    An article by Mamoon Alabbasi, a news editor for Middle-East- Online.com
    and AlarabOnline. org

    http://www.middle- east-online. com/english/

    Gaza Revisited; Back to Basics

    By Mamoon Alabbasi*

    The recent massacre that killed about eighteen people, mostly women and
    children, in Beit Hanoun as a result of a direct Israeli attack was
    nothing new, horrid as it was. Also expected were Israel 's explanations
    of the 'tragic' event.

    Both Israeli officials and their apologists were quick to claim that the
    strike was an accident and that it was supposedly targeting militants
    who fired Qassam rockets from civilian areas in 'no-longer-occupied '
    Gaza into 'no-longer-occupyin g' Israel . Unsurprisingly, many of those
    apologists added that though they felt sad for the victims' loss of
    life, they do, however, fully understand Israel 's legitimate right to
    defend itself and its concern for security.

    What is truly astonishing, however, is the fact that Israel has managed
    to get away with what it did unpunished from most mainstream media
    outlets. Had it been done by any other state or organisation, the
    normally critical media would have not given the undertakers of the act
    the benefit of the doubt, while ignoring the whole context of the
    crisis.

    Instead mainstream media has generally acted as an accomplice to Israel
    's crimes by either abstaining from mentioning the context of the
    conflict or portraying a misleading context when reporting the Middle
    East conflict. Whether intentionally or unwittingly, the media has
    sponsored a number of fallacies and even myths when covering the recent
    massacre.

    No-longer-occupied Gaza :

    Israeli officials repeatedly claim that they no longer occupy Gaza . But
    what are we to understand from that claim? Is Gaza an independent
    sovereign state with full control of its borders, airspace and sea? The
    fact that the Israeli army (ironically called 'Israeli Defence Force')
    is no longer patrolling the streets of tiny but populated Gaza does not
    make the besieged strip free of occupation.

    Retreating from inside the totally occupied area to surrounding
    positions, Israel has not ended its occupation of Gaza under any law
    including its own. About 1.5 million people living in a small area
    surrounded by a ruthless army that has 'fully' occupied them for over 38
    years and can come back in whenever it feels like it to commit any
    inhuman action it pleases is not the concept of 'no-longer-occupied '
    that would spring to mind to the average Western observer. The fact is,
    the unholy Israeli presence has never left the God-tested strip.

    As a follow up to their claim of no longer occupying Gaza , the Israeli
    authorities demand that Palestinians living in the strip should no
    longer engage in military action against Israel . But even if Gaza were
    suddenly (if not magically) to become an independent sovereign state
    with full control of its economy, borders, and the rest, such a demand
    should never escape the scrutiny of free objective media. It's like Bin
    Laden asking the people of Texas not to antagonise al-Qaeda because his
    followers never targeted the southern state in the tragic terrorists'
    attacks of 9/11.

    Imagine if Nazi Germany had occupied London during World War II, would
    it be understandable if Hitler were to ask, say the people of Manchester
    not to help out the Londoners because his troops were not marching in
    the streets of Manchester ?

    What has also escaped the attention of many journalists, and a greater
    number of lawyers I might add, is the fact that ceasing to do a crime
    that you've been continuously doing for over 38 years does not give you
    immunity from punishment. Like the unforgivably monstrous sponsors of
    the Holocaust, the equally ugly mass murdering occupiers must be brought
    to justice and shame.

    Rockets from civilian areas:

    Another repeated claim that goes unnoticed is the idea that Palestinian
    militants are firing at the Israeli army or at Israel from civilian
    areas. Not many have bothered to point out that in a small land that has
    been occupied and severely controlled for over 38 years there is no such
    thing as a military area. It's not a case of two countries at war. There
    is no Palestinian army. Those 'militants' are in effect civilians
    fighting occupation from their homes. Risky and unadvisable as it may
    be, they do not see a credible alternative way to obtain liberation.

    However, if Israel acknowledges that it is 'hitting back' at civilian
    areas, why aren't there cries of 'terrorism' in Western media? Is this a
    green light for terrorists that see it as acceptable to kill innocent
    civilians if there is a non-civilian among them?

    Israel 's security:

    Although they certainly are perusing counter-productive methods, Israel
    has the right to be concerned about its own security. However, to expect
    the Palestinians to give a hand is like anticipating invaded Poland to
    give a damn about Nazi Germany's security phobia. From the perspective
    of his generals, Hitler had legitimate security concerns, too.

    At the end of the day, invading or occupying powers are human too, even
    if their actions appear to be far from it. But shouldn't people, or
    countries in this matter, be more concerned with the security of the
    invaded or occupied party instead? Do you go to the bullied child and
    ask him/her not to push back? Not for the concern that it would make
    matters worse for the bullied child, but because it might discomfort the
    bulling child.

    Qassam rockets:

    'If it wasn't for the Qassam rockets,' the Israelis would like us to
    believe, 'none of this would have happened.' But it did happen before.
    Countless number of times, throughout Israel 's 38-year long occupation,
    and certainly long before the invention of those so called rockets,
    Israel has committed one atrocity after another. But most journalists
    and editors fail to mention that. They just nod their heads as Israeli
    officials make their - what should be -unbelievable statements.

    That's probably why the people of Gaza (and the rest of Palestine ) seem
    - and in some cases indeed are - suicidal. They can't bank on
    international organisations or world media to save them. Even during
    those instances where the whole world appears to side with them, they
    have not been rescued from this torturing never-ending occupation.
    Here's a word that would sum up the context of the whole Middle East
    conflict; occupation.

    * Mamoon Alabbasi is a freelance journalist and editor for Middle-East-
    Online.com and AlarabOnline. org - He can be reached at:
    alabbasi@journalist .com