September 3,
2024
Israel is
planning more significant escalations in the West Bank, and the Israeli
military now considers the occupied territory the second most critical front,
immediately after Gaza, Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday.
An Israeli military vehicle takes part in a raid in Jenin, in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 1, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Israeli security
officials told the outlet that while the directive for the West Bank is in its
initial stages and that changes on the ground will take time, a new series of
operations across the territory are imminent.
Last week,
Israel launched its largest attack on the West Bank since 2002, with raids
focused on Jenin and Tulkarm in the north. “The Jenin operation is just the
beginning,” a security official told Israel Hayom.
The Israeli
assault on Jenin continued for the seventh day on Tuesday as the city remains
under siege. According to the Jenin municipality, the Israeli military has
destroyed 70% of the roads and infrastructure in the city, and about 80% of the
water has been cut off to residents.
According to the
Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed and 130
others were injured in the West Bank since Israel launched the assault last
week. The total deaths include six children and two elderly people. Since
October 7, 680 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in
the West Bank.
The Israel Hayom
report said that the Israeli military aims to have a calmer West Bank by
October, but the escalations will likely lead to more armed resistance from
Palestinians.
As Israel began
the assault last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the West Bank
should be dealt with the same as Gaza and called for the evacuation of
Palestinians. Some Palestinians have been forced out of their homes in the
territory, similar to the forced displacements in Gaza.
Many members of
Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have been outspoken about their
desire to annex the West Bank and take over more land. When the coalition was
formed in 2022, it agreed to prioritize the expansion of West Bank settlements
with the ultimate goal of annexing the territory.
A senior Israeli Air Force official
has told Haaretz that without US military aid, Israel would not have been able
to sustain military operations in Gaza for more than a few months,
demonstrating how crucial US support is for the genocidal slaughter of Palestinians.
The support is especially crucial
for the Israeli Air Force. The report said the US provides the IAF with “all of
its fighter planes and some of its bombs, missiles and intelligence equipment.”
The US also helps Israel develop “joint weapons systems for all three layers of
air defense.”
Since October 7, the US has shipped
Israel over 50,000 tons of weapons and other military equipment. Weapons
shipments have increased over the past month, with flight tracking data showing
that August was the busiest month for US deliveries since October 2023.
President Biden also signed a bill
into law that included $17 billion in additional military aid for Israel on top
of the $3.8 billion it receives in annual military assistance. The
administration recently approved $20 billion in new arms deals for Israel,
which includes a new fleet of F-15 fighter jets.
The official speaking to Haaretz
said the IAF is crafting a recommendation to increase the domestic production
of bombs, missiles, and other ammunition to reduce reliance on the US. But any
changes would take years to implement, meaning Israel will continue to be
almost entirely reliant on US support.
Israel’s reliance on the US gives
the Biden administration enormous leverage over the Israeli government. The
administration has refused to use that power to force a ceasefire despite
claims that US officials are working for one.
Samah
Jabr
Hundreds of Palestinian families taking refuge in Deir al-Balah are
being exposed to unsanitary conditions and diseases in tents, July 21,
2024. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images)
Foreign
organizations operating in Gaza under the guise of “humanitarian” aid
distribute so-called “dignity kits,” which include basic hygiene items like
soap, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, and sometimes underwear. These organizations
claim that their aim is to preserve the dignity of individuals, especially
women and girls, during crises.
During
a recent aid delivery from the British government to a field hospital in Gaza,
Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated, “Many people in Gaza are suffering; no
one should be without the basics of life like shelter and bedding, and everyone
deserves the dignity provided by essential hygiene kits.” This statement,
however, contrasts sharply with the UK’s simultaneous support for Israel in its
genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
This
support includes assisting in military operations, implementing deals with
Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government regarding joint training between
British and Israeli military personnel, and providing intelligence services
against Palestinians, as documented in multiple reports. British aircraft have
conducted reconnaissance missions over Gaza, and Israeli military aircraft have
visited Britain under undisclosed circumstances. Additionally, the UK
facilitates U.S. military support to Israel through its bases in Cyprus. This
military alliance is coupled with Britain’s commitment to defending Israel on
the global stage against criticisms, particularly at the UN and in
international legal forums. Despite these realities, media coverage often
focuses on the distribution of dignity kits to Gazans, ignoring the broader
context of Israeli actions against Palestinians.
