"UNRWA has food, medicines + other basic supplies ready to go to Gaza. We have enough to provide food for the entire population for the coming three months. Our teams in Gaza are crucial for the implementation of this agreement including to provide basic services like healthcare + education. There are over 660,000 children who are eagerly waiting to go back to school. UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them fulfill that. I call on all member states to support UNRWA to do its work to assist people in need in the coming critical period." Philippe Lazzarini

 UNRWA reposted

Philippe Lazzarini

@UNLazzarini

The agreement to finally secure a ceasefire in #Gaza & release the hostages is a huge relief. 

 

It will bring respite to people who survived the worst bombardment, displacement, loss and grief for two long years. 

 

After their excruciating ordeal, hostages & Palestinian detainees will finally join their families. 

 

@UNRWA  has food, medicines + other basic supplies ready to go to Gaza. 

 

We have enough to provide food for the entire population for the coming three months. 

 

Our teams in #Gaza are crucial for the implementation of this agreement including to provide basic services like healthcare + education. 

 

There are over 660,000 children who are eagerly waiting to go back to school. 

 

UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them fulfill that. 

 

I call on all member states to support UNRWA to do its work to assist people in need in the coming critical period.  

 

#ceasefiregaza

UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

For two years too long, humanitarian workers have been killed in #Gaza. 

 

UNRWA mourns 562 aid workers killed in #Gaza since 7 October 2023, among them 370 from UNRWA. 

 

They were killed while at home with their families. 

 

They were killed while on duty. 

 

They were civilians and should have been protected according to the laws of war. 

 

 #CeasefireNow

 

UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

Children belong in school, not in the rubble. 

 

In #Gaza, around 90% of UNRWA schools were hit or damaged, many while sheltering displaced families. 

 

Nearly 660,000 children are forced out of school for the third year in a row. Half of them used to go to UNRWA schools. 

 

 #CeasefireNow

 

UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

"It would take UNRWA just about 3 hours to get trucks to the borders and then get much needed supplies directly to desperate people in #Gaza” our Juliette Touma tells NPR https://x.com/i/status/1975926687805166015

 

For over 7 months now, the Israeli Authorities have blocked UNRWA from bringing any supplies in. 

 

Our services in Gaza have meanwhile continued thanks to 12,000 UNRWA workers who have not stopped for a day since the war began two years ago. 

 

The siege must be lifted, and the crossings must open.  

 

#CeasefireNow

 

https://bsky.app/profile/unrwa.org 

https://www.unrwa.org/ 

"Today, when Israel talks about creating a "buffer zone," it's actually a buffer zone of the buffer zone, and so imperialism by the inch continues." Susan Abulhawa

MAP 2: GAZA ARMISTICE LINES:  SALMAN ABU SITTA Israel has no borders, neither by its own admission nor by any article in international law. In 1948, Israel occupied 20,500 km2  (80% of Palestine), of which only 6% was obtained through the collusion of the British Mandate. The rest was obtained just by military force.

 AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

susan abulhawa | سوزان ابو الهوى

@susanabulhawa

I want to post a point of historic fact regarding the current "border" of Gaza. 

 

The 1949 armistice line was actually 3 kilometers wider along the full perimeter of the Gaza Strip. 

 

However, Israel declared this area as a "buffer zone," and ultimately absorbed it as de facto Jewish-only territory. 

 

Those lands around the strip, called the Gaza envelop, are technically supposed to be part of the strip itself. 

 

But Israel built settlements and farms there. 

 

Today, when Israel talks about creating a "buffer zone," it's actually a buffer zone of the buffer zone, and so imperialism by the inch continues.     

susanabulhawa.com

HISTORY: 1949 Israel's empty promises upon joining the UN- "In joining the U.N., Israel vowed that it would pursue "no policies on any question which were inconsistent with...the resolutions of the Assembly and the Security Council." There had been five major points of concern about Israel's admission: its position toward internationalization of Jerusalem, its position on refugees, its stand on borders, its willingness to observe U.N. resolutions, and its failure to apprehend the assassins of Count Folke Bernadotte... "

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]        

https://www.palestinehome.org/history-of-palestine-annotated-1/history-1949-israels-empty-promises-joining-un       

Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations

HISTORY: 1949 Israel's empty promises upon joining the UN

• Monday, January 25, 2021

"... In joining the U.N., Israel vowed that it would pursue "no policies on any question which were inconsistent with...the resolutions of the Assembly and the Security Council." There had been five major points of concern about Israel's admission: its position toward internationalization of Jerusalem, its position on refugees, its stand on borders, its willingness to observe U.N. resolutions, and its failure to apprehend the assassins of Count Folke Bernadotte. Scandinavian countries complained that Israel's report to the United Nations on Bernadotte's assassination had been unresponsive and failed to show a serious effort to apprehend the culprits. Israel's U.N. delegate Abba Eban addressed each issue before the General Assembly.

On Jerusalem, he said Israel's actions in the city had not been taken in order to create new political facts but to help Jerusalem recover from the ravages of war. He said Israel accepted the principle that Jerusalem should be accorded separate treatment under U.N. control, but he noted the U.N. had not yet pronounced on the precise juridical status of Jerusalem and he hoped that when it did it would take into account changes since November 1947, when the partition plan had been adopted. Eban suggested internationalization might be applied to the whole city but restricted functionally, which Israel preferred, or confine internationalization to that part of the city containing most of the religious shrines.

On refugees, Eban said their problem was a direct result of the Arab states' war to try to defeat the U.N. partition plan. He said Israel had done its best to stem the exodus of the Palestinians and now resettlement would have to take account of the changes that had since occurred. He added Israel would make compensation for abandoned lands, and did not reject the return of those refugees willing to live in peace. But he also said resettlement of the refugees outside of Palestine should be explored. Ebresoan concluded by saying Israel was ready to help solve the problem but at this stage it was reluctant to make a commitment for or against any particular formula.

On borders, Eban said there might be some changes but he promised they would not be imposed and would be made through agreements freely negotiated.

On U.N. obligations, Eban said Israel held no views and pursued no policies at variance with the U.N. Charter or the resolutions of the General Assembly or Security Council. He said Israel favored increasing the compelling moral force of General Assembly resolutions and, after admission, would attribute to them wide validity. He said it was the Arabs who had defied the General Assembly's decisions on Palestine.

On Bernadotte, Eban said Jewish terrorism had emerged as a reaction to British policy during the Mandate, and unfortunately some terrorists operated in wanton defiance of the authority of the government of Israel. These groups were small and operated secretly, and as a result no exact identification of Bernadotte's assassins had been possible and therefore those responsible had not been able to be arrested."  

Donald Neff is author of the Warriors trilogy about Israel's 1956, '67 and '73 wars, and 50 Years of Israel

reposted from Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs (WRMEA) (July 2011)

https://www.palestinehome.org/

Dear America- Life is not a video game. These are real human beings and American made weaponry has been creating a Holocaust with The Rule of Lawlessness in the Holy Land.

Gaza April 7th 2025: Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza is named in honor of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, who journeyed through Gaza during their flight to Egypt.

Dear America

Would you build a fence deep within your neighbors yard? 

Would you establish "KILL ZONES" to target and destroy others, including children?

Do you endorse bombing men, women, and children living in refugee camps- then bombing the roads, schools, hospitals and the flimsy tents of refugees who have been displaced multiple times?

Life is not a video game. These are real human beings and American made weaponry has been creating a Holocaust with The Rule of Lawlessness in the Holy Land.

Israel (established in 1948) is in the wrong.  Zionism (established in 1897) is in the wrong.  HAMAS (established in 1987) is in the wrong too, but HAMAS only exists because of a century of Zionism's never ending crimes against the native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine.  

Both Israel and HAMAS hold political prisoners- ALL should be freed!

Terrorism of all types is wrong, and so is racist hate and segregation. The United Nations (established in 1945) and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (established in 1948) are in the right- and remain the very best hope for all of humanity.

