{"id":23556,"date":"2012-11-20T16:35:08","date_gmt":"2012-11-20T12:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/?p=23556"},"modified":"2012-11-20T16:35:24","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T12:35:24","slug":"ethical-code-of-the-hunter-not-applicable-to-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/showcase\/ethical-code-of-the-hunter-not-applicable-to-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Ethical Code of the Hunter’: Not Applicable To Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My husband comes from a family of hunters- in past years my father in law and I argued on the merits of hunting and the rules that guide him. I have learned through our exchanges that hunters abide by an ethical code that calls on them to use their skills responsibly and requires them to allow their prey a\u00a0fair chance to escape<\/a>.\u00a0Mind you these guidelines relate to killing animals- but what about human beings? What about the children of Gaza\u00a0do they have a fair chance to escape Israel’s\u00a0Operation\u00a0Pillar of Cloud<\/a>\u00a0(Pillar of Defense)\u00a0military onslaught?<\/p>\n

Gaza is home of more than 1.7 million Palestinians. The median population age in Gaza is 17 years and according\u00a0to the CIA World Fact Book\u00a044% of Gaza are children under\u00a0the age of 14<\/a>– meaning the vast majority of the Gaza population are young children. Gaza is\u00a0twice the size of Washington, DC<\/a>\u00a0and it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Many families living in Gaza are Palestinian refugees who prior to 1948 were the farmers, business owners and residents of nearby towns and seaside cities now controlled by Israel.\u00a0While the majority of Gaza residents are Muslim, a sizable\u00a0Palestinian\u00a0Christian<\/a>\u00a0community also lives in Gaza. Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip after winning\u00a0parliamentary elections in 2006. \u00a0It is important to note that in the early 70’s\u00a0Israel founded and funded Hamas<\/a>\u00a0to divide the secular Palestinian Liberation Organization and\u00a0dilute Palestinians’ secular<\/a>\u00a0and national affinity.<\/p>\n

Since\u00a02006<\/a>, Israel dominates Gaza’s\u00a0sea<\/a>, land and air – even rationing\u00a0the\u00a0daily caloric intake<\/a>\u00a0of the entire population. Isolated,\u00a0fenced and seiged<\/a>\u00a0with meager resources and limited access to essential supplies, its residents are vulnerable to any form of organized military attack. Small mediocre military power if interested can easily pummel the entire Gaza Strip with little effort; never mind a military state that is\u00a0generously<\/a>\u00a0funded by\u00a0US taxpayers<\/a>\u00a0who\u00a0since\u00a0inception is preparing for war<\/a>.\u00a0Is it fair for one of the world’s best-outfitted armies to bomb Gaza by sea and air while its residents are\u00a0sieged from all sides<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Undeniably some Palestinian groups within Gaza are armed and no matter how feeble and ill equipped they are- they still attempt to challenge Israel’s military forces and continue to test and bait Israel.\u00a0After every Israeli military operation they improve\u00a0their home made Qassam<\/a>\u00a0rocket capabilities and occasionally they have managed to smuggle more sophisticated rockets- but the bulk of their rockets are locally made and assembled. They use their rockets to respond to Israel’s border incursions, or object to Israel’s\u00a0extrajudicial killing<\/a>\u00a0of one of their\u00a0leaders<\/a>. While extrajudicial killing is shunned and denounced by the international community\u00a0and is illegal according to international and\u00a0human rights law<\/a>, it\u00a0is a routine Israeli practice that is regularly performed and executed by Israel’s IDF\u00a0soldiers<\/a>\u00a0who later become its\u00a0generals and leaders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Understandably the people of Gaza are frustrated with Israel’s cruel siege, its occupation policies and ill treatment of all Palestinians- farmer,\u00a0fisherman<\/a>, priest, laymen, young and old. They are also aware of the oddity and disparity between the IDF and Gaza’s rag tag militants. Gaza militant groups argue with those who object to their tactics by suggesting that for more than 6 years they have lived under Israel’s stifling siege without relief. They also point to the unsuccessful efforts of West Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians who\u00a0peacefully and non violently protest<\/a>\u00a0Israel’s occupation and expansion policies yet continue to struggle under Israel’s brutal military rule.<\/p>\n

