why, why, why, why, why?

526. 526 people killed, that is.

A ground war now. Not just bombs.

Why?
Why, Why, Why, Why, Why?
...I'm not really looking for the answer. How would that help?
Besides, I already know the answer. Isn't this the nature of Colonialism? Of Racism? Of Apartheid? Of Zionism?...VIOLENCE.

I want to express, again, the extent to which I'm inspired by those in Gaza who have chosen to stay, as well as those who have no choice and still survive and still RESIST. You are amazing. All of you. My heart goes out to you. Gaza, my heart is with you. Perhaps that is why it feels like it's breaking.

5 Palestinian medics were killed today. Members of the International Solidarity Movement reported that the Israelis dropped a bomb in front of their ambulance to prevent them from getting to wounded people.
I could never be a medic. I mean, really, I would faint before I could do any good...all that blood...what resilient people!
"Resilient" has become one of my new favorite words.

Haya Hamdan, Ismail Hamdan, and Lama Hamdan were 12, 10, and 5 years old respectively, when they were killed by an Israeli missile while running an errand. Haya and Lama Hamdan were torn to pieces on impact and Ismail was transported to a hospital where he died on the operating table. Before they'd gone out on this errand, the children had been cooped up in the house for five days.
What would Haya, Ismail, and Lama have gone on to do with their lives?
Would they have gone to the university? Fallen in love? Struggled to bring a better future to all Palestinians? Had they survived the attack, would they have become medics or doctors themselves? ...There's no way to know.
Why? Why, why, why, why, why?

I will stop now. I don't want anyone to stop reading here because it's too painful and I know that talking about the deaths of children has that potential. So that's all. No more talk about the deaths of children, at least not until tomorrow or the next day.

For now, here is a version of some useful talking points, in Q&A form, from Adalah-NY:

1. Who broke the ceasefire first?
Israel. Hamas observed the ceasefire until Israel carried out an unprovoked military attack on November 5th, killing six Palestinians. Israel also failed to meet its ceasefire commitment to allow essential supplies into Gaza.

2. Isn't Israel just trying to stop Hamas rocket fire?
No: Israel provoked Hamas by breaking the ceasefire on November 5th, as it has done with numerous ceasefires in the past.
No: If the rockets were the provocation, then why is Israel killing and jailing Palestinians in the West Bank, where no rockets have been fired?
No: Israel, with US support, has been attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Hamas government since Palestinian elections in January 2006. After the elections, Israel imposed a siege on Gaza, closing borders, cutting off supplies, and continuing to launch attacks on Gazans. As a result, poverty, unemployment, and hunger in the already impoverished Gaza Strip have skyrocketed.

3. Isn't Israel only striking military targets?
No. Israel has killed well over 100 women and children and the death count is climbing. Most of the dead and injured have nothing to do with the attacks on Israel. Many civilians, civilian police officers, and other non-military officials of the Hamas government are among casualties. Targeting these people is a war crime.
Israel claims that Palestinians in Gaza hide behind civilians, firing rockets at Israel from civilian areas, and thus giving Israel no option but to attack inhabited Palestinian neighborhoods. But the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is composed entirely of residential neighborhoods. Palestinians in Gaza have no other place from which they can respond to Israeli military attacks.

4. Isn't Israel just trying to defend itself against Palestinian violence? Don't they just want peace?
Oy. No. If Israel wanted peace it would have observed the ceasefire and stopped blocking Palestinian economic development. It would have allowed Palestinians to live normal lives. Israeli policy has been the root of violence in the region for 60 years, starting no fewer than 6 major wars and numerous smaller conflicts in the region. Israel has the most powerful military in the region, with which it continues to deny food, clean water, fuel, and medical supplies to Gaza's 1.5 million people; steal land from Palestinians to build Israeli settlements; and kill large numbers of Palestinians, mostly civilians. Since January 2006, when Hamas won democratic elections, Israel has killed 1672 Gazans and 1922 Palestinians overall.

5. Didn't Israel end its occupation of Gaza in 2005 and didn't Palestinians respond by launching rockets into Israel and electing Hamas?
All human rights organizations agree that Israel's withdrawal of settlers from Gaza in 2005 did not end Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip. Surrounding Gaza with its military, Israel maintained control of Gaza's borders, airspace, sea, electricity, fuel, and the movement of goods and people into and out of Gaza. Thus, Israel remains an occupying power under international law.
Frustrated by Israel's denial of their basic rights, growing poverty as a result of Israel's decimation of their economy, and 13 years of failed negotiations (in which Israel often refused to hold up their end of the deal), Palestinians voted for change and elected Hamas in January 2006. Some Palestinians in Gaza, living under Israeli siege, in desperate poverty and deprived of basic human rights, have responded to Israel's assault by launching homemade rockets into Israel.

6. Aren't the attacks on Gaza justifiable as self-defense?
No. Israel provoked the conflict. Also, by carrying out indiscriminate bombing that targets civilians, Israel is practicing collective punishment and disproportionate force against the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza. This is a war crime and a violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

7. Doesn't Hamas reject peace with Israel?
No. Hamas has stated that it is willing to negotiate with Israel and abide by a two-state solution if Israel respects Palestinian rights. By contrast, Israel has refused to recognize Palestinians' right to self-determination and has not abided by its obligations under peace agreemnts with the Palestinians.

...well, I can barely keep my eyes open to keep typing, so perhaps more talking points will follow tomorrow.
Please feel free to add your own!

...And again, these are taken from Adalah-NY, but they're also adjusted/adapted for this blog (and my tiredness) and I don't think they were a finished version even from Adalah, so don't quote them on that.