President Trump wants to further displace Palestinians out of Gaza.  How about welcoming home Jewish Israelis instead, welcome them home to real democracy with equal rights and respect for all people: 

Religion must be a personal private choice, not a state sponsored project armed with bribes, lethal weaponry, and misleading propaganda aimed at perpetuating conflict and injustice.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

Israel military razed Gaza perimeter land to create ‘kill zone’, soldiers say- Combatants’ testimonies describe how areas were destroyed to create ‘a death zone of enormous proportions’

The more shocking the carnage becomes, the more people are punished for speaking out. This just makes it clear how much is really at stake- Politicians want to normalise what’s happening in Gaza. Our moral outrage won’t let that happen - Nesrine Malik in The Guardian

The blockade and seige imposed on Gaza amount to collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of war... The recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military- UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk

For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza. : World must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza, top UN officials say. Statement by heads of OCHA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNRWA, WFP and WHO

At least 100 children are reported killed or injured by Israeli Forces every day in Gaza, since Israeli violence resumed (on 18 March) according to UNICEF #ForEveryChild ... "After nearly 18 months of war, nearly one million children in Gaza have been repeatedly displaced and deprived of their right to basic services. The world must not stand by and allow the killing and suffering of children in Gaza to continue."

It's really like this...

What is freedom of speech worth if you cannot condemn genocide?

Old Photos of Historic Palestine - before The Nakba of 1948

 featuring true Christians- living links to a very precious heritage

9th Station of the Cross JERUSALEM – Jesus falls the third time

No War Please 

"We urge you to reconsider your stance and retract this endorsement. We need the Church’s voice to stand with justice and truth, not with narratives that conceal suffering and excuse oppression.

We need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world

For over 75 years Palestine Refugees have endured loss and hardship- UNWRA- Until there is a just solution to their plight, a world where Palestine refugees thrive: Families newly displaced by the escalation in northern Gaza, including Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, are facing dire conditions. With limited food and water, some of them now live in makeshift tents on the main street near the UNRWA Gaza main compound. #CeasefireNow

Don’t just blame Trump [and Republicans] – Democrats paved the way for this campus crackdow. Both parties are responsible for the mess facing Columbia and other institutions

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac  2025 book tour USA 'Christ In The Rubble' ... Now more than ever, we need to talk about the American Church's role in what is happening in your country and ours, as we all are waking up to terrible news day after day.

Jewish Yale faculty sign letter denouncing attacks on pro-Palestine dissenters: The statement, which rejected “cynical” claims of antisemitism, urged universities across the U.S. to resist federal actions like the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil and to protect university members’ right to free speech.

"Hossam Shabat and Mohammad Mansour were the latest Palestinian journalists to be assassinated in Gaza. Responsibility for their killings rests in part on their Western colleagues who have failed to accurately cover Israel's genocidal assault. "

Sands of Sorrow. 1950 Dorothy Thompson speaks out about the people of Palestine... Palestine Diary "In spit of the efforts made in the documentary to bring attention to the humanitarian issues, it falls short of representing what these refugees needed most, their unquestionable right of return to their homes and towns, not a temporarily humanitarian relief while the Zionist settlers were colonizing and taking over the refugees' towns, farms and homes, and changing the geography and history books."

Dorothy Thompson: The journalist who warned us about Hitler... "There is a great quote, which she makes at the end of her life," says Walther. "She says, 'I had to speak out about this' — meaning attacks on Palestinian civilians — 'for the same reason I had to speak out about Hitler. But my Zionist friends do not seem to understand the universality of simple moral principles.' "

"The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes, and prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanisation and escalatin violence" Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau

"I have always believed that my duty is not only to liberate myself from the oppressor, but also to liberate my oppressors from their hatred and fear." ... I Am a Political Prisoner. A letter dictated by Mahmoud Khalil over the phone from ICE detention in Louisiana. Mahmoud Khalil March 18, 2025

From USS Liberty to Rachel Corrie: Israel’s Attacks on U.S. You Probably Didn’t Know About - Israel’s violent history with US citizens reveals a shocking pattern of attacks and impunity.

Dear America- Taxpayers' money should not be shoring up greed, corporate corruption, injustice, and war.

Please, let Golden Rule thinking and the rule of fair and just laws guide US all towards a better way forward.

State sponsored violence is not the way to convince vulnerable people to veer away from arming religious tyranny and terrorism.

Hate crimes are escalating here in America with people primed by to think, say and do horrible things...

