By Dr Gideon Polya
21 July is now Day 14 of the latest Israeli Gaza Massacre (aka Operation Protective Edge” that commenced on 8 July 2014 after the discovery on 30 June 2014 of the bodies of 3 Israeli settler teenagers on the West Bank (killed by persons unknown but possibly by Israeli state terrorists), and the subsequent Israeli killing of 5 Occupied Palestinians and the burning alive by racist Zionists of an Occupied Palestinian child [1].
By 17 July 230 Gaza Palestinians had been killed (74 percent of these, 171 people, being civilians, 48 children, and 31 women) and 1,764 Gaza Palestinians have been injured (this including 521 children and 372 women) with zero (0) Israeli deaths from Gaza rockets. However on 17 July 2014 in the face of world inaction and under cowardly cover of the appalling shooting down by Government or Rebel Ukrainians of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 (298 dead), the Israelis escalated its latest Gaza Massacre with a ground invasion [2] that has brought the Palestinian deaths and wounded to over 400 and 3,000, respectively, as of 21 July 2014.
To put this latest Israeli atrocity in context, since 1936 about 2 million Palestinians have been killed through Zionist violence (0.1 million) or through Zionist-imposed deprivation (1.9 million) and 90% of the land of the former Mandatory Palestine has been ethnically cleansed of Indigenous Palestinian inhabitants. Of about 12 million Palestinians, (1) 6 million are forbidden to step foot in Palestine; (2) 4.3 million are highly abusively confined with zero human rights to West Bank mini-Bantustans (2.5 million) or to what many call the Gaza Concentration Camp (1.8 million); (3) 1.7 million are Palestinian Israelis, the only 14% of Palestinians permitted to vote under Israeli Apartheid for the government ruling all of former Mandatory Palestine, albeit as Third Class citizens under Israeli Apartheid laws akin to those of Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa; and (4) an estimated 8,000 die avoidably from deprivation each year, with at least 1,800 dying thus each year in the Gaza Concentration Camp [3], noting that the annual per capita income is a First World $31,537 for Apartheid Israel and a Third World $2,431 for the Occupied Palestinian Territories under the heel of genocidally racist Apartheid Israel [4].
In contrast, in relation to Israelis, (1) 3,745 Zionists or Israelis have been killed by Palestinians or “the enemy” since UK- and thence US-backed Zionist colonization of Palestine began in earnest in 1920 [3]; (2) noting that Gaza rockets represent a major Israeli excuse for repeated Gaza Massacres, 28 Israelis have been killed by Gaza rockets since the start of the Intifada in 2000 [5], or 2 per year as compared to a total of about 144 Israelis killed by homicide each year i.e. annual Israeli deaths from Gaza rockets represent about 1.4% of annual Israeli homicides; and, (3) indicative of gross Israeli racism, 2 Israeli deaths from Gaza rockets per year represents “annual deaths per million of population per year ” from this cause of 2 per year /8 million people = 0.25 as compared to (variously 2012 estimates) 0.25 (Western civilians assertedly killed by Muslim-origin non-state terrorists), 0.5 (rapist Australian husbands murdered by raped wives), 1.0 (Australian violent husbands murdered by battered wives), 14 (Australians dying from opiates linked to US Alliance restoration of the Taliban-destroyed Afghan opium industry), 15 (Israelis murdered by Israelis; should the IDF be shelling, rocketing and bombing Tel Aviv? ), 43 (female Australian suicides), 48 (Americans murdered by Americans), 50 (Occupied Palestinian children killed violently by Israelis), 80 (Australian road fatalities), 100 (Americans killed by guns), 164 (Occupied Palestinians killed violently by Israelis), 164 (Australian male suicides), 172 (Australian alcohol-related deaths), 200 (African-Americans murdered), 473 (citizens of Detroit, Michigan, USA), 233 (Australians from coal burning-based power pollutants), 257 (Australians from fossil fuel-based power pollutants), 790 (Australian smoking-related deaths), 1,000 (Occupied Palestinian children killed by imposed deprivation), 2,600 (mainly non-European World excess deaths i.e. avoidable deaths, these being overwhelmingly from deprivation), 4,000 (Occupied Iraq excess deaths), 15,000 (Occupied Afghanistan excess deaths), 18,000 (Indigenous Australian excess deaths), 20,000 (Indigenous Australian excess deaths in the Northern Territory), 22,000 (Indigenous Australian deaths) and 24,000 (Indigenous Australian deaths in the Northern Territory) [6].
Numerous eminent humanitarians from around the world, including Nobel Laureates and leading anti-racist Jewish and non-Jewish figures, have written an Open Letter protesting the horrendous violence by the state of Israel against its captive Palestinian population and concluding “We call on the UN and governments across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive and legally binding military embargo on Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid” [7].
OPEN LETTER.
“ Israel has once again unleashed the full force of its military against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an inhumane and illegal act of military aggression. Israel ‘s ability to launch such devastating attacks with impunity largely stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade that it maintains with complicit governments across the world. Over the period 2008-19, the US is set to provide military aid to Israel worth $30bn, while Israeli annual military exports to the world have reached billions of dollars. In recent years, European countries have exported billions of euros’ worth of weapons to Israel , and the EU has furnished Israeli military companies with research grants worth hundreds of millions. Emerging economies such as India , Brazil and Chile are rapidly increasing their military trade and cooperation with Israel , despite their stated support for Palestinian rights. By importing and exporting arms to Israel and facilitating the development of Israeli military technology, governments are effectively sending a clear message of approval for Israel ‘s military aggression, including its war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Israel ‘s military technology is marketed as “field-tested” and exported across the world. Military trade and joint military-related research relations with Israel embolden Israeli impunity in committing grave violations of international law and facilitate the entrenchment of Israel ‘s system of occupation, colonisation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights. We call on the UN and governments across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive and legally binding military embargo on Israel , similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid.
