GAZA: In Memoriam | Le Blog de Ben-Ari

Gaza has existed since ancient times, with a history spanning more than 4,000 years. An important commercial center, particularly during the Phoenician era, it served as a key stopover and was a prosperous city while Jerusalem was still in its formative stages and, at best, a small town. Occupied by the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the Egyptian dynasty, Persia, and various kingdoms, it was part of the Kingdom of Judea for a total of about thirty years (97–63 BCE) before becoming Roman, then Muslim, then ruled by the Ottomans, and finally under British control (UN Mandate)—which, as always, laid waste to the country by “divide and conquer.” There are (were) synagogues there, notably the one built in 508 CE, and churches dating from the 10th–11^th centuries. A very diverse community has always lived there in harmony for centuries. Admittedly, like all cities of that era, it was destroyed several times but quickly rebuilt because it served as a major crossroads for Mediterranean trade.

In 1947–48, the Haganah—which would later become the IDF—drove the inhabitants of Mashdal Shams (now Ashdod) out on foot, carrying out massacres along the way to Gaza. The residents of Gaza are the descendants of that exodus! Since then, it has been a vast concentration camp, entirely controlled by Israel, bombed and invaded dozens of times. Despite these conditions, Gaza was home to numerous universities, hospitals, and schools, and its literacy rate was comparable to that of Israel and far higher than in Arab countries. Controlled by Arafat’s PLO, the failure of the Oslo Accords—sabotaged by successive Israeli governments following the assassination of Rabin, one of the very few leaders who believed peace was possible—and by the PLO’s endemic corruption, Hamas won the elections. It must be remembered that Hamas is Netanyahu’s creation, funded with his approval and support in order to divide the Palestinian camp and make a Palestinian state impossible. Unless one understands Bibi’s longstanding obsession—a promise he reiterated at the funeral of his father, the secretary-general of a far-right party advocating the conquest of both banks of the Jordan River within “Greater Israel”—one cannot grasp what is currently unfolding. This is a plan devised as early as 1947 to conquer all of Palestine and transform it into an exclusively Jewish land. The laws passed since then have all been aimed at this goal. And it is impossible for anyone acting in good faith to ignore the facts.

Admittedly, there was the massacre on October 7, but without justifying it, we must always place the sequence of events within a historical and geographical context. Since October 7, Israel has committed crimes against humanity and genocide that no one acting in good faith can dispute. Everything has been ravaged and destroyed: 90% of homes destroyed by bombs and then leveled by an army of bulldozers; cemeteries flattened by bulldozers; children killed by snipers (more than 20,000 children) and tens of thousands maimed; more journalists and medical personnel killed than in any recent war; a systematic plan to make life in Gaza impossible by refusing to allow essential food to pass through, restricting water to the absolute minimum after destroying desalination plants and sewage systems—even the water pipes themselves— indiscriminate bombings of tents where the unfortunate are trying to survive, drones firing on anything that moves, and haggard children wandering in search of comfort and food. Thousands of children and teenagers imprisoned without trial and subjected to torture, if not rape and other forms of humiliation. We must listen to these foreign hospital staff who were able to stay there as they describe a situation that surpasses even the wars and massacres they have witnessed. This Australian doctor (an anesthesiologist) describes a child carefully holding an object in his hand—it is all that remains of his brother: his jawbone. When international medical associations call in *The Lancet* for a boycott of the Israeli Medical Association for failing to uphold—even minimally—the Hippocratic Oath, we cannot ignore it. As for the death toll, it is certainly in the hundreds of thousands (6,800,000 according to a former U.S. ambassador), since we have no idea how many bodies lie buried under the rubble; Israeli bulldozers are burying everything, notably to erase the mass graves!

Those who support Israel at all costs often repeat like a mantra, “But what about Hamas, Hamas?” as if that were the be-all and end-all of this long history. Must we remind them of the massacres in the West Bank (where Hamas does not exist), which have been condemned by all international organizations—and even by France recently? The destruction of olive trees—often centuries old—which are the almost exclusive source of their olive oil, which I can attest is among the best in the world. Settlers—often young immigrants from the West whose claim to this land is questionable, and certainly no stronger than that of the Palestinians who have lived there since time immemorial. These young hordes of fanatics decide that a particular building, a particular field, or a particular flock of sheep belongs to them, driving out the rightful inhabitants and seizing their crops.

In Lebanon, entire cities have been completely razed. Wherever the Israeli army passes, nothing remains. The Eastern Christians—among the longest-established populations on this land—have been massacred, and their churches destroyed. The war waged by Israel is a total war; nothing is left to grow where the army has passed. As a reminder, between 1,000 and 1,500 people have been killed by indiscriminate bombings in Lebanon in just a few months—mostly children and women—while 26 Israelis have died during this war, 25 of whom were soldiers! Are we allowed to ask the question: which side has fewer “collateral victims”—Hezbollah or Israel?

Finally, it’s becoming impossible to ignore the fact that Israeli officials are clearly stating that such behavior deserves to be labeled “Nazi”—whereas here, we would automatically be labeled anti-Semites. Soldiers proudly admit to killing children and babies, and officials acknowledge that this population must be completely eliminated, leaving them with only one choice: to perish or to migrate elsewhere. Plans to force them to migrate are being actively developed by Israeli officials seeking a host country in exchange for cold, hard cash. Thus, the operations undertaken 80 years ago will finally come to fruition, with the entire land of Palestine in the hands of an exclusively Jewish population. Israel is becoming a Jewish theocracy!

In short, GAZA no longer exists; the carpet bombing has destroyed everything and made life impossible for the million Palestinians remaining in tents. A generation has been sacrificed, and their migration elsewhere is unfolding before our very eyes without any significant reaction from the West—which is ultimately sealing its own doom, for immorality always comes at a price.

Western Jews are wrong to believe that Israel’s actions will not have repercussions here. The far right—with whom certain Jewish leaders are all too happy to whitewash the recent past—along with fake news and a lack of empathy, all in the name of blind Islamophobia, bode ill for our future. You are free to consider this normal, but when foreign journalists are finally allowed on the ground and these massacres can no longer be hidden, Israel’s staunch defenders will have to come to terms with their consciences—and let’s not kid ourselves: Israel will pay a heavy price. Criticizing the situation there also aims to preserve the country itself, because relying on force comes at a cost one day; when U.S. support is no longer there, they will struggle to maintain their military superiority.

When a corrupt prime minister, whose main goal is to stay in power and avoid a vote of no confidence, negotiates with religious parties—exempting religious figures from conscription in exchange for no independent commission to judge those responsible for October 7 (for which he bears primary responsibility)—the country is heading toward civil war. You and your zealous spokespeople—BHL, CRIF, Fourest (who recently suggested a Gay Pride parade in Gaza), Ernert, Aram, and others—are free to defend the indefensible at all costs. In the meantime, I recommend that you take a look at what a destroyed country looks like. For my part, I cannot forgive the barbarity of these soldiers (of whom I was one five decades ago) who take pleasure in massacring babies and children. To each his own conscience.

I am joining some links (all checked), careful, some are difficult to follow.

Photo Eli Solitas – Unsplash

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