Slavery, Segregation and Forced Displacement are wrong. Wrong then and wrong now

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

“Far too many states are enabling the genocide of the Palestinians, while turning also repressive toward their own citizens. This is both revolting and scary. We must stop it now.” —UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese

Humanitarian aid should never be used as a tool of war. Doctors w/o Borders: "Israel is once again blocking an entire population from receiving aid, using it as a bargaining chip. This is unacceptable, outrageous, and will have devastating consequences," says MSF’s Caroline Seguin. "The news has created uncertainty and fear, causing food prices to spike."

Doctors w/o Borders

@MSF_USA

BREAKING: MSF strongly denounces Israel’s announcement to block aid into Gaza. 

 

Humanitarian aid should never be used as a tool of war. Regardless of negotiations between warring parties, people in Gaza still need an immediate and massive scale-up of humanitarian supplies. 

 

"Israel is once again blocking an entire population from receiving aid, using it as a bargaining chip. This is unacceptable, outrageous, and will have devastating consequences," says MSF’s Caroline Seguin. "The news has created uncertainty and fear, causing food prices to spike." 

 

While the overall number of trucks that entered Gaza has increased since the ceasefire started, restrictions by Israeli authorities on critical supplies, are hindering the humanitarian response. 

 

Most of the aid that entered was food and fuel, not nearly enough to meet the people’s immense needs.

Will our own democracy and established Fourth Estate survive the decades old insidious invasion of a very foreign country that pretends to be our friend, but really is no one's friend, including its own Apartheid building citizens?

On December 10, 1948, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created following WWII and the horrors, abuses,and atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust.

 Dear Biden ...etc....

Netanyahu's stated goal with Israel's war on Gaza is to destroy HAMAS. That is a line and a lie, just like the old Zionist line and lie "A land for a people for a people without a land". Life pre-1948 in The Holy Land was Palestinian: Arab Christian, Muslim and Jewish Palestinians living very civilized lives in an exceptionally beautiful place. 

HAMAS did not even exist until 1987- forty years after the West imposed the partition plans to create Israel on the Arab world, and twenty years after Israel usurped every inch of historic Palestine with its (Israel's ongoing) illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

All along invading Zionists have wanted the land, but not the indigenous people of that land. 

Israel has consistently ignored borders, basic human rights, and international law. 

The land grabbing shenanigans and torture tactics of Zionist bigots are only possible because "Israel-proper" finances illegal settlements, military installations and multiple IDF checkpoints aimed at tormenting and destroying Palestinians. 

Israel wants excuses to further terrorize, displace, and destroy Palestinians in every possible way, and Zionists want American money, weaponry and support for this cruel enterprise.  Meanwhile corrupt politicians in America want AIPAC money and approval.

The Zionist con-job worked for decades on U.S. but in today's online world Israeli violence and Zionist cruelty are being live-streamed 24/7 on our children's cell phones, skipping over the gate keepers of our major newspapers and politicians.  

Will our own democracy and established Fourth Estate survive the decades old insidious invasion of a very foreign country that pretends to be our friend, but really is no one's friend, including its own Apartheid building citizens?

Awareness of The Nazi Holocaust should be a motivation to say NEVER AGAIN to Israel. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES  https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

Maps illustrating Israel (& Palestine) 1947 Partition plan, the 1949 Armistice Lines, the 1967 borders, the border jumping convoluted Israeli-made Apartheid wall, maps of Jewish-only Settlements and IDF Checkpoints in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

UN agency closes East Jerusalem HQ after arson attack by ‘Israeli extremists’ Unrwa chief says compound has faced a number of attacks, with lives of UN staff at serious risk

The New Yorker: The Kids Are Not All Right. They Want to Be Heard. What explains the student movement against the war in Gaza? Sometimes the correct answer is the one right in front of you. By Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

A conversation in a cafe

NPR: Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing. The impact could be devastating

CSM: Israel arms shipment on hold as US weighs new accountability

The Key of Return 🗝️ Symbol of Hope, Freedom, and Resilience: The Key of Return Unlocks Palestine's Promised Future 🇵🇸 ❤️

Once upon a time, not terribly long ago... ‏ Miss Palestine with her two Runners-Up: Beauty in a peaceful country (Palestine) before 1947

Queen Rania of Jordan: ‘What’s happening in Gaza today… is a war crime’ ...

