Dan Freeman-Maloy
There is every reason to be outraged. But despite the severity of
Israeli atrocities in Gaza, we have little right to act surprised.
Whatever else can be said, Israel has made it abundantly clear that
until its actions are met with credible international sanctions, it
will subject Palestinians (and very likely others in the region) to
massive, recurring waves of violence.
This was clear when the Obama-Biden campaign helped to lay the
political foundation for this assault. It was clear when, amidst
threats of such an operation and ongoing colonization in the West
Bank, the European Union voted to upgrade relations with Israel
earlier this month. For those of us in Canada, it has been clear as
the Harper government has sharpened its alignment with Israel in the
absence of any sustained parliamentary opposition.
Still, although "Operation Cast Lead" (as the Israeli regime has
dubbed its latest assault) extends more or less naturally from
longstanding Israeli policies, it is many ways especially despicable.
The most obvious issue is its scale. Beginning on the morning of
Saturday the 27th, approximately 110 Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter
jets and helicopters bombarded the densely populated Gaza Strip with
more than 100 tons of explosives, initiating what may well evolve into
an even broader onslaught. By the end of the day, more than 230
Palestinians had been killed, an additional 780+ wounded.
As the death toll from air strikes continues to climb, hundreds of
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) infantry and armored corps troops have
been deployed on the border with Gaza along with IDF artillery
batteries, and several thousands reservists have been called up in
preparation for a potential ground invasion.
The assault has been characterized by brazen contempt for civilian
life and by crass, cynical diplomacy.
The Israeli daily Haaretz reports that the IDF, long planning for such
an operation, received final authorization the morning of Friday the
26th. That day, Major General Amiram Levin (res.) spoke on IDF Radio
and conveyed the flavour of Israeli military doctrine regarding the
then impending attack: "The whole issue of fighting against and
bringing down the Hamas regime is a mistake and very difficult to
achieve. What we have to do is act systematically with the aim of
punishing all the organizations that are firing the rockets and
mortars, as well as the civilians who are enabling them to fire and
hide." Yoav Galant, the head of Israeli Southern Command and a key
commander in the attack, has since stated that a key operational goal
is pursuing "the maximum number of enemy casualties keeping Israel
Defense Force casualties at a minimum." Recall that Israel has
designated the Gaza Strip as a whole an "enemy entity."
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