Adolfo Peres Esquivel Nobel Peace Laureate, Argentina, Ahdaf Soueif author, Egypt/UK, Aki Olavi Kaurismäki film director, Finland, Alice Walker writer, US, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Nobel Peace Laureate, South Africa, Betty Williams Nobel Peace Laureate, Ireland, Boots Riley rapper, poet, arts producer, US, Brian Eno musician, UK, Caryl Churchill playwright, UK, Chris Hedges journalist, Pullitzer Prize 2002, US, Cynthia McKinney politician, activist, US, David Palumbo-Liu academic, US, Etienne Balibar philosopher, France, Federico Mayor Zaragoza former Unesco director general, Spain, Felim Egan painter, Ireland, Frei Betto liberation theologian, Brazil, Gillian Slovo writer, UK/South Africa, Githa Hariharan writer, India, Giulio Marcon MP (SEL), Italy, Hilary Rose academic, UK, Ilan Pappe historian, Israel, I smail Coovadia former South African ambassador to Israel, James Kelman writer, Scotland, Janne Teller writer, Denmark, Jeremy Corbyn MP (Labour), UK, Joanna Rajkowska artist, Poland, Jody Williams Nobel Peace Laureate, US, John Berger artist, UK, John Dugard former ICJ judge, South Africa, John McDonnell MP (Labour), UK, John Pilger journalist and filmmaker, Australia, Judith Butler philosopher, US, Juliane House academic, Germany, Karma Nabulsi Oxford University, UK/Palestine, Ken Loach filmmaker, UK, Kool AD (Victor Vazquez) musician, US, Liz Lochhead national poet for Scotland, UK, Luisa Morgantini former vice president of the European Parliament, Italy, Mairead Maguire Nobel Peace Laureate, Ireland, Michael Mansfield barrister, UK, Michael Ondaatje author, Canada/Sri Lanka, Mike Leigh writer and director, UK, Naomi Wallace playwright, screenwriter, poet, US, Noam Chomsky academic, author, US, Nurit Peled academic, Israel, Prabhat Patnaik economist, India, Przemyslaw Wielgosz chief editor of Le Monde Diplomatique, Polish edition, Poland, Raja Shehadeh author and Lawyer, Palestine, Rashid Khalidi academic, author, Palestine/US, Richard Falk f ormer UN special rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories, US, Rigoberta Menchú Nobel Peace Laureate, Guatemala, Roger Waters musician, UK, Ronnie Kasrils former government minister, South Africa, Rose Fenton director, Free Word Centre, UK, Sabrina Mahfouz author, UK, Saleh Bakri actor, Palestine, Sir Geoffrey Bindman lawyer, UK, Slavoj Zizek author, Slovenia, Steven Rose academic, UK, Tom Leonard writer, Scotland, Tunde Adebimpe musician, US, Victoria Brittain journalist, UK, Willie van Peer academic, Germany, Zwelinzima Vavi secretary general of Cosatu, South Africa ”. END OPEN LETTER.
The BDS Movement that calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Apartheid Israel has set up a Petition supporting the call of these eminent humanitarians, specifically : “ We call on the UN and governments across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive and legally binding military embargo on Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid. ” You can sign the Petition here: http://www.bdsmovement.net/stoparmingisrael .
Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. Decent people around the world should (1) sign the BDS Movement Petition; (2) inform everyone they can about the horrendous human rights abuses and war crimes of Apartheid Israel in its ongoing Palestinian Genocide; (3) demand immediate cessation of murderous Israeli violence; (4) demand justice through the International Criminal Court or in the face of Apartheid Israeli contempt for International Law, through an International Tribunal of the most eminent humanitarians; and (5) urge and apply Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against not just Apartheid Israel but also where practicable against all people, politicians, parties, collectives, companies, corporations and countries complicit in Apartheid Israeli state terrorism in Palestine, the Middle East and indeed throughout the world [9].
References.
[1]. Gideon Polya, “ Horrendous Palestinian/Israeli Death Ratios – World Must Stop Latest Israeli Gaza Massacre”, Countercurrents, 12 July, 2014: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya120714.htm .
[2]. Gideon Polya, “Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 Atrocity And Ongoing Apartheid Israeli Gaza Massacre”, Countercurrents, 19 July 2014: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya190714.htm .
[3]. “Palestinian Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/palestiniangenocide/ .
[4]. “List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita”, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita .
[5]. “Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel ”, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel .
[6]. Gideon Polya, “Why PM Julia Gillard Must Go: 66,000 Preventable Australian Deaths Annually”, Countercurrents, 21 February 2012: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya210212.htm .
[7]. Letter, “The arms trade and Israel ‘s attack on Gaza ” , The Guardian, 19 July 2014: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/18/arms-trade-israel-attack-gaza .
[8]. BDS Movement Petition : http://www.bdsmovement.net/stoparmingisrael .
[9]. “Boycott Apartheid Israel ”: https://sites.google.com/site/boycottapartheidisrael/ .
Dr Gideon Polya has been teaching science students at a major Australian university for 4 decades. He published some 130 works in a 5 decade scientific career, most recently a huge pharmacological reference text “Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive Compounds” (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London , 2003).
21 July, 2014
Countercurrents.org