Area Resident, as a result of the acts undertaken by terror activists in your area against Israel, the IDF is forced to respond immediately and operate in this area. For your own safety, you are asked to leave the area immediately.” These were the words printed on the leaflets dropped on Northern Gaza on January 3, the very day that Israeli tanks rolled into the Gaza Strip, according to Griff Witte of The Washington Post. Palestinians panicked, and only later realized that being in the streets was safer than remaining in their homes, because their houses were being destroyed with many civilians inside.
In what many in the international community have said was an illegal invasion, Witte commented that “it was unclear where the residents were supposed to go; Gaza is tiny, and no part of the strip, home to 1.5 million people, has been spared from attack.” In reply, Hamas officials called upon their people to start suicide bombing Israeli troops, and to make Gaza a “graveyard” for the Israelis. On January 18, a cease-fire was declared between the two factions.
Daphne Shtarker, a first year graduate student at UB, is an Israeli native who looks upon the recent war as regrettably unavoidable. When asked whether or not the war was necessary, she replied, “We had no choice…I don’t know of any country in the world who would put up with a daily bombardment on their cities and civilians.” Shtarker asked, “Can you imagine? Rockets falling on UB? It would be unbearable. I sit in class sometimes and think, ‘I wonder if my classmates are aware of how lucky they are to not have to ever go through such a thing.’” In regards to the cease-fire, she said, “I just hope it lasts. I really hope it is going to be a true cease-fire, and not just an opportunity for Hamas to rearm itself and regain power.”
Zeyad Saeed, a junior social science major and president of the United Nations Student Association at UB, is an opponent to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. He agrees that the cease-fire will not last. “I don’t think it will hold. Israel will still close the border, and Hamas wants to go through. So I don’t see that happening. Long-term I don’t think so, short-term, only to get the aid in.” Saeed doesn’t understand why the United States refused to intervene in the conflict.
“The United States vetoed every resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire,” said Saeed. “Obviously the US is the only superpower, so they can control whatever happens, especially in that area. It’s amazing how they allow this to happen.” He continued, “The US could have come in immediately and said ‘end the violence right away.’ They didn’t even have to choose a side. Obviously we know they’re pro-Israel and will stay that way, and our tax dollars go to that. So, basically, I’m paying for my tax dollars to go to Israel.”
On December 27, in a response to rocket attacks fired from Gaza into southern Israel, Israel began launching air strikes against any site in Gaza that has been used by Hamas, the leading political party in the strip for the last 18 months , to fire rockets into Israel. The failure of the air attacks to deter Hamas fighters from firing rockets led to the January 3 invasion. The Jerusalem Post reported that a destruction of smuggling tunnels used by Hamas to attain munitions was another goal of the offensive.
Yet only three days after the cease-fire had been established, Hamas was again using its smuggling tunnels. Brenda Gazzar of The Jerusalem Post reported seeing Palestinian smugglers on AP Television News footage transporting petrol that arrived through one such tunnel from Egypt. Rockets and other munitions have been regularly smuggled into Gaza through these tunnels.
Naji Mahmoud, a senior electrical engineering major, had no hope for a true cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. “Its sad to say, I don’t see peace in the near future at all. One side’s vision of peace is the other side’s vision of war. Their ideas for peace do not coincide.”
CNN reports that although Israel has come under condemnation from the international community, including U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann calling the invasion a “monstrosity.” The United States, on the other hand, put the blame completely on Hamas, and the United States refused to recognize what most in the international community has called a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip.
“Any person who is an innocent civilian, men, women, and children—it doesn’t matter—it’s terrible when they get hurt. What bothers me is that they say they don’t have supplies or hospitals,” said Shtarker. “You had billions and billions of dollars from Europe, the United States, the Arab countries to develop hospitals and schools. The hospitals you currently have in Palestinian Authority were built by Israel. Instead of taking the money and using it toward terror, or bombarding Israel, use it to build infrastructure and help your own people.”
In a press briefing on January 14, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino fielded a number of questions regarding this conflict. In a response to a question regarding Palestinian civilian casualties, Perino said, “From the beginning, we have been pressing Israel about civilian casualties and protecting innocent people. One of the problems is that the enemy, Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, hides amongst innocent people and uses them for human shields. But, yes, of course we continue to urge Israel to try to prevent civilian casualties. I believe that they understand that and are trying.” Perino stated that the conflict should end when Israel’s goal is met. “The rockets had to stop being sent from Gaza into Israel.”
Ferhian Abdallah, a freshman nursing major, believes that the sort of attitude shown by Perino is a problem for the image of the United States in the world community. “I think America’s image does look worse, because the image of America is different from other countries. We’re supposed to be the land of the free, of opportunities,” said Abdallah. “To us it [U.S.’s image] looks awesome, but when you’re living in another country it’s different because we’re supporting little kids dying. Believe it or not, we’re the ones giving them money to do what they do. We’re killing them ourselves.”
Israel’s invasion of Gaza has culminated in what humanitarian groups have called atrocities. CNN reports that the death toll in Gaza is over 1,073, and the wounded total 4,700. In contrast, 13 Israelis died, three being Israeli civilians. According to Jonathan Cook, of The National, Al Haq, a Palestinian legal rights group, estimates that 80 percent of the casualties in Gaza have been civilian casualties. The World Health Organization released a report that says 40 percent of casualties have been children.
Shtarker commented on the repetition of the casualties in the conflict. “Yes, 1,000 Palestinians died. Of course it doesn’t sound good if you say, ‘Oh, only ten Israelis died’…But what does that mean? Israel is on the wrong side?” The graduate student continued, saying, “I heard a lot of reporters asking Israel ‘is it proportionate?’ What would be proportionate? Israel launching 8,000 rockets to wherever it lands in the Gaza Strip? That would have brought many more deaths than 1,000.”
