Reviewing the toll in Gaza and US complicity in supplying arms
Published on September, 14 2014
Odile Hugonot Haber at Gaza march in Detroit MI. Photo credit: Glenn Hieber
Author: Odile Hugonot Haber, Middle East Issue Committee co-chair
The war in Gaza lasted 50 days, 7 weeks. The dead have been counted. The Israeli death toll is 64 soldiers, and 6 civilians. The Palestinian death toll is 2,139 people, with 70-75% of them civilians, including 490 children. There were also 11,000 people wounded. More than 20,000 homes were destroyed to rubble, and 500,000 people have been displaced (U.N. estimate).
The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) claims that by air they struck 5,226 targets and that the Palestinians sent 4,500 rockets into Israel. Gaza is 6.8 miles wide by 32 miles long, bordered by the sea, Egypt, and Israel and has 1.82 million people; 63% of the population is under 24 years old.
Gaza is in a complete stage of siege by Israel. Its residents have no means of getting out anywhere, since a few years ago tunnels to Egypt were closed.
A new documentary, The Lab, describes Gaza as "a lab" for weapons testing. It states that tested weapons sell for a better price than untested weapons. There is now an Israel soldier who has spoken up and has said that what he was doing in Gaza, he felt, was testing weapons on a civilian population.
The Operation Iron Dome missile defense system is also being tested. The US gave $351 million for the Iron Dome system. (AIPAC at War by Connie Bruck-The New Yorker)
Many of the weapons found in Gaza are made in the US. The United States gives $3.1 billion for weapons systems to Israel.
At the beginning of the Gaza offensive, on July 22, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sent a letter to Harry Reid, Senate Majority leader, requesting an immediate payment to Israel of $225 million. (AIPAC at War by Connie Bruck-The New Yorker)
We in US WILPF have long advocated for a change of US policy. Soon the WILPF US Middle East committee will publish a Hamas guide for our branches asking them to get educated on Hamas and to demand that Hamas be taken off the US terrorist list and be able to negotiate at the peace table. Hamas was duly elected by the Palestinian people and all parties need to be seated at the table for just negotiations to happen.
The Hamas guide will be published by the end of September and then will be distributed to our branches. End the siege of Gaza, avert the next war.
