Unreported Israel

On the 9th of July, 2004 the International Court of Justice issued its official ruling about Israeli occupied Palestine; the court found the construction of the Israeli wall in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, to be contrary to international law and that Israel was under an obligation to cease, among other things, construction of the barrier and to dismantle sections already built. In the past ten years, the calamitous stalemate on the West Bank has only worsened, in contravention of this ruling, and there has recently been an alarming escalation of violence since the deaths of four teenagers last week: three Israelis, and a Palestinian killed in revenge. The chaos of retributive attacks has seen daily more headlines lamenting the loss of life on both sides, but very few put those first deaths, and the ensuing violence in context.

There were problems with the initial coverage: the kidnap and murder of the three Israeli teenagers, though undoubtedly horrific, sparked an international media furore, and was condemned publically by David Cameron and Barak Obama, yet the far more frequent deaths of Palestinian children, at the hand of Israelis, rarely warrants a small piece buried in the middle of the newspaper, let alone headline coverage. Since then, many have been condemned for their reportage which seems to play into an Israeli narrative: that this is an equal exchange of fire, and that their airstrikes are necessary defense against terrorists. And, while some broadcasters do draw attention to the disparity between Israeli airstrikes, which have racked up a death toll of hundreds, including many children, and the Hamas rocket attacks, which have so far (in the recent violence) killed only one, there has been no reference to the fact that were if not for the Israeli occupation, this would not be happening in the first place. The kidnappings which prompted this recent surge of attacks cannot be justified; however they must be seen as part of a wider outrage, this is not motiveless crime. The illegal occupation by Israel is barely ever acknowledged, the view that the Palestinians are trying to overthrow an illegal, militarily rule is seldom, if ever, heard in the context of this recent coverage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jgn_wh7GVQ

Much media treatment refers to the Israeli strikes targeting militia leaders and headquarters, which downplays any suggestion of excessive force, and ignores the fact that whatever the target, many civilians, many civilian children, are the victims. There should be no different treatment for Hamas and the Israeli government, both sides are lobbing shells, both sides are killing innocents; that the Israeli strikes are state sanctioned, rather than by a unofficial militia, does not make them any less deadly or reprehensible. To label the Palestinian strikes acts of terrorism validates and legitimaises the Israeli ones, which have killed many more, and feeds the problems, the anger and frustration of Hamas, while turning a blind eye to the fundamental problem caused by Israel. Similarly, although it does not excuse their deaths, the three Israeli teenagers were living as illegal settlers on the West Bank; it does not diminish what happened to note that this was the indirect result of hard line Israeli policy. Every time a news report or politician’s statement refers to the ‘situation in the Middle East’ or the ‘crisis in Gaza’, without giving some salient background that helps explains the Hamas and other militias’ violent desperation, we are not only abandoning the Palestinian people, but exacerbating the situation. While Palestinians, and crucially, Hamas feel ignored and sidelined by the West who take such a strong interest in Israeli interests they will be driven to rash and violent action.

Damaged housing Gaza strip April 2009

It is also important to understand the siege mentality of the Jewish State surrounded by hostile neighbours. There is an entrenched ideology that helps explain their strident, and aggressively defensive behaviour: the Isreali state, a necessary haven for Jewish people after centuries of persecution in Europe and around the World, culminating in the horrors of the Holocaust, is still threatened by its Arab neighbours, and anti-Israeli sentiment is another form of attack.In trying to ensure that the Jewish people are never again persecuted or driven from their homes again, and that Israel is never invaded as it was during the 1960s and ‘70s, the Israeli state is inflicting these same horrors on the Palestinians. The Holocaust was politicised by some Jewish lobbyists campaigning for the U.S. to recognise the Israeli state, and, rightly or wrongly, it worked. Less than guilt, or a feeling of solidarity for the Jewish nation, the U.S. felt the need for a pro-American counterweight in the Middle East, and acted accordingly. Past crimes (and the Holocaust is the most infamous example) should never be forgotten, but they have no place in modern politics and statesmanship, and the watershed for this political gameplay is past. It would help if the Obama administration really did distance itself from Israel; far from acting as a stabilising influence, having a “big brother” hovering over the situation will only inflame tensions if it seems so partisan. Perhaps the thawing between Iran and the U.S. will bring this about.

What has been so galling to Palestinians, and many observers around the world, is the apparent impunity and immunity which seems to accompany Israeli breaches of international law, and this is casting as dark a shadow over the peace process. Tempering our unquestioning support of Israel, acknowledging Palestinian injustices, trying to level the playing field will not solve everything, but it may help. Israeli and Palestinan leaders must try to change the pattern of past behavior and find a workable solution, which places a higher value on human life than past hurts, recrimination and national pride. The outcry of ordinary Palestinians who condemned the original kidnappings, and the similar reaction by Israeli people to the retaliatory killing were a brief flash of hope. If only this were Shakespeare, the Montages and Capulets of the West Bank would put away their swords, sickened by the death of their children.