Concern mounts over Israel-Palestine conflict

Jul 20, 2014 News

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The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), through its Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, is calling for the negotiations in good faith between the Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza to stop the escalation of violence taking place within that region.
CARICOM says it condemns “the killing of three Israeli teenagers and the revenge killing of a young Palestinian.  The Community is deeply concerned by the resulting escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza with the continuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the firing of Palestinian rockets targeting Israeli cities.”

Of particular concern the Secretary General said “is the mounting toll of innocent Palestinian civilians and the widespread destruction of homes and property in Gaza.”
The Caribbean Community said it calls on both sides to “show restraint and to heed the calls for a ceasefire to prevent further escalation of the violence, death and destruction.”
The Gaza-Israel conflict has a long history of antagonism between the Palestinians that have occupied Gaza and Israel.  The current fight comes after almost two years of relative calm between Israel and the Palestinians and just months after the latest round of peace talks collapsed.
According to ABC News, tensions were ignited in June when three Israeli teenagers, one with American citizenship, were kidnapped while hitchhiking in the West Bank and killed.
“They were kidnapped on June 12 and their bodies were discovered June 30. Israel accused Hamas of kidnapping the three teens, which the militant group denied. Within days, Israel arrested more than 300 Palestinians, many of them members of Hamas. At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than a thousand private homes were raided.”
The attacks quickly escalated. “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have fired rockets with a reach that Israel had not previously seen, with air raid sirens going off as far away as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. Many of the missiles have landed in desert areas or have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system,” ABC News reported.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, Israel has hit more than 1,872 sites in Gaza with either air strikes or naval bombardment as part of Operation Protective Edge. The IDF claims more than 1,350 rockets have been launched at Israel in the last week, at least 1,027 of which have hit Israel and more than 265 were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says 237 people have been killed in Gaza and about 1,600 have been injured since the operation began. The United Nations estimates at least 80 percent of the dead are civilians, 20 percent of whom are children. The United Nations said 1,660 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed. The U.N. also estimated that 22,600 have been displaced in Gaza and 100,000 are now without water.
According to ABC News online, on the night the boys’ bodies were found, a “barrage of rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel and Israeli warplanes carried out numerous air strikes in Gaza. While on July 2, a Palestinian teenager was kidnapped and burned to death in apparent retaliation. The death triggered riots in East Jerusalem, a largely Palestinian area. Three Israelis have been arrested and charged with his death.”
The technology being used by both sides, ABC News said, is more advanced than in earlier periods of violence.
“Hamas has publicly claimed responsibility for the drone, and went on to say that they actually have two types of drones: one to gather intelligence and another to fire munitions. Hamas has been able to reach cities that are much further north in Israel than they ever have before, instilling a new fear for Israeli residents. Israel claims some 5 million people now live within striking distance of Hamas’ newest rockets.”
The European Union and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are pressing for a ceasefire, but “so far neither Israel nor Hamas has indicated that they are willing to stop the fighting.”
A spokesperson for the Secretary-General has said that “Hamas’ indiscriminate firing of rockets against Israeli civilian targets is a violation of international law.  The Secretary-General, abhorring the images of Israeli families hovering in shelters in fear for their children’s safety, repeats his condemnation of Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza and demands an immediate cessation of these indecent attacks.”
The spokesperson said further that “the Secretary-General is also deeply worried about the impact on Palestinian families of Israeli military action.  Too many Palestinian civilians have been killed, and any Israeli ground offensive will undoubtedly increase the death toll and exacerbate civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip.  The Secretary-General feels a sense of responsibility for the Palestinians who, especially in the Gaza Strip, have long been denied the sense of freedom and dignity that they deserve.”

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