The View from Jordan: War Crime Over and Over

The Jordan Times, January 8, 2009 - ....To even consider whether or not there is a humanitarian crisis now in Gaza, which Israeli politicians deny, is ludicrous. There has been a humanitarian crisis in Gaza for a year-and-a-half.

The slow reaction of the international community should not come as a surprise, but is nevertheless appalling.

These, one would hope, are the violent death throes of the neocons, under whose iron-fist ideology the world, in particular this part of the world, has suffered dramatically for the past eight years. That the neocons in Washington should choose to lash out through their proxy in Israel is sad and cowardly, but entirely par for the course.

And to all those who accepted Israel’s explanation that for eight years Israelis have lived in terror of rocket attacks, consider this: this terrifying rocket menace, which started in 2001 and was first fired mostly at the illegal settlements and military targets inside Gaza, has killed 18 Israelis. That is, 18 in eight years.

This may certainly be too many. But if that is too many, what is nearly 700 dead in 12 days? What it is not is self-defence, especially in the context of 41 years of illegal, belligerent military occupation?

What is this, if not a war crime on the back of a war crime?