Tuesday night, Israel and
Hamas agreed to halt hostilities. Midnight local time was chosen. Hamas
didn't want conflict in the first place.
Israel is a rogue state. It's a serial provocateur. Multiple attacks were
launched. Hamas responded defensively. It's their right and responsibility
under international law. It had no other choice.
It was wrongly accused of terrorism. Israel planned Operation Pillar of
Cloud months ago.
Choosing target sites, overall tactics, and strategic aims require extensive
planning. Killing Qassam Brigades leader Ahmed Jabari enraged Gazans justifiably.
Israel did it to subvert a peace agreement he helped negotiate. Hamas
responded.
Conflict rages into day 8. Israel has lots of killing and destruction
left to do. It bears full responsibility for hostilities. It's guilty
of grievous crimes of war and against humanity.
Who knows when conflict will subside. Truce or not truce, it won't end.
Israel won't let it. Israeli ceasefires and other agreements aren't worth
the paper they're written on.
Duplicity, state terror, institutionalized racism, and belligerence as
a way of life define Israel. It menaces the region and humanity. It's
worse than ever under Netanyahu. He can't wait to kill again. Children
and other civilians are his favorite targets.
A previous article expressed doubts about an announced truce. Netanyahu
gave it away saying Israel "will not hesitate to do what is necessary
to defend our people."
In other words, Israel will enforce occupation harshness, continue targeted
assassinations after agreeing not to, bomb and shell at will, accost fishermen
at sea, kill farmers in their fields, shoot children for target practice,
and maintain Gaza's siege.
Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) explained. It headlined "For Israel, a
truce is the worst of all worlds: Tied hands, Hamas unbowed," saying:
Ending current hostilities prevents Israel from winning Operation Pillar
of Cloud decisively. Cast Lead was inconclusive. Invasion remains possible.
Air operations aren't enough.
Defeating Hamas requires full-scale war. In other words, Israel has lots
of killing left to do. Terror bombing is a favorite tactic. It's done
against civilians to break their morale, cause panic, weaken an enemy's
will to fight, and inflict mass casualties and punishment.
Geneva and other international laws forbid targeting civilians. The Laws
of War: Laws and Customs of War on Land (1907 Hague IV Convention) states:
Article 25: "The attack or bombardment, by whatever means, of towns, villages,
dwellings, or buildings which are undefended is prohibited."
Article 26: "The officer in command of an attacking force must, before
commencing a bombardment, except in cases of assault, do all in his power
to warn the authorities."
Article 27: "In sieges and bombardments, all necessary steps must be taken
to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science,
or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals, and places where
the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at
the time for military purposes."
Fourth Geneva protects civilians in time of war. It prohibits violence
of any type against them. It also requires treatment for sick and wounded
victims.
In September 1938, a League of Nations unanimous resolution prohibited
the:
"bombardment of cities, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings not in
the immediate neighborhood of the operations of land forces."
"In cases where (legitimate targets) are so situated, (aircraft) must
abstain from bombardment" if this action indiscriminately affects civilians.
The 1945 Nuremberg Principles prohibit "crimes against peace, war crimes
and crimes against humanity."
These include "inhumane acts committed against any civilian populations,
before or during the war."
Indiscriminate killing and "wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages,
or devastation not justified by military necessity" are absolutely prohibited.
The 1968 General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights prohibits launching
attacks against civilian populations. Israel and America do it repeatedly
by land, sea and terror bombings.
Guernica, Spain (1937) reflects Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Cloud.
On April 26, 1937, German and Italian aircraft fire-bombed the small Basque
town. It was done for their fascist ally, General Francisco Franco.
Guernica was destroyed. An estimated 1,650 people were killed. Many hundreds
more were injured. Hitler was practicing for bigger fish to fry.
Air force head Goring called the attack an "opportunity to test under
fire whether (munitions) had been adequately developed."
Joachim von Richthofen's later revealed secret document described a planned
operation, saying:
"First came the incendiary bombs which set a number of roofs on fire."