This
situation raises a critical question: How does war strip away dignity?
War
begins by dehumanizing civilians through speech and actions that reduce them to
mere objects in the eyes of aggressors, making the deprivation of their dignity
seem acceptable. In Gaza, Israeli officials have likened Palestinians to
animals and insects, an attempt to justify their oppression. War forces
displacement, uprooting people from their homes and forcing them into
overcrowded, degrading conditions, stripping them of control over their lives
and deepening their dependence on external aid. Repeated displacements becoming
the norm in Gaza have compounded this sense of lost dignity.
War
also breaks down family dynamics and the societal fabric that maintains
cohesion, further deepening feelings of isolation and helplessness and moving
the concept of dignity further away.
In
contrast to the aid receiving international attention, maintaining societal
cohesiveness is what truly nurtures feelings of dignity. War also destroys
essential infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and water systems,
robbing people of their rights to basic needs and further eroding their quality
of life. The targeting of healthcare facilities and the killing of medical
workers in Gaza exemplify efforts not only to erase lives but also to
obliterate the dignity that sustains them.
Continuous
exposure to violence and trauma — from home demolitions and shelling to
constant surveillance — breeds pervasive fear and insecurity, undermining
psychological stability and stripping individuals of the basic sense of
security integral to human dignity.
The
problem with “dignity kits” in Gaza, therefore, is multifaceted.
The
distribution of dignity kits by governments and organizations that contribute
to or are complicit in the ongoing siege and violence against Gaza is a glaring
contradiction. These entities, while claiming to uphold dignity, are
instrumental in creating the conditions that strip Gaza’s people of their
humanity and dignity. The distribution of these kits serves as a superficial
gesture that obscures their role in perpetuating the root causes of suffering,
almost as a means to console the Western conscience by providing some soap to
those enduring constant violence.
The
notion that dignity can be preserved or restored through basic hygiene items is
also deeply troubling. Offering soap to those whose families have been killed
and homes destroyed trivializes the concept of dignity, reducing it to mere
bodily cleanliness while ignoring the profound psychological and emotional
wounds inflicted by injustice. True dignity is an integral feeling that
surpasses material items; it encompasses self-respect, human worth, and the
ability to live freely and independently.
For
the people of Gaza, dignity is inextricably linked to liberation from violence
and occupation, the right to self-determination, and access to essential
services without dependency on external aid. Providing material goods should
not replace support for the Palestinian resistance against genocide. This
approach does not address the deeper needs of Gazans or Palestinians and can be
seen as an attempt to assuage Western guilt while ignoring ongoing violations
of Palestinian rights.
Finally,
the focus on women in the distribution of dignity kits often reflects a
Western-imposed sensitivity that overlooks the suffering of men, especially
those involved in resistance.
Women
are often portrayed as helpless victims in need of special protection, while
men, particularly Arab Muslim resistance fighters, are either ignored or
depicted as less deserving of empathy. This reinforces traditional stereotypes
and excludes men from receiving necessary care, further entrenching gender
divisions — as if men are to blame for bringing war upon themselves and other
women, which exempts them from Western empathy and dignity kits. True justice
requires a comprehensive approach that supports both women and men, recognizing
their individual and collective needs.
While
dignity kits may provide immediate relief, they are no substitute for true
dignity, which can only be restored through liberation from oppression. The
term “dignity kits” in Gaza is misleading and superficial, diminishing the
profound struggle that Palestinians are engaged in for their freedom.
True
dignity is not granted through material items but achieved through the end of
violence and the recognition of Palestinians’ rights to self-determination and
justice. In Gaza, dignity is a collective value representing the right of the
Palestinian people to live in freedom and security. Any attempt to restore
dignity through material goods is an arrogant oversimplification of a much
deeper struggle.
No comments:
Post a Comment