Saeed holds the opposite view of Shtarker. When asked whether or not the eight years of continuous rocket attacks by Hamas justified Israel’s invasion, he responded “What bothers me the most is their claim of self-defense. Self-defense only goes to a certain point. This is just a humanitarian crisis…Obviously, if it’s a war, you’re going to have casualties.” he said. Saeed’s main concerns are the number of civilian casualties, which he regards as being utterly unjustifiable, and the bias of the media in favor of Israel.
The United Nations has demanded an investigation into the bombing of a U.N. school located in the refugee camp of Jabaliva. Cook reports that “U.N. officials, noting that they had passed on the school’s GPS coordinates to Israel and that it was clearly marked with a U.N. flag, insisted that only civilians had sought refuge at the school.” Israel’s rebuttal was that Hamas fighters had recently fired from the school. Cook states that Amnesty International, an international human rights group, “also accused Israeli soldiers of using Palestinian civilians as human shields—a charge Israel has repeatedly leveled against Hamas.”
Contrary to this however, is the fact that there is documented visual evidence that Hamas did fire munitions from this school. At Camera.org, otherwise known as the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, there is video showing mortars and rockets being fired from the school in Jabaliva.
Furthermore, The Jerusalem Post reports instances of families reporting to the Palestinian Authority Hamas’ use of civilian property as miliatary installations. As far as the charge of human shields is concerned, Saeed does not believe that Hamas would resort to that level of inhumanity. “Using civilians to shield themselves? I don’t believe. No human being would use a child like that. When you look online at the pictures, man, they get to you. You try to put yourself in their situation, those children; you have to wipe away the tears. You can’t control it.”
The Washington Post reports that Israel has shown no empathy toward the plight of Palestinian civilians, with 80-90 percent of Israeli Jews supporting the invasion. Guy Bechor, a columnist at Israel’s largest daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote a column claiming that Israel should have invaded sooner. “No one in the Arab world will now be able to say that Israel is weak and begging for its life,” Bechor wrote. “The images of the past two weeks have been imprinted for years, and Hamas’ bravado and arrogance have gone into the tunnels along with their frightened leaders.” Witte of The Post quoted an Israeli soldier, Lt. Col. Amir, saying, “We are very violent. We are not shying away from any method of preventing casualties among our troops.”
Shtarker agreed with this statement, saying, “I think this war definitely improved Israel’s image in saying ‘We will not tolerate this violence against us.’” But Shtarker said that just because she defends Israel’s actions, does not mean that she hates Palestinians. “Hate is a very strong word I believe. If you want to kill me, yes I have a problem with you, if you want to kill me because I am Jewish or Israeli, it’s a terrible thing.”
What many in the American media have not commented on is that Palestinians from Gaza are refusing help from the Israelis, because of what Hamas will do to them if they willingly receive aid from Israel. Ruth Eglash of The Jerusalem Post said that a newly opened hospital just on the border of Gaza and Israel has opened its arms to wounded or ill Palestinians, but very few have come. “A spokesman for Magen David Adom (MDA), which is operating the clinic in cooperation with the Welfare and Social Services Ministry and the Health Ministry, said that so far only seven Palestinian children with cancer had arrived at the center for treatment.” This is because the Palestinians are not only afraid of Israel, but Hamas as well.
Saeed believes that the absolute distrust of Israelis is what is keeping Palestinians away. “After this attack especially, they [Palestinians] would not trust an Israeli. Obviously I can’t really speak for everything that’s going on because there is no media. Israel is blocking the media admittance to Gaza. So you have to go on [Israel’s] word, and they’re obviously going to take their own side.”
As quoted in a Washington Post article, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel had already “dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas,” and that Israel will “get Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel.” The cease-fire has been attained, at a deadly cost, to both sides. Over 1,000 dead on the Palestinian side, and countless wounded. For Israel, eight years of terror as an average of three and a half rockets per day have fallen on Israel, and for the past two years, and average of ten rockets per day.
Naji Mahmoud brought into question the definition of a terrorist, when considering that the United States and Israel both consider Hamas to be an illegitimate terrorist organization. “This makes me say, not exactly ‘Go Hamas,’ but, wow, Israel is a bunch of terrorists. What’s the definition of a terrorist?” asked Mahmoud. “Is it someone who stands on their homeland and fights the incursion, and fights for the people of their homeland, or is a terrorist somebody who locks everybody in a trapped place, and then just starts bombing everybody? In my opinion, and I’m no supporter of Hamas, but Hamas to me looks like a freedom fighter, and Israel looks like the terrorist.”
On Tuesday, January 27, there was the first military confrontation between Gaza and Israel since the cease-fire was declared. The New York Times reported that an explosive device killed an Israeli soldier, which led to a retaliatory attack from Israel. Israel responded by bombing more smuggling tunnels used by Hamas, and a Palestinian was killed by Israeli troops right over the border of Gaza. Shtarker, Mahmoud, Abdullah and Saeed had all predicted that the cease-fire would not last long.
While these Jewish and Muslim students seem to be on different spectrums, they did agree on several points. Both students stated the American media is biased, one says biased toward Israel, one says biased against Israel. All of these students also had a burning passion to tell the “truth” about the crisis in Gaza. Most remarkable, is that when asked what they wanted their fellow UB students to do in regards to the situation, is inform themselves. On both sides the students called on their colleagues to watch the news, and not just one, but all media outlets, in order to get a clearer picture. Whether it is The Jerusalem Post or Al-Jazeera, UB students need to take the responsibility to inform themselves on the crisis at hand.
