Gaza Desiderata

"The community of peace organizations in Israel has gathered together in a coordinated, major campaign calling on the Israeli government and on the international community to end the siege on Gaza and to embark upon negotiations with the elected Palestinian leadership."

This is a quote from "The Scoop" from New Zealand, a country which, according to my maps, is some sizable distance from the Middle East, and which has a singular paucity of outstanding authorities on that area.

It must be my recalcitrant nature, but I am at a loss to explain--or so far, to have anyone to explain to me--exactly what is the atrocity that is allegedly taking place in Gaza: If there is a shred of validity to the claim regarding the conditions in Gaza, it is that those conditions have worsened since the Israeli government has stopped sending tax revenues to the Hamas government in Gaza.

Are you savoring each word I just wrote? Is the immediate implication of this not apparent? The simple and mind-boggling fact remains that the Israeli government has, for the past half a century, and despite four wars aimed at Israel's extinction, been sending tax revenues to a place whose leaders and some of its populous have unceasingly called for the destruction of Israel and whose schools and institutions--even their maps--call for the destruction of Israel, and, it goes without saying, refuse even to accept Israel's right to exist. Arabs in Israel are Israeli citizens and entitled to all the rights and privileges thereunto appertaining.

Can we pause briefly over the wording here--denying a nation or an individual's "right to exist?" Are you understanding what this means?

One would think that the Arab countries, whose resources are unimaginably vast, could throw a few shekels the way of Palestine. One would think that the Jordanian government, which, in virtue of its Royal Guard, virtually extinguished the (only) uprising against Jordan, fifty years ago. By some strange coincidence, the Palestinians never tried that again.

One would think these things, but one would be wrong. There is a saying in the area that the Israelis are no one's first choice for control of the Palestinians, but the Israelis are everyone's second choice.

Imagine, if you will, how our citizens feel about the continued invasion of our country across our southern border. And rhetoric imitates life in the arrogance of the Mexican president complaining bitterly about the fence which is supposed to be built (without funding) to protect that border. (Perhaps that's why we have heard less recently in the way of criticism of the Israeli border fence?) To add irony to tragedy, we now have discovered tunnels built under our southern border for the purpose of smuggling people and God-knows-what across our border.

But God does know what has been smuggled through tunnels across the border from Gaza--munitions, arms, bombs and whatnot. This is Israel's thanks for evacuating Gaza, dragging her own citizens out, followed by the wholesale destruction of the vinyards and greenhouses that could have supported the Gazan population, after which missle and rocket launchers were moved up to the border, from which more rockets have been launched.

And all of this passion for Jerusalem.... Jerusalem was never mentioned in Palestinian or Arabic writings until 1948 when--voila!--Israel was declared a country. There is no mention in the Koran or anywhere else, for that matter. A lot of things aren't mentioned in the Koran: the word "love" for example.

Over 95% of original Palestine is in Jordan, yet no one finds that of particular interest. Here's another statement of no particular interest: 80% of Jordan--is--Palestine, belongs to the people calling themselves Palestinians. "Transjordan" was carved out of Palestininan land; and except for a loosely-strewn series of Hashemite kingdoms in the north and south of Jordan, the rest is--Palestine.

Go to U-tube or Google video and look up the propaganda films shown to the Palestinian children. If that doesn't make the rest of your hair fall out, nothing will.

I have yet to see one report of even isolated, let alone documented systematic attempts to attack the Palestinians from Israel. Each and every operation in Gaza has been in direct response to hostilities launched against Israel. (We won't even speak of the continued rocket attacks from Lebanon, about which the UN forces do nothing, as per usual.)

Ehud Olmert is the best friend Gaza and Lebanon ever had. Perhaps we can effect a new kind of swap: Olmert for Elad Galit. Seems like a fair exchange.