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As Israel creates conditions for another offensive against Gaza, it still acts with impunity

September 27, 2016 at 3:59 pm

Gaza’s implosion is publicly coveted by Israel. Two years after the carnage and destruction wrought upon the enclave by “Operation Protective Edge”, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) officers have imparted their analysis of the aftermath and current consequences. The language used reeks of incitement and hints of a prelude to further blatant aggression the likes of which is relished by the mainstream media; for the international community, Palestine exists only within the concept of death at Israel’s hands.

“An outburst, in our opinion, is just a matter of time,” one anonymous IDF official told the Times of Israel. While it is arguable if there is anything new about such an admission – similar comments have been made regularly since 2014 – the entire context expressed by the IDF reveals satisfaction at Gaza’s deterioration. From rattling off depressing statistics with regard to Gaza’s economy to discussing an eradication of the tunnel network, it is clear that the IDF is revelling in creating further inhumane conditions and violations in order to elicit a natural psychological reaction among Palestinians of “having nothing to lose”.

Meanwhile, until the current implosion progresses through its evolution, the IDF official declared: “We’re turning the underground into a death trap for Hamas. We’re putting a lot of effort into that.” The absence of outrage from the international community at this is particularly hypocritical, sending out an implicit message that colonisers are allowed to ravage the land for planned annihilation while the resistance, despite being given legitimacy under international law to use all means available against colonial rule, are prohibited from strategic, constructive use of their own territory.

While most of the attention is focused upon the continuous illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, the intent to colonise Gaza is practically unhindered, even though Israel’s aggression in 2014 already pointed towards its ultimate aim. In the months following the brokered ceasefire, Israel’s macabre glorification of the bloodshed and the international community’s dire warnings about the enclave becoming uninhabitable, together with ultimatums regarding international aid in helping to rebuild Gaza, exposed a heinous cacophony of collaborative intent to exclude Palestinians even from their right to live, while using the perpetual “self-defence against Hamas” as an excuse.

In the meantime, the IDF lauds its rhetoric of deterrence and holding Hamas responsible for rockets that are not the responsibility of the movement: “We took advantage of an opportunity to both send a message and to test some of our capabilities.” The assertion was made in reference to August’s bombardment of Gaza. It provides a clear example of the unique impunity enjoyed by Israel to field-test weapons upon a civilian population while using their political leadership as a convenient excuse. That this is acceptable to the international community is a stain on humanity.

Indeed, the term “opportunity” summarises Israel’s entire existence and actions since 1948. It also portrays the extent of the dehumanisation to which Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected, partly due to the differentiation imposed by the international community between Gaza and the West Bank. In altering the narrative to separate the struggles as opposed to adhering to a perception that endorses collective resistance, the international community has enabled Israel to further its aims, squandering Palestinian lives and land in the process.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.