The Gagging of Gaza

While revenge might well taste sweet, for a few, that is .. Genocide, tends to leave a dreadful & unforgivable aftertaste for the majority of us, surely ..

The Gagging of Gaza

Somewhere

in the distance

through

the cross hairs

and just

a touch off dead

centre ..

He could barely

make out

what looked like

an old

oily rag waving

back at him,

mid all the smoke

and dust

from where

a shell had only

recently

burst overhead ..

Before

prayers that is,

and their

later than usual

supper ..

It now appears

a single shell

had taken

out both the old

school

and the new kids

playground ..

There are those

of course,

who will always

insist

the direct hit in

question

was self-defence

and not

some kind of

brutal

retaliation for

an earlier event ..

But then,

there are those

of us who

know full well

it was part

of some strategic,

ongoing

onslaught and

determined

attempt to silence

and rearrange

a small

parcel of land,

they once

called Gaza, forever ..

Author's Note

I am sure there will be those who pass by this way who hold a different view .. it does not make me want to annihilate you though ..

Reviews

[---]

It is really difficult to imagine, for those of us that can feel, an artillery officer or a commander looking at a school, or a hospital, and thinking that it represents an acceptable degree of collateral damage. Harder still, for us to imagine them looking at it and weighing them as advantageous things to destroy.

'keep them from treating their wounded, or indoctrinating their children.'

'either way, fewer fighters fighting.'

And we wonder where the capacity to kill, or the means to hate, really comes from.

It is difficult, too, for us to imagine what those kinds of conditions are really like. And in so far as I've seen violence, or witnessed the footage, it's the kind of thing that's equally hard to digest.

I don't want to annihilate either, but it's impossible for me to pursue the line of thinking without imagining what having to be in it would do to me. Rakes the nerves, really, and I find myself (somewhat selfishly, even) being thankful that I'm not in a position to have to be.

Tough read, Neville, but real and, at times, necessary to pull us away from the luck and comfort we so often live in without appreciating.

Really well put together,

-Ook

[Neville]

Cheers -Ook .. Neville

[Ken Simm.]

You have nailed this in your metaphorical cross hairs entirely. And you are so right other views do exist but it makes neither or none of them right. Genocide is never the answer. Nor is an eye for an eye.
I could never understand those people of faith who advocate revenge. We are not still working with the old testament are we?

[Neville]

some folk seem to be .. but the point you make is the one I share unequivocally.

[Ken Simm.]

You have nailed this in your metaphorical cross hairs entirely. And you are so right other views do exist but it makes neither or none of them right.

[Neville]

thank you for seeing it my way .. Neville

[FGFRANKLIN]

The greater problem is when we have a globally recognized terrorist group being the elected "government" of any people. Afghanistan has the Taliban and Gaza has Hamas and Hezbollah. These terrorist groups care nothing for the citizens and civilian populations other than to use them as human shields. They launch dozens of missiles every day into a sovereign nation in the name of Jihad or Islamic supremacy and domination. This ongoing conflict has been tolerated and endured with reciprocated attacks only after extended provocation. I have no compassion for terrorists of any sort. I've seen them lock men in cages, pour gasoline over them and set them on fire. The sooner those sort of atrocities are vanquished from the face of the earth the better. And they train their children from the age of three to carry and shoot a weapon to kill all "infidels" (basically any non-muslim.) The Israeli people saw the October attack on innocent civilians as the last straw in the constant barrage of antagonisms. When America dropped atomic bombs on Japan we were at war. But thousands of "innocent" civilians died, children, old people, etc. The bombs were indiscriminate. Israel has declared war on Hamas but Hamas is the elected governing power of Palestine. Until Hamas surrenders and is abandoned as a terrorist organization and platform of government there can be no peace and no quarter. Terrorism is not only a threat to Israel but also a threat to America and the world. Since 1970 there have been over two hundred thousand global reports of Islamic terrorist attacks including 88,000 bombings, 19,000 assassinations, and 11,000 kidnappings. Make no mistake, the Palestinian people are not completely unaware of their "government's" intentions to destroy Israel off the face of the earth. And when someone denies your right to exist (not peacefully, just exist) it severely limits your options of response. It's either kill or be killed but they chose the path of terrorism and took the initiative so now there are consequences to be suffered. You can't claim to want peace while waging a constant war. They want war so it's war they shall have.

[Neville]

I think enough is enough though, don't you.

[FGFRANKLIN]

So did Israel. So did the United States after 911. This is Israel's 911.

[Neville]

if you carry on like that, you will do yourself a mischief .. let it rest shall we.

[Thomas W Case]

Powerful and poignant work.

[Neville]

Cheers Thomas .. Neville

[Betty Hermelee]

Dear Neville...you so poignantly pointed out a very distinct event that happens over and over in Gaza; I'm not taking sides, but the sheer destruction of a people and the small plot they cram into is horrifying...we are so far from the war that we cannot feel or imagine what the smaller and smaller population feels....starvation, death every minute, and not enough supplies to help them.....This is unfortunately unlikely to be solved in the near future.... just more deaths and more less care....
Warmly, B

[Neville]

Yes, absolutely & it both saddens and sickens me too .. Thank you for stopping by Betty .. Neville

[Stella Armour]

I agree Neville , the *B... S do these horrific things on purpose, cowards that they are then make up excuses...

[Neville]

shame on them .. big time .. Neville