Israel Officially Banned the Palestine Flag from 1967 to1993 (Occupation to Oslo) ... WATERMELONS

Israel is banning Al Jazeera, America is banning TikTok. We know why: What the two laws have in common is desire to silence Israel-Gaza war critics.

‘Man Number 4’ by Selma Dabbagh in the London Review of Books

There is ‘nowhere safe to go’ for the 600,000 children of Rafah, warns UNICEF

Americans should not be helping racist Israel maim, wound and kill the children of Palestine.

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Gaza's Christians face subdued Easter Sunday amid Israel's bombs: With Israel's war continuing to rage in Gaza, Christians in the strip face sombre Easter Sunday ceremonies, with festivities curtailed.

‘World powers allowing Israel to keep killing Gaza journalists to hide war crimes’

6 days before the 2nd anniversary of Israel's killing of correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh: Israel to shut down local offices and broadcasrs of Al Jazeera in Ar & En, seize equipment used for its broadcasts; & limit access to its websites

Razia Iqbal: I teach democracy at Princeton. Student protesters are getting an education like no other- Students across the US are forging bonds in the face of brutal power structures. You might say they’ve already won

Academic freedom and free speech are essential. Universities must protect them. - ACLU's Open Letter to College and University Presidents on Student Protests

Which is worse, Israel’s lies about Gaza or its western backers who repeat those lies? ... Useful idiots keep parroting provably false Israeli talking points. Mehdi Hasan in The Guardian

Historical Maps of PALESTINE (or the) HOLY LAND

Part of Israel's nefarious Ethnic Cleansing campaign is stealing the story- pressuring newspapers and politicians worldwide to favor "The Jewish State" above and beyond all else. Israel Uber Alis.

"For the White House to allow pro-Israel “word police” to define what is & isn’t acceptable language is a dangerous abuse of power" James J Zogby ... & Annie's Notes about the real meanings of some very crucial words that are being badly misconstrued by Biden & the Zionist Word Police

Arresting students and banning Tiktok will not stifle the truth about Israeli crimes against humanity.

 

"Fast Times in Palestine" by Pamela Olson is free to download "Funny, gorgeous, shocking, and galvanizing, Fast Times in Palestine challenges the way we think not only about the Middle East but about human nature and our place in the world"  https://pamolson.org

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world

 PALESTINE REMEMBERED

A scene taken before 1934, Matson Collection Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Palestine

 

Dr. Salman Abu Sitta: The tiny Gaza Strip, only 1.3% of Palestine, became a temporary home for 2.3 million Palestinian refugees.

Nancy Harb Almendras  

 Please read this excellent article by Dr. Salman Abu Sitta. Everything is made clear regarding the 75 year prelude to the current situation.

 

Israel has no borders, neither by its own admission or by international law. That is why it is grabbing any land it can. There is not a single acre in Israel obtained legally, it is acquired only by force and massacres.

 

I could have been one of those who broke through the siege on October 7 

 

Nothing can hide the determination and courage of those young people who returned to their land on October 7. I could have been one of them had I been much younger and still living in the concentration camp called Gaza.

 

Yes, I could have been one of those who broke through the fence had I been much younger and was still living in the concentration camp called the Gaza Strip.

 

My story is the same as all of them. On May 14, 1948, my family on our land, “Ma’in Abu Sitta,” was attacked by a Haganah force of 24 armored vehicles. The force destroyed and burnt everything. The soldiers demolished the school that my father built in 1920; they stole the motor and equipment in the flour mill and well pump; they killed anyone in sight.

 

On that day, when Ben-Gurion announced his state, I became a refugee. We were pushed into the prison compound called the Gaza Strip, 4 kilometers away from my home.

 

I was not alone. Palestinians living in 247 towns and villages in southern Palestine were driven to this enclave by dozens of massacres, such as in Bureir, Abu Shusha, Ed Dawayima, and many others. 

 

The tiny Gaza Strip, only 1.3% of Palestine, became a temporary home for 2.3 million Palestinian refugees. The Israeli attacks against them, by land, air, and sea, and with a complete siege, never stopped for 75 years.

 

I went to school in Egypt, but my cousins never wavered to cross the barbed wire called the Armistice Line and tried to return home, in the same manner of October 7. They crossed the barbed wire and attacked the occupiers of our land. They retrieved an elderly relative who remained, they watered the remaining cattle, and they generally tried to restore life to Ma’in Abu Sitta, our land. 

