The October 7th attacks

It is strange to post on this the day after the anniversary of the attacks but this way I can reflect on the coverage.  Let me say that while Israel has every right to defend itself and retaliate against attacks against it, it has been too heavy handed by essentially levelling Gaza, increasing its ethnic cleansing of The West Bank as well as its actions in Lebanon.

I understand the desire of Palestinians to strike back against the oppressive rule of Netanyahu, one of the chants I do not engage with on the Sunday weekly protest (when I attend) refers to the right to resist. The October 7th attacks, while genius in the way they were carried out, were a war crime against civilians and had to be punished (within the remit of international law). It was not just the targeting of civilians, it was the atrocities carried out during the attacks. 

But the actions of the Israeli government have been inexcusable. There are too many crimes resulting in death in Gaza as a result of this. While Israel claims that the IDF takes every precaution to avoid civilian deaths, two examples show just how much of a lie this is. One is the killing of some escaped hostages by the IDF who had a white flag. The IDF only investigated this once their identities were discovered and if not, they would have been labelled terrorists and the way they were killed would never have been looked at. The other is the ambush, murder and attempted disposal of evidence when Palestinian paramedics were killed by the IDF which had to keep changing its story as more evidence came out.

In The West Bank, IDF soldiers stand by while the violence of “settlers” continues, essentially enabling civilians to carry out ethnic cleansing. 

Sadly, too many people appear to turn a blind eye to the horrors inflicted by Hamas, or the current Israeli government. 

So, in summary:

I believe in the right of Israel and Palestine to exist honouring the Oslo Accords (but with West Bank settlements coming under Palestinian rule).

Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and Lebanon 

The blockade of Gaza by Israel before the attacks was illegal 

The ethnic cleansing of the West Bank before and since October 7th is a violation of international law

The response of Israel to the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah has been disproportionate and both should be investigated as the war crimes they are.