Sir, – There has been much made of the fact that Hamas refused to accept an earlier truce in Gaza proposed by Egypt. Yet it is strange that western politicians and the western media (except Michael Jansen, July 25th) have been so silent about the 10-point Hamas proposals, endorsed by Fatah, that were released last week. They are perfectly reasonable and would lead to an immediate permanent ceasefire and negotiations on a solution that would make life better and safer for both the people of Gaza and of Israel.
None of these demands are new and the UN and NGOs have continually called for some of them, including the lifting of the crippling siege.
UNWRA spokesmen, the head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and even many media reporters in Gaza have all noted last week that the situation in Gaza cannot go back to the status quo. Life was intolerable before this recent Israeli onslaught; now it is a living hell.
The Irish Government should support a ceasefire and negotiations on the basis of these 10 points instead of staying silent, as it disgracefully did at the UN vote on an inquiry last week. How many more Palestinian women and children need to be killed, horribly injured or traumatised before Israel and western governments come to their senses and stop this slaughter and destruction? Israel’s reluctance to engage meaningfully with these reasonable proposals demonstrates yet again that its current military onslaught has little to do with rocket fire from Gaza but is instead an attempt to scupper the Hamas/Fatah unity agreement, as the the last thing Israel wants is a unified Palestinian polity and the threat of the outbreak of a lasting peace. Yours, etc,
JIM ROCHE,
PRO Irish Anti-War
Movement,
PO Box 9260,
Dublin 1
Sir, – That the crisis in Gaza is causing immeasurable suffering is beyond dispute. The photographic and video footage circulating on social media is too graphic for your paper or mainstream television to use.
Even for a generation which has become increasingly immune to human suffering, the images of dead child after dead child we have seen cannot fail to churn even the hardest of stomachs or the coldest of hearts.
Ireland and our nearest neighbour Britain have known more than our fair share of terrorism. However, neither side ever resorted to the indiscriminate use of force currently being wielded by Israel, apparently a democratic state.
I am no apologist for terrorism. Israel and the Jewish people have suffered more than many over the years but their current behaviour demands a response. Ireland and the global community have been sadly lacking to date. By doing nothing we are all complicit. – Yours, etc,
DR DAVID MENZIES,
Coolroe,
Bray,
Co Wicklow
Sir, – Pro-Palestinian groups in Ireland have repeatedly called for the land and sea blockade which is being imposed on the Gaza Strip to be lifted in order for food and medical supplies to be brought into the enclave. Perhaps then