Despite Qassam’s rockets crude, poor accuracy and limited range these rockets have managed to cause physical damage to nearby Israeli towns, killing and harming innocent Israelis. Ironically most of the Qassam rockets land on militants’\u00a0former hometowns and orchards<\/a>.\u00a0Absurdly and tragically as if calling for their Israeli neighbors to recognize the pain and loss they have endured.<\/p>\n

When rockets fired by Gaza militants are too close for comfort Israeli citizens can choose to leave to safer cities. Some can opt to leave the country by boat or plane until hostilities subside, or a truce takes hold. Those who choose to remain at home rely on Israel’s sophisticated system of\u00a0underground bunkers, emergency shelters<\/a>, Israel’s Iron Dome System, color-coded alerts and sirens to protect them from harm. In addition, thanks to our generous grants and military funding we helped Israel expand the capacity and capabilities of its IDF soldiers; and the development of its large fleet of technologically modified US-built aircrafts and Iron Dome batteries that intercept and detonate Qassam rockets in mid air.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately\u00a0Gaza’s children do not have access to any such protections. Neither are\u00a0the majority of the people of Gaza who are not involved with Gaza’s militant groups. They\u00a0are barred from leaving Gaza by sea or land courtesy of Israel’s IDF soldiers, drones, planes and naval fleet.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Netanyahu\u00a0stated that Israel must defend its citizens- an argument he shares with the militants of Gaza who also claim to be defenders of their people.\u00a0While most agree that Israel should defend its people, but will Israel address its 45-year occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, its six year long senseless Gaza blockade and its obsessive need to\u00a0control Palestinian’s every movement<\/a>? What are Israel’s reasons for clinging so dearly to their policy of occupation and wars? Are the\u00a0natural gas reserves off the shores of Gaza<\/a>, Israel’s hidden rationale for maintaining control of Gaza? Is the occupation more economically\u00a0profitable<\/a>\u00a0than peace for Israel?<\/p>\n

Israel’s demonstrated lack of interest in peaceful and diplomatic negotiations and policy of “muscular” confrontation lead many Palestinians to conclude that their occupation and siege are more\u00a0lucrative<\/a>\u00a0than peace. In fact according to experts Israel’s large military escapades\u00a0yield millions<\/a>\u00a0in contracts for\u00a0Israel’s security\u00a0and\u00a0defense companies. Not surprisingly as soon as Israel began its aerial attack on Gaza it also launched a titillating\u00a0online marketing campaign<\/a>\u00a0showcasing IDF’s military kills and capacities. Employing\u00a0IDF twitter and social media<\/a>\u00a0accounts,\u00a0using bolgs, news feeds outfitted with interactive buttons to share and spread content online- a sort of “Shock and Awe” social media frenzy.<\/p>\n

While the IDF is clearly attempting to control the war narrative with their news feeds they are also promoting Israel’s military sales. They remotely display Israel’s technological skills and hardware for militaristic countries to admire and purchase. The IDF first employed these marketing tools in 2006, and since then have improved and expanded their use with considerable and measurable success. After Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah they secured more than\u00a0$271 million<\/a>\u00a0in military contracts. Israel similarly marketed their 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead with on line feeds and their military sales surged with an unprecedented\u00a0$7.2 billion<\/a>.\u00a0In 2010 Israel was ranked as one of the\u00a0top four military exporters<\/a>\u00a0in the world.\u00a0But that does not mean that all\u00a0Israeli citizens agree<\/a>\u00a0with their governments’ military approach some have\u00a0publicly voiced their objection<\/a>\u00a0to Israel’s military attacks on Gaza.<\/p>\n