They were "followed the 250-kilogram heavy explosives" in order to "destroy
water pipes thus hindering the extinguishing of the fires."
He complained that direct hits weren't high enough. Improved precision
was needed. Numerous bridges and factories weren't struck.
An eyewitness said:
"The only things left standing were a church, a sacred tree, the symbol
of the Basque people."
"There hadn't been a single anti-aircraft gun in the town. It (was) mainly
a fire raid."
"A sight that haunted me for weeks was the charred bodies of several women
and children huddled together in what had been the cellar of a house."
Civilian sites were fair game. Guernica had no military significance.
Terror-bombing leveled the town. It was in flames. It wasn't the first
civilian air attack.
Germans did it in WW I. So did Britain against Iraq in the 1920s. Poison
gas was used. Then Secretary for Air and War Winston Churchill's secret
memo recommended it.
In a May 12, 1919, he wrote: "I do not understand the squeamishness about
the use of gas....I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against
uncivilised tribes."
In 1937, Hitler used explosives, fragmentation bombs and incendiaries.
Basque Autonomous Republic president Jose Antonio de Aguirre called the
attack more brutal than ever before seen. Fascism revealed its ugly face.
"They scorched the city and fired machine guns at the women and children
who fled in panic, resulting in numerous deaths," he said.
Bombing began at the busiest time of day, around 4:30PM. It was Monday,
market day.
One account said "streets were jammed with townspeople and peasants from
the countryside. Never before in modern warfare had noncombatants been
slaughtered in such numbers, and by such means."
Another account said,"Villagers who were not immediately killed fled to
the fields to take refuge, only to be ravaged by plunging machine gun
fighters."
British author/journalist George L. Steer wrote for The Times:
Up to that time, attacking Guernica was "unparalleled in military history."
Heavy bombing panicked people. Machine gun strafing drove them underground.
Incendiary bombs destroyed their hiding places. Everything going on was
horrifying.
"When I entered Guernica after midnight, houses were crashing on either
side, and it was utterly impossible even for firemen to enter the center
of the town."
"The hospitals of Josefinas and Convento de Santa Clara were glowing heaps
of embers. All the churches except that of Santa Maria were destroyed,
and the few houses which still stood were doomed."
"When I revisited Guernica this afternoon most of the town was still burning,
and new fires had broken out. About 30 dead were laid out in a ruined
hospital."
Guernica was history's first city destroyed by terror bombing. Civilian
men, women, and children were deliberately targeted. Military expert Wolfgang
Schmidt told Der Spiegel:
"For the German air force, Guernica was a trial run on how one can spread
horror and distress through attacks on cities and towns."
"Of course," bombing the city "was a blatant violation of human rights
and had a terrorist character. It was accepted that civilians would be
harmed."
It was worse than that. They were deliberately targeted to inflict mass
casualties.
A third or more of the population of 5,000 was either killed or wounded.
Almost three-fourths of Guernica's buildings were destroyed or heavily
damaged. Fires engulfed the city. They burned for three days. Area farms
were bombed.
A survivor said:
"The air was alive with the cries of the wounded. I saw a man crawling
down the street, dragging his broken legs."
"Pieces of people and animals were lying everywhere."
"In the wreckage there was a young woman. I could not take my eyes off
her. Bones stuck through her dress. Her head twisted right around her
neck. She lay, mouth open, her tongue hanging out. I vomited and lost
consciousness."
Guernica had no strategic significance. Hitler's bombed it for target
practice. It was dress rehearsal for WW II. Wehrmacht generals flexed
their muscles. They signaled what lay ahead.
On the attack's 70th anniversary, Der Spiegel called Guernica's destruction
"practicing blitzkrieg in Basque country." For Hitler's Condor Legion,
"it was little more than a training run."
Commander Wolfram von Richthofen said Guernica was "literally razed to
the ground. Bomb craters (were) seen in the streets. Simply wonderful."
He ignored how many people were slaughtered.
Pablo Picasso's famous painting portrayed what happened. In stark black,
white and gray, he depicted terror-bombing civilian men, women and children.
