Live your life by knowing what you don’t
A dog is under more protection by animal rights than a child in Gaza by human rights.
Acrimonious fact about Israeli invasion on Gaza Strip
Hopelessness was prevailing among masses over logjam in Palestine-Israel conflict. Nevertheless, it has been brought to an end now after long-term Gaza-Israel peace deal aided by Egypt.
With ever rising Casualties in Gaza, human right organizations across the globe are now demanding probe into alleged war crimes. Supposed statistics of human rights violations are quite disturbing. Irrecoverable death toll coupled with homes damage and displaced residents will take extensive time duration to be recuperated. However, scars of this bloody Israeli war imposed over innocent Gaza natives including women and children are not forgettable easily.
- Background
Palestinian-Israeli conflict initiated in mid-20th century is sort of sectarian struggle between Zionist and Arab inhabitants under British rule. Israel located in east of Mediterranean Sea is an only Jewish state recognized by few other countries.
Its establishment in 1948 is claimed to be illegal by some countries and especially Palestine because Jews have taken control on Palestinian land by force. This is world’s most inflexible conflict but Palestinians are true in the sense that Israel is occupying their land forcefully.
Both Arab Muslims and Jews claim this land to be theirs back a couple thousand years but Jews fleeing oppression in Europe desperately wanted to establish a national homeland. UNO tried to solve the issue by giving each group a part of land but in vain.
Reason behind is that no one is accepting the withdrawal and claims the land to be rightfully theirs. This resulted in two most effective wars of 1948 and 1967. In present scenario, war of 1967 has great impacts as it left Israel with the Gaza strip and West Bank; both are highly populated with Palestinians.
Numerous attempts have been made till today to sort out the solution but conflict remains there. Palestinian Elections held in 2006 outcomes the rise of Hamas and till today its struggling against Israeli invasions on Palestinian land.
Long after Arab peace plan (2002), in 2007, two-state solution was proposed i.e., independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state didn’t work well. May be because of the fact that majority of Palestinian territories are already occupied by Israel though nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority essentially the West Bank.
- Chain of events
Besides numerous other fighting in between Israel and Palestine, Gaza War has its own prominence. It actually refers to three major battles between Israel and the Hamas (controlling Palestinian territory) in the Gaza Strip. The three war operations conducted by Israel to achieve different targets are:
- Operation Cast Lead, 2008–09 Gaza War
- Operation Pillar of Defense, 2012 conflict
- Operation Protective Edge, 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
Recently truced war was launched to demolish Hamas made tunnels approaching Israel through Gaza.
Reciprocal distrust and significant disagreements are deeply affecting the peace process which is indispensable for eventual agreement resolving the conflict. This is why Israel shows his power and attacks the Palestinian territories time and again.
General public including women and innocent kids suffer a hell in all this mayhem. In early July 2014, serious developments took place in Gaza Strip as the Israeli armed forces lined up at the border and air strikes were started against Palestinians.
On July 17, 2014 Israel made ground invasion on Gaza targeting the Hamas built tunnels from Gaza into Israel. It’s the first ever ground invasion from Israel army since 2009.
After huge devastation in Gaza Strip, on August 26, 2014 Palestinian and leaders reached an open-ended truce with the help of Egyptian leadership. It came with limited adjustment to conditions in Gaza Strip and broader issues-underpinning the conflict left unresolved.
Israeli PM didn’t put open-ended truce to a cabinet vote and his opponents taking it as bad deal. Though he claimed that target of destroying tunnels is accomplished. On the other hand, Hamas claims their victory of achieving some of their immediate demands out of this war and they become closer to Jerusalem and other significant Palestinian lands.
But the loss of many civilian’s life is irretrievable and leadership of both states should come up with absolute solution to end this gut-wrenching conflict.
- Violation:
Though Gaza-Israel ceasefire has been declared but loss of human lives cannot be recovered. Human rights violation rate by Israeli forces is exceptionally high contrasting to figures recorded in history.
In seven weeks of chaos Israel violated international humanitarian laws in operation ‘Protective Edge’. Peacemakers are totally failed to bring peace in Gaza turned to rubble by Israeli forces. About 30,000 displaced people are like ‘where to go now?’ and are restricted to refugee camps. Few people do have their homes still standing with less damage but there are also those whom buildings are just debris now.
More than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and half a million displaced in this war proclaimed by Gaza officials. This includes 500 children and 300 women approximately. Gaza War’s physiological toll on kids is the greatest damage hardest to be seen ever. Palestinians human rights neglected and razed from all sides. Massive unexploded remnants of war are dispersed all through Gaza Strip.
- Unprotected civilians killing (old citizens, women, kids)
- Direct rocket fires on highly populated areas
- Drone-launched missile attacks
- Indiscriminate rocket fires targeting infrastructure
- Demolishing schools and universities
- Targeting hospitals and patients therein
- Killing of civilians holding white flags
- Attacking UN shelters
- Using white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas
- Women rights violation
- Limiting food supplies
- Limiting medicinal supplies
- Restricting Humanitarian aid
- Restricting essential goods and supplies for reconstruction
- UNO charter
Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also dispatched letter for inquiry mission aiming to investigate all human rights as well as humanitarian law violations and abuses committed by both sides.
Universal declaration of human rights is to recognize the inherent dignity and absolute rights of all people. No matter what region, religion and gender etc., one has need of freedom, justice and above all peace should be fulfilled.
However, in wars it happens that most of the human rights are violated but worst part is when this is done intentionally. Recent example is Israeli attack on Gaza where almost each and every human right is violated deliberately. Such barbaric acts cannot be neglected at any cost and should be stopped by all means.
UNO charter of human rights doesn’t allow anyone to kill unprotected citizens and especially the women and kids. These two are highly prone to violence as considered weak and defenseless.
Old citizens are also quite unable to protect themselves and to fight against any violence. Hence, they all are taken as less threatening toward anyone and essentially when encountered by an armed person or soldier in war.
- International reaction
International reaction towards Israel attack on Gaza is undoubtedly offensive in its own way and hence excruciating by masses. No government is there to stop Israel in the first place.
However, general public across the globe raise the voice against this criminality and demanded to put it on end. United States of America, Canada and many other European countries openly supported Israel on this brutal act including killings of women and kids.
UN Human Rights Council passed on resolution to establish independent commission Ensuring respect for international humanitarian law in OPT (occupied Palestinian territory), including East Jerusalem. 29 countries agreed on it including china, Russia and many Arab, Muslim, African countries plus Latin America, 17 abstained and only USA willingly said NO to any such commission.
- Time to Renovate Life in Gaza.
Life in Gaza getting back to normal, streets filled again and people back to work though death smell is still there. But life goes on and one should restart the spirit all again but war crimes committed by Israel will take time to be recovered completely and improved in the coming days.
Truce extending over a long time is good move but it’s not the solution as Gaza is still under siege, Palestine is still under illegitimate occupation. Peacemakers should tackle the root causes of the conflict resulting in ever emerging crisis. Or else, it will do nothing more than setting another stage for the next cycle of ferocity and human rights violation.
