Facts for the unconvinced: why we need a Gaza ceasefire now
JVL Introduction
There are many Israel loyalists we hear and see interviewed on radio and TV, or producing articles justifying genocide, like an opinion piece published in Newsweek on 23 December headed “Calling for a ceasefire is an antisemitic demand that Jews endorse our own genocide”.
This article is not for them.
It is, rather, aimed at those disturbed by unfolding events, wanting a just long-term outcome, but unwilling as of now to call for an immediate ceasefire.
It shows there can be no military solution and that the desire for vengeance not justice is shredding numerous parts of international humanitarian law.
Any way forward starts with a ceasefire.
It is aimed at a north American audience but as the Labour Party has chosen to trail behind Joe Biden, it should, perhaps, be compulsory reading for all Labour MPs and councillors as yet unwilling to speak out…
RK
This article was originally published by Foreign Policy in Focus on Mon 18 Dec 2023. Read the original here.
Facts for the Unconvinced: Why We Need a Gaza Ceasefire Now
Why we need a ceasefire to save lives, release the hostages, prosecute war crimes, and follow international law: a guide for those still uneasy, unconvinced, or uncertain.
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The bombing is NOT AT ALL indiscriminate. Israel knows every metre of Gaza, all the families and their actions, and the cruel vicious bombing has targeted doctors, journalists, medical staff, universities, whole families with huge influence on life in Gaza, besides schools, UN relief centres, and now all the areas people have been “advised” to go to for safety. This is not counting the “ordinary people” of all ages who are simply treated with contempt and pushed aside by bulldozers to be covered by rubble.
As the Israeli/Palestinian organisation Standing Together pointed out on 16 December, 70 days of war [up to that point] Israel had resulted in the release of one hostage — and, they could have added, the “friendly fire” deaths of three others; while seven days of truce and negotiation had achieved the freedom of 108 hostages.
The Netanyahu government and its uncritical backers world-wide have made it abundantly clear where their priorities lie.