Twisted, writhing forms showed images of a screaming mother holding a
dead child, a corpse with wide-open eyes, and a gored horse. Art historian
Herbert Read called the work "a cry of outrage and horror amplified by
a great genius."
Guernica signaled what lay ahead. Both sides used terror bombing in WW
II. It's been used ever since. Intensity, kill count, and destructiveness
increased.
The London blitz, fire-bombing Dresden and Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and numerous other examples show its savagery. Palestinians know its ferocity.
Cast Lead inflicted 23 days of slaughter and mass destruction. Terror
weapons were used. Illegal ones. Gaza was blanketed with cluster bombs.
They're illegal. On impact, submunition bomblets are released over a wide
area. They kill, maim, destroy or disable targeted sites.
Flechette metal darts penetrate human bones. They cause horrific injuries.
Artillery shells contain thousands of them. Explosions release them at
high speed over a range of about 300 meters.
Depleted uranium munitions spread toxic radiation. Chemical and biological
agents were used. White phosphorous bombs and shells burned flesh to the
bone. Water can't extinguish it. Victim muscles and cells were completely
destroyed.
Thermobaric bomb blasts sucked oxygen from spaces and human lungs. Norwegian
Dr. Mads Gilbert traveled to Gaza in January 2009. He performed humanitarian
surgeries.
His book "Eyes in Gaza" explained the horror. He treated children with
legs blown off, abdomens sliced open, and various injuries never seen
before. Terror weapons caused them.
Gaza during Cast Lead was the "most horrific experience" of his life.
He spent two weeks at Al Shifa Hospital. He said Gaza today remains in
ruins. Siege causes disease, deaths and human misery.
Israeli attacks terrify people. Gaza's tunnel economy provides minimal
help. Israel and Egypt target it for destruction. People struggle on best
they can.
Operation Pillar of Cloud picked up where Cast Lead left off. Conflict
rages. Agreed truce so far is a mirage. Israel has unfinished business.
On day 8, slaughter and destruction continue.
On November 20 and 21, the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War
(KLFCW) held hearings on Israeli crimes of war and against humanity.
A November 20 press release said in part:
"Palestine witnesses relate(d) acts of 'genocide.' " Salah Al Sammouni
testified. On January 5, 2009, Israel murdered 21 family members. He lost
his father, mother, and infant daughter.
Dozens of other family members were injured. Salah's home was bombed three
times. Doing so had no military significance. It was done to terrorize
civilians.
He recounted "screaming, shouting and crying. Blood was everywhere. I
lifted my daughter and she had wounds on her neck and stomach."
"She was dead. Then I heard my wife calling my name. I went to her. There
were a lot of dead bodies on top of her. Then, I slowly pulled her out.
She was injured and she was covered in blood. Three of my sons were badly
injured and the other one had difficulties in breathing even now."
Mahmoud Al Sammouni was aged 12 during Cast Lead. He saw Israeli soldiers
shoot his father in cold blood. F-16s were terror bombing. Israeli soldiers
shot everyone in sight.
His four-year old brother was shot "twice in the chest and once in the
head." Four of his older brothers were shot "in their legs and behind
the ear."
He "walked barefooted" to Al Shifa Hospital for help.
"We went to the main road. Along the way we saw a lot of blood on the
street, spent bullet shells, shoes. Iron and metal pieces were all across
the street so that no one could pass."
"The soldiers were shooting randomly and people were scared. As we walked
along the road, we saw a tank at the side of the road. It was facing the
other way."
"When the soldiers saw us, the tank was turned in our direction and they
shot right above our heads."
Other testimonies were riveting. Israel again is terrorizing Gaza. So
far it's short of invasion. Eight days of terror bombing struck over 1,500
sites. Death and injury tolls keep mounting. Mass destruction was caused.
Israel bears full responsibility. Gaza again is its terror bombing victim.
Who knows when this will end. Palestinians know what ebbs will again flow
whenever Israel wishes. That's how rogue states operate. Israel is one
of the worst. |