07/28/14: Injustice the enemy in Gaza
July 28, 2014
Injustice the enemy in Gaza
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140728/OPINION01/307280006#ixzz3AZlKFo82
Article by Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi
In addition to the many international crises, the Middle East, the center of the Abraham family, is on fire while two of the Abrahamic faith traditions are being hijacked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in the name of the Jewish state and Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in the name of the Islamic state.
But Netanyahu does not represent the true teachings of Judaism, nor does Al-Baghdadi represent the true teachings of Islam.
Let’s focus on the Gaza situation.
Nearly 2 million men, women and children have been surrounded from the air, sea and land to live in a virtual concentration camp with no easy exit.
Living under occupation and oppression, deprived of any real security, services, sovereignty or life opportunities such as education and jobs, the citizens of Gaza are left with no hope for the future.
Israel does not show any interest in dialogue with Gaza leaders and has no interest in relations with the Palestinian Authority.
When Hamas called for a unity government with the Palestinian Authority last month, Netanyahu attacked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying, “He can have peace with Israel or a pact with Hamas — he can’t have both.”
He said Israel would take “a number of additional measures” in response to the Palestinians’ “unilateral moves.”
More than 5,000 men, women and children of Gaza have been either killed or wounded in the first two weeks of Israel’s bombardment of residential areas.
More than 7,000 houses have been totally or partially destroyed. The area’s schools, hospitals, mosques, orphanages, stadiums, U.N. refugee camps and ambulances have been targeted.
Many people died under the rubble of their houses with no access to an ambulance or help.
The U.N. Human Rights Council considers Israeli’s actions to be violations of international law and to be war crimes, but it is quite clear that Israel will never cooperate with any U.N. investigations.
Israel has a mighty military, hundreds of nuclear missiles, laser-guided bombs and tremendous scientific knowledge. It has the unconditional support of the White House and Congress.
Having such a unique security position, why does the Israeli government react with fear, insecurity and frustration?
The real fear is not from Israel’s enemies, but from Israeli injustice.
What Israel is doing is not self-defense but self-destruction. NBC News reported that 58,000 Gaza children have suffered death, injury or homelessness in the first 10 days of the Israeli military operation.
To justify the Gaza genocide under the excuse of Hamas rocket attacks or tunnels is not acceptable, because Israel did not accept any chance for a political solution. International laws give the occupied people the right to resist by all available means.
To continue this brutal blockade and keep saying Gaza is not under occupation is an enormous joke.
For Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador, to say the Israeli army should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for unimaginable restraint in Gaza, is an insult to human dignity and intelligence. Dermer must apologize for such an attack on human integrity.
Even if Israel could win this war militarily, the price would be losing hearts and minds, starting with our State Department, which has already called the Gaza situation heartbreaking.
Mohammad Ali Elahi is imam of the Islamic House of Faith in Dearborn.