(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Israel-Palestine War Erupts [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-08 This blog is largely based on coverage of the latest Israel-Palestine war from the American edition of the British newspaper The Guardian and the New York Times. I received some blowback on the piece on the Israel-Palestine War. I acknowledge people are hurting and horrific things are taking place. Wounds are raw on all sides of the issue, and it is going to take some time before there can be discussion. Hopefully the violence will stop before more people are killed and those who were captured can be returned to their families. On Saturday morning October 7, Hamas, the governing party in Gaza, started firing thousands of rockets into neighboring Israel. Palestinian fighters using construction equipment then tore down the walls and fences that hemmed in Gaza’s 2.3 million people, crossed the border by land, sea, and air using hang gliders, seized Israel Defence Forces vehicles, attacked Israeli settlements and military bases, captured Israeli soldiers and civilians, and drove captives back to Gaza. Israel, which appeared to have initially been taken by surprise, responded with a massive aerial bombardment of Gaza cities. Muhammad Deif, the head of the military wing of Hamas, announced that Hamas had launched the “operation” so that “the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended.” Deif cited Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian West Bank since 1967, Israeli police raids on the sacred Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and the arrest and detention of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails. In recent months there have been violent conflicts between Israeli soldiers and armed settlers and Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in battles over land and water and the Israeli military has carried out raids in Palestinian cities. Hamas may also have decided to launch an assault on Israel at this time in an effort to block a proposed treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The treaty is supposed to grant Israel official recognition in exchange for protection of Palestinian rights, something critics believe is very unlikely to happen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and warned Israelis to prepare for a long and difficult war. Netanyahu and his governing coalition rule a very divided Israel and there is suspicion he will use the war to solidify his group’s control. Extreme religious nationalists in the governing coalition want the further annexation of Palestinian territory. The Israel opposition has had to suspend its protest campaign for the duration of hostilities. President Biden, condemned the attacks by Hamas against Israel as horrific and declared “The United States stands with Israel.” A Hamas spokesman responded that the Biden administration’s announcement of military support for Israel constituted “active participation in the aggression against our people.” As of 9 AM Sunday in New York, 4 PM in Israel, Israeli media reported that at least 600 Israelis had died in the attack including 44 soldiers, and more than 2,000 people were wounded. It is believed that over 100 Israelis were taken prisoner by Hamas forces including participants in a music festival. Schools in Israel will remain closed at least until Tuesday night. Outdoor gatherings are restricted to 10 people, indoor gathers to 50 people. Businesses in southern Israel can remain open if staff and customers have access to bomb shelters. Over 400 Palestinians, including 20 children, were killed in battles in southern Israel and in Gaza by the Israel bombardment and approximately 2,000 people were reported injured. As of this writing, it is unclear if Israel will invade Gaza, attempt to destroy Hamas, or will occupy Gaza as it did prior to 2006. While Gaza is technically free of Israel control, an Israeli naval and land blockade restricts everything that enters or leaves the area including food and medical supplies. With the start of hostilities, Israel cut off supplying electricity, fuel, and goods to Gaza. There has been some fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian forces in southern Lebanon and on the West Bank, but it is unclear if Palestinian forces in those territories will enter the war in support of Gaza. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are holding talks trying to find a way to defuse the crisis. Israel and Palestinian groups have fought a series of wars since 1948 when an independent Israel was carved out of British occupied Palestine. During the first war many Palestinian Arabs fled to Gaza and the West Bank fearing attack by Israeli forces, and they have never been allowed to return. Since a 1967 war, Israel has occupied the West Bank and controlled Gaza. Although Israel is nominally committed to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, it has prevented its formation and continually seized Palestinian land. Ofer Cassif, an opposition member of the Israeli Parliament continually warned the situation would “erupt” if the Israeli government did not change its policies towards Palestinians. His Hadash Party condemned “any assault on innocent civilians. But in contrast to the Israeli government that means that we oppose any assault on Palestinian civilians as well.” Cassif charged that the Israeli government “supports, encourages, and leads pogroms against the Palestinians. There is an ethnic cleansing going on. It was obvious the writing was on the wall, written in the blood of the Palestinians.” Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations were held in New York City on Sunday. A member of Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, said “Decades of brutality towards Palestinians, in which people have been murdered, incarcerated and displaced unjustly have made conditions untenable, and I believe that they exploded.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/8/2198164/-Israel-Palestine-War-Erupts?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/