 

I can never forget my cousin, Hassan Madi, with his smiling face and pleasant demeanor. He used to come back to tell us what happened to our groves and what the settlers did to our place. He was a very brave fida’i. He used to sneak into the settlers’ camp and listen to them talk. He was killed by a mine buried on his route. 

 

Fifteen other young people from my family were killed in the couple of years after 1948. In the period from 1948 to 1956, an estimated 5,000 Palestinians were killed trying to return home. 

 

The settlers set up prefab units on my land, which developed into Kibbutzim. Their names are current in the media nowadays. Nirim was built on my father’s land. I was born a few meters away from the Kibbutz site. Ein Hashlosha Kibbutz, a few kilometers to the north, is built on land that belonged to my father and his cousins, a huge wheat and barley field. Nir Oz was built on the land of my father’s uncle, Haj Mahmoud. His son Hamed, a civil engineer, devoted his life to the liberation of Palestine and was a key actor in forming the PLO in 1964, remaining in its executive committee for over 40 years. The fourth kibbutz on our land was named Magen. This is the site of Sheikh Nuran, a venerated site where women sought blessings for their newborns. This was the ancient site of St. Hilarion, a key figure in Christian Palestine. The site was his worshipping retreat in fourth-century Byzantine Palestine.

 

Today, when you hear the names of these kibbutzim, you must recall on whose land they were built. You must remember that the owners of this land have never given up their right to return home.

 

This applies to over two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. When you hear talk about the hostages, remember they are the true hostages for over 27,000 days. They came from 247 towns and villages in southern and central Palestine. See Map 1 for the origin of Gaza refugees. They are crowded in camps at a density of 8,000 persons/km2.

 

Not only were they expelled and made refugees in 1948, but they were constantly attacked in camps in exile in 1953, 1956, 1967, 1971, and 1987, and with fierce regularity since 2006 up until today. In a twist unknown in colonial history, their ethnic cleansing has been upgraded in 2023 to a genocide of unparalleled proportions. The extent of its ferocity, the number of women and children killed, the vast areas of destruction, and the number of dropped bombs on such a tiny place in less than three months exceeds anything known in two world wars.

 

The Gaza Strip is bound by the Armistice Agreement signed between Egypt and Israel on February 24, 1949. See Map 2 of Gaza’s armistice line below. Article 2 of the Agreement states that the Line does not confer or deny rights to the warring parties. It is merely the line at which warring parties stopped on that date.

 

Israel has no borders, neither by its own admission nor by any article in international law. In 1948, Israel occupied 20,500 km2 (80% of Palestine), of which only 6% was obtained through the collusion of the British Mandate. The rest was obtained just by military force.

 

One year after the official Armistice Agreement in February 1950, Israel complained that many refugees had crossed the line and suggested to Egypt that to avoid clashes, it should establish a temporary line called modus vivendi, provided that the original agreement remains in force. This reduced the area of the Gaza Strip from 555 km2 to the present 365 km2. As Map 2 shows, this temporary line became unofficially the regular line shown in maps and maintained by Israel.

 

There is a macabre element in this fact. Many of the attacked kibbutzim, Nirim, Nir Oz, and Ein Hashlosha, that were built on my and others’ land, actually fall within the Gaza Strip proper, as Map 2 clearly shows.

 

Israel has relentlessly tried to chew more and more of the Gaza Strip as a “buffer zone.” No international body ever contested Israel’s continued reduction of the tiny Gaza Strip.

 

Meanwhile, the war against those young people who crossed the line to return home continues. They have to contend with falling bombs in Gaza and a relentless smear campaign abroad.

 

The false information and ugly defamation attributed to them, like beheading babies and a campaign of raping women, have turned out to be entirely false, but its effect lingers on. Anyone who knows them in Gaza knows they have a strict moral code.

 

Nothing can hide the determination and courage of those young people. They have stood fast for 90 days, longer than in any Israeli war with its neighbors. 

 

When the dust settles down, if it does, history will show who heroically defended his homeland and who, on the other hand, committed so many heinous crimes. This memory will chart the history of both peoples.

 

Dr. Salman Abu Sitta