Gaza/Israel: Hellfire Or Justice?

Media Release
Monday 19 November, 2012
Sydney

Gaza/Israel: Hellfire Or Justice?

From Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation

Only one third of Palestinians – 1.6 million – live in the Gaza Strip, but two-thirds of Palestinians who die from Israeli bullets are Gazans.

These statistics from the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem show that Israel keeps Palestinians in Gaza under lock-down and treats them as target practice. Yet half of the residents of Gaza – almost 800,000 - are children.

Nine Palestinians die from Israeli bullets in any one year compared to one Israeli from Palestinians attacks. Yet the media – and the Israeli Government - labels Palestinians as terrorists.

Professor Stuart Rees, chair of the SPF, deplores any side’s belief that further violence will provide security, let alone respect for human rights. .

“Israel needs to think of a commitment to justice as the way to handle the Palestinian issue. By contrast, excessive violence every few years, the five year long siege of Gaza plus the seizure of Palestinian lands by 500,000 settlers only compounds decades of massive injustice.’

“ Israel already has vastly more firepower than the open air prison which is Gaza. One of the world’s biggest military powers faces a small pocket of land – about the size of the eastern suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne – with no air force, army or navy.” said Professor Rees.

He also says that he had visited Gaza earlier this year and seen the physical effects and human misery still left in the wake of Israel’s attack on Gaza in 2008-9 where more than 1,400 civilians died, and 14 Israelis, most by friendly fire, a ratio of 100:1.

“This kind of brutality is making Israel a pariah state around the world. A recent BBC poll showed most Australians had a negative view of Israel.

“ Previous polls over the last few years confirm that between 60 and 70 percent of Australians condemn actions like this when Israel causes massive human casualties.”

Professor Rees said Prime Minister Julia Gillard should stop blaming one side – Hamas – for the violence and Australian media outlets should strive to tell a far more balanced story about the latest violence over Gaza.’

ENDS

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