Palestine Will Rise from the Ashes of Gaza

Rochester Anti War Network and Friends take a stand to oppose the occupation of Palestine. The Gaza massacre has brought out people across the world in mass protests. On Sunday January 25th we will meet at 1pm at the storefront to consider future actions.

Not so very long ago, the local Anti War forces struggled for months to come up with a statement on Palestine and Israel, wrestled with the potential for action, and gave up with nothing resolved. A couple of years ago, an activist left a demonstration because another person was carrying a sign demanding that Israel end the occupation of Palestine. Both individuals are Jewish, and the one who was carrying the sign has family in Israel. Arabs were understandably reticent, rarely responding to our invitations to meet with us, or come out for demonstrations.

Since the current Israeli onslaught on Gaza, we have had 3 demonstrations on the street, the largest in support of the local Arab Community, some of whom had come out for our demonstrations. I attended every one with my Kafiya and my bloody shroud. A demonstration was called in DC, and within days, 2 buses emerged, in cooperation with Buffalo activists, and the buses were filled. Many young Arabs participated. On the 25th, we have arranged a meeting for all the groups and concerned parties, to plan a series of actions going into the future to shine a light on the the Israeli occupation of Palestine and to call for it's end. We will not be silent.

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Israel has declared victory over Palestine. I don't know how you can have victory of heavy artillery and air-power over a lightly armed civilian population. The word 'win' doesn't make sense here. The war was loudly proclaimed as a defensive measure to halt the Qassams being fired over the border by a handful of (understandably) radicalized Palestinians. Israel killed over 1400 people, then declared 'Victory' while the Qassams were still being fired over the border, and instituted a unilateral cease fire. Olmert says that they have achieved their objectives. What could those objectives be? In response, Hamas claimed a unilateral ceasefire based on their surviving the onslaught, then proclaimed 'victory' as well. They proceeded to say that their ceasefire was 'contingent' on immediate Israeli withdrawal. In fact, they gave them one week. Israeli Leaders asserted that 'no one' would tell them what to do, but then they proceeded to withdraw their troops.

So what was the objective? The infrastructure of the Gaza Strip is destroyed, electrical plants, water purification and waste disposal services, UN schools and food distribution points. Police Stations, Government Offices and the University are destroyed. Hospitals and Ambulances have been attacked and thousands of severely wounded men women and children are without adequate medical care due to shortages of medicines, beds and technical life support machines. Over 50,000 are homeless. The population have become refugees in their own land, for the first time since the Nakba.

But they are still there, and their leadership still exists. Hamas has, indeed, won. The picture has just slightly shifted. The Security Council, as usual, did not stand up for Palestine, but the General Assembly called a special meeting to do so. The Arab league is deadlocked and silent, but several countries have broken diplomatic relations with Israel and the Emir of Qatar ultimately succeeded in convening a summit. Olmert called Bush, insisted that he drop his support for actions initiated by his own team to end the violence, and Bush capitulated. Then Olmert publicly humiliated him by bragging about it. Obama said nothing.

In the American Mainstream Press, they talk about Israel's suffering and Hamas violence, and made excuses for Israel's deadly assault on Gaza, but the truth flickers in the background. In Haaretz we find Gideon Levy's piece Gaza War Ended in Utter Failure for Israel where he enumerates the ways in which Israel lost the war. As'ad AbuKhalil posts On balance: Evaluation of the Israeli festival of slaughter and butchery in Gaza on his Angry Arab News Service blog. Israel's failure is an open secret.

On the day of Obama's inauguration, the Israeli Military was withdrawn. On his first day in office, President Obama called Abdullah of Jordan, Mubarek in Egypt who closed his borders to the desperate victims of a massacre, Olmert in Israel who conducted the massacre, and Abu Mazen, discredited President of Palestine. He said that he would work for a 2 State Solution with Fatah in charge, and he neglected to mention the borders. Apparently, Obama has no Vision for Palestine, no creative input or constructive angle to pursue. He offers nothing but more of the same at a time that demands something more than the same.

The NY Times is once again complaining about Hamas harassing Fatah. It is empty propaganda spun less than a week after the end of a desperate massacre, with the Gaza Strip destroyed, nearly 1500 dead and the siege unbroken. Israeli tanks line the border of Gaza. Palestinian enforcers, trained in Jordan, are now enforcing Israeli Law on the West Bank and Obama wants to send them to Gaza to man the checkpoints and borders. Two summers ago, Hamas preempted a Fatah coup arranged by the Americans and found themselves alone in charge of Gaza. Now Obama and Israel are prepared to bring in the men who failed the coup attempt to as Internationally sanctioned guards for the Gaza prison. This is the end of hope.

Beware oh Masters of War. You have awakened the sleeping dragon. Those who once believed your lies have found a taste of the bitter truth. Those who were divided have found a path to unity. Beware, oh Israel, when you have finally destroyed the possibility of two states, the path to one state will open. A path to Palestine will become clear. Beware Obama, when those dazzled by hope awaken, don't let them find despair. Yes, the sleeping dragon has awakened, and so far, he has only moved a finger here, and there a toe. But soon the dragon will ROAR.

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