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I think the BDN’s egregious editorial headline ” Israel-Hamas conflict is ancient and complex” on Nov. 8 displays several fundamental misunderstandings of the thoroughly modern history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Hamas is an organization founded in 1987 and, as its Arabic name implies, was born of resistance, in response to Israeli aggression and occupation. It did not exist until 30 years after the founding of the state of Israel.
The modern state of Israel is younger than my father. By the Byzantine Era, the Jewish population had largely been driven out of what was then known as Palestina and they would not return, in any recordable numbers, until the pogroms forced large-scale emigration from the Russian Empire, beginning in 1881.
As for the idea that Israel is going out of its way to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, here are a few telling remarks from Israel’s top brass which would indicate otherwise:
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip. “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” he said.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the “emphasis is on damage, not accuracy.”
Gaza will become a “city of tents,” one security official said.
Truth is always a casualty during wartime but it’s out there, for anyone willing to peek behind the carefully-curated scrim of hagiography which, in this country, masquerades as history for Israel.
Durin Chappe
Sullivan