Israel’s\u00a0Pillar of Cloud<\/a>\u00a0Operation will certainly produce an upsurge of military contracts and Israel’s weapon manufacturing sector will grow and thrive. Meanwhile, Israel will leave behind a thick trail of blood and countless of\u00a0dead Palestinians<\/a>– including innocent young children plucked by Israel’s “surgical” bombs. Israel’s planes and pilots will exact a heavy price as they did during Operation Cast Lead\u00a0decimating Gaza’s landscape, destroying and\u00a0demolishing buildings<\/a>, schools, hospitals, houses of worships and homes forcing\u00a0many to again live in tents during the winter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Soon\u00a0after the rubble rests Israel\u00a0cement merchants<\/a>\u00a0will be busy selling their products to the besieged Gazan’s to\u00a0rebuild their homes and institutions<\/a>. So will\u00a0young Palestinian tunnel smugglers<\/a>, who will compete with Israeli merchants by offering the less expensive Egyptian cement. Interestingly, in the 1930’s and 1940’s young Jewish smugglers also built\u00a0extensive tunnels around Europe’s Jewish Ghettos<\/a>. Poor and starving Jewish ghetto dwellers were also encircled with walls and fences; barred and restricted from free travel; and their provisions were also calibrated and measured.\u00a0Like\u00a0Gaza’s tunnel smugglers<\/a>\u00a0they also sold smuggled goods and stashed weapons inside their walled communities\u00a0defying the Gendarmerie, the Blue Police, the S.S and the Transferstelle<\/a>\u00a0who shot, killed and maimed them.\u00a0Today Jews and Israelis laud these courageous souls as heroes willing to sacrifice their life for their Jewish community. Gaza’s young Palestinian smugglers also suffer a similar fate, many are shot by Israel’s snipers or die under the rubble of their destroyed tunnels courtesy of\u00a0Israel’s drones and IDF bombs- they are also viewed as common criminals and terrorists by the authorities that sanction and administer their siege.\u00a0Israelis have yet to realize that they are mirroring their horrific historical experiences on the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Israelis defend their actions by projecting much ill to the Palestinians while ignoring to reflect on their 45 years occupation policy and its consequences. Since 1967 they have operated under one guiding policy rhuberic\u00a0with little measurable success.\u00a0Israeli leaders have negated the\u00a0Oslo Accords of 1993<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0refusing to\u00a0fulfill its fundamental and key provision that call on Israel to withdraw its troops from the Palestinian Occupied Territories by 1998, they have refused to\u00a0engage in constructive and productive negotiations<\/a>\u00a0with the Palestinians. They have demonstrated that they will\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0tolerate complete control and dominance of all Palestinians living under their rule; and are determined to expand their illegal Israeli settlements beyond the\u00a0Green Line<\/a>\u00a0in spite of\u00a0international\u00a0protest<\/a>\u00a0and public\u00a0condemnations<\/a>. As difficult as it is for Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and their constant horrific struggle with Israel’s expanding profitable settlement enterprises, its foreboding illegal Separation Wall and labyrinth of stifling check points and harassing IDF soldiers; Israel’\u00a0control of Gaza<\/a>\u00a0is far more cruel and exasperating.<\/p>\n

Wars have a life of their own and will exact a price on victor and loser. The death of one Israeli or\u00a0Palestinian<\/a>\u00a0innocent child is too much for the sane to carry and\u00a0children on both sides<\/a>\u00a0will suffer the\u00a0trauma of a war<\/a>\u00a0they did not cause.\u00a0Israel’s recent “aerial precision” assaults\u00a0killed an 11 month old baby<\/a>, and another was executed in the midst of a\u00a0soccer field<\/a>\u00a0full of children playing while their parents were watching on the sideline- killing 2 children. Is this the best way to defend Israel? Never mind “who” started it first- Israel’s response legitimate or otherwise has to be measured considering its military might and absolute control of Gaza. And no matter how Israel justifies its actions or earns from its wars and occupation- its future prosperity cannot continue to be sustained by its military operations and occupation of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Once these military escapades and confrontational policies lose their luster; Israelis will begin an authentic evaluation of their government’s military policies and their impact on their own young soldiers, society at large and their Palestinian neighbors; and they will begin planning and advocating for the peace both peoples desire. And then their leaders will refrain from using contrived and inappropriate\u00a0Biblical<\/a>\u00a0terms for their deadly military operations; and instead launch civil campaigns to\u00a0build the homes they destroyed and\u00a0plant the olives they uprooted<\/a>\u00a0and appropriately and fittingly name them\u00a0“Tzedekah<\/em><\/a>” and “Rahamim<\/em><\/a>“- to restore the\u00a0moral compass and sanity<\/a>\u00a0of \u00a0the soldiers who executed and articulated Israel’s destructive policies- that equally scared its victims and victors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: There are so many agendas at play in Gaza today but one of them undeniably is the opportunity to showcase – and sell – weapons. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":272,"featured_media":23910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,82,483,119,60,482],"tags":[3182,3579,470,13967,278,861,227,2734,1572,18311,726,5666,122,18297,15440,2204,2638,318,143,8957,18302,2020,580],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/272"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mideastposts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}