Israel is killing Gaza’s environment – the impact is terrifying
JVL Introduction
In this article Joshua Frank shows how the destruction of the environment of Gaza is integrated into Israel’s genocidal project.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defence Minister, promised after October 7th. 2023 that: “we will eliminate everything”. The Israeli Army is carrying out his threat. In their onslaught against the people of Gaza they are removing the possibility for rebuilding lives there by degrading the environment. Following Egypt’s 2013 example, they are pumping sea water into tunnels so turning the ground into “salinated pits of mud” into which what remains of buildings are liable to collapse. This contamination of groundwater from salt adds to pollution from sewage in the seawater and from the collapsing wastewater systems intensifying a situation where 90% of water was already unfit for human consumption.
Fertile land is being rapidly despoiled from the toxic legacy of munitions, including illegal white phosphorus. Olive trees and the biodiversity they sustain, are perishing which reinforces the eradication of Palestinian livelihoods, culture and history carried out across the Occupied Territories. The loss of carbon capture in the trees multiplies the mass of greenhouse gas emissions from bombs.
The actions of the Israeli war machine are like an “end of times” frenzy of destruction that will rebound on us all.
TB
This article was originally published by DiEM25 Communications on Fri 12 Jan 2024. Read the original here.
The killing of Gaza’s environment
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Of all the horrific reports of Israel’s actions since October 7th, this is, perhaps, the worst. A totally manmade environmental catastrophe which will end up destroying the entire Gaza land, world, community. I dont have enough tears for this horror.
Just when you think the depths of depravity have been reached in Gaza this terrorist zionist Israeli government plummet new depths. What has happened to humanity that this can be allowed to happen.
This a monstrous crime piled on crimes, all deliberately intended, and deliberately fulfilled to the letter. Israel and its US and UK and European and other white colonial allies, are thickly implicated in this organisation of deranged destruction of a a people, which they were proclaiming was Hamas” intention towards Israel and ‘all Jews’. The evil triumvirate of Israel, US and the UK are the real terrorist entities, while Hamas is clearly the bona fide resistance entity, protected by the UN Charter which gives an occupied people the right to resist a brutal and violent occupation. This wrecking of Gaza’s environment and the whole urban habitation, together with the crazed genocide will never be forgiven. Israel and its allies must be brought to account in the world courts, and must be made to pay the price of compensation to Palestine and its people. This would be a good time to have their Right to Return implemented into Israel itself.
Joshua Frank quotes Abdel-Rahman al-Tamimi: ‘“The Gaza Strip will become a depopulated area, and it will take about 100 years to get rid of the environmental effects of this war”.’
But it’s not clear that we, the human species, have 100 years. I don’t think the effects on climate of military operations (not just the wars) are discussed in the mainstream enough. Consider this recent Guardian report.
The Guardian 9 Jan 2024 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/emissions-gaza-israel-hamas-war-climate-change
‘The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, new research reveals.’
‘Climate consequences including sea level rise, drought and extreme heat were already threatening water supplies and food security in Palestine. The environmental situation in Gaza is now catastrophic, as much of the farmland, energy and water infrastructure has been destroyed or polluted, with devastating health implications probably for decades to come, experts have warned.’
‘The new research calculates that the carbon cost of rebuilding Gaza’s 100,000 damaged buildings using contemporary construction techniques will generate at least 30m metric tonnes of warming gases.’
‘David Boyd, the UN special rapporteur for human rights and the environment, said: “This research helps us understand the immense magnitude of military emissions – from preparing for war, carrying out war and rebuilding after war. Armed conflict pushes humanity even closer to the precipice of climate catastrophe, and is an idiotic way to spend our shrinking carbon budget”.’
We are observing genocidal intent and genocidal action. It is all so obvious.
Plus a deliberately being caused widespread environmental disaster.
Our government and our official opposition are hypocritical, counterproductive and worse than useless.
The British people have little democratic representation at present. We are dominated by self imposed establishment politicians supported by unelected establishment mass media.
It’s rumoured the ICJ will announce its verdict (on the plausibility of South Africa’s case that Israel is committing genocide) on Friday. So much rides on their verdict!
Japan has long been one of America’s loyal allies so I was encouraged by the very strongly worded article in “Japan Times” calling for Japan and the West to call Israel to account for its crimes against the Palestinians. A quote:-
“It seems clear that Israeli leaders, including those cited in the South African brief, assume they will never be held accountable for their words or deeds. That is hardly surprising, since they have up to this point consistently been able to evade answering for their crimes.
Israel is a serial violator of international law, given its theft and colonization of Palestinian lands, brutal oppression and apartheid system against Palestinians, and refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. Far from admonishing Israel, influential Western countries (not just the United States) have provided Israel with continuous political support and an unending supply of weapons”.
Herzog, recently visited by a delegation of LFI Labour MPs, is a Labor Party politician. Difficult to see though how he is any better than Netanyahu.
This terrible tragedy is but a continuation of the unsustainable Zionist project. To be able to destroy completely a “designated enemy” who happens to be the native population of “our” stolen land in the vain hope that “we” can somehow continue and thrive and never be held to account is surely impossible. How has this hatred and madness been able to take over the human beings who make up Israel’s Jewish people, and permeate much of the USA/UK/EU???