Law. Is not a democratically elected government allowed to be a sovereign state with self determination? Do opponents of Shari’a have even an ounce of understanding concerning its meaning? The same critics who constantly condemn the secularists in this country believe they themselves to be in the right when they unleash their tirades against Shari’a. It would appear then that secularism is not an option nor is Shari’a. Who, then, would like to impose their religion on whom? For if Palestine is barred from secular and Islamic governance, what else remains? Perhaps a Christian theocracy? It’s a wonder how the so-called Islamic threat is invoked by the right wing Christian Zionists, who, after all, argue “once they [Muslims] judge they are strong enough, they will move into the third stage of power when violence will be used, if necessary, to gain total control of state and society.” I challenge anyone to look at a global map and point out a single non-Muslim country that is occupied by a Muslim force. Switch the challenge around, and it becomes obvious who the aggressor is. The US has either occupied or otherwise directly or indirectly through financial and/or military support, violated the sovereignty of Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya….
Does all of this boil down to my support for Hamas and its crimes against Israeli civilians? No. There is no Islamic basis in the Qur’an or the prophetic tradition for attacks on innocent people. In fact, the Shari’a is very clear about the rules of military engagement. Even the mere use of fire as a weapon of war is forbidden which clearly includes all explosive devices. Suicide bombing, be it against civilians or military targets is likewise a capital offense, two-fold, in fact. A lot of what perpetrates these acts is a lack of knowledge when it comes to the fundamentals of Islamic education. More often than not, these are acts of desperation. People are fed up. They lack proper knowledge to deal with their frustrations in a reasonable manner and many have little faith in Islam. Sometimes referred as “the Mother of the Qur’an” God tells us in Sura al-Asr (103), “Verily, throughout time, mankind is in a state of loss, except those who come together for the mutual exchange of truth, patience, and consistency.” None of these guides is exclusive, especially sabr or “patience and consistency.” When people loose this, they become capable of the most horrific crimes. Those who believe they are in fact carrying out a religious duty murdering non-combatants are no more informed than the advocates of Christian white supremacy who pray for they day when they can liquidate anyone who doesn’t fit their profile of a master race.
The constant tirades against Muslims and the card blanche support for Israel in this country seems almost unconscionable. America sends tens of millions of tax dollars to Israel to keep it afloat, while its own economy nears the breaking point. Despite all its rhetoric against its nuclear adversaries surrendering their arsenals to inspection, Israel has never been cited for concealing its nuclear stockpile. Less we forget, one of the arguments used to invade Iraq were its so-called weapons of mass destruction. The same argument has been aimed at Iran but any moves against them have been delayed with our occupation of Iraq. Had “mission accomplished” been based in reality, the Bush administration would have gave the go-ahead to Israel’s recent request to attack Iran using American-controlled Iraqi airspace. It was a rare show of restraint; it should be mentioned, however, the timing for the invasion of Gaza could not have been more planned and is expected to end before next Tuesday with the swearing in of the president elect.
Perhaps someone could explain for me the concept of Christian support of Israel. It seems to me that both are each other’s pawns, at least among the right wingers. On one side, there are the Jews who believe themselves to be the chosen people of God and therefore superior to the human race or gentile heathens living in the world. On the other are the Christians who also believe the Jews to be God’s chosen people but after the Second Coming will either convert or be “left behind” to suffer divine punishment. What’s amiss about this, aside from the contemptible concept of God being a racist, is when Jews learn that Christian Zionists only support Israel for their own purposes of hastening the coming of the Messiah, they are shocked. Likewise, when Christians consider they are included among the gentile savages of the world. Now, obviously, these are two extreme modes of thinking, but at the same time very fundamental to understanding the current crisis surrounding Israel and Palestine but I would like to know your educated opinions on this.
There is so much more to address here but I thought it only pertinent to address the overall theme of the contents of the email under concern which feeds a lot of the anti-Islamic sentiment in the west today.
God Bless,
Zain
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