One of the most egregious lies about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that Gaza is no longer occupied.
Of course it is. The settlers and the army left but Israel controls its air, see and land entry and exit points. Gazans are entirely at the mercy of Israel for all their needs. Even the electricity is turned off whenever Israel feels like it.
And, of course, Israel has arrogated to itself the freedom to kill (by missile or bombs) any Gazan they think might be trouble, and anyone else who happens to be standing nearby.
Perhaps, this does not meet the formal definition of occupation, maybe it’s just a siege. Or maybe it’s like the Jewish ghettos in Europe under the Germans. Before the “resettlement” to the east (death), Jews lived as captives in walled off neighborhoods. Was that an occupation? No? Just a deadly siege.
The Israelis are not going to proceed to the next step. No one is going to deport the Gazans to death camps. No, they will just live like this in perpetuity which, although the Jews of Warsaw would have infinitely preferred that to what happened to them, is pretty horrific. Under siege,locked tight in a ghetto forever.
Here is an eyewitness report on the situation in Gaza today which came to me via the indispensable Mondoweiss.
It is sickening and our government says nothing because the lobby demands it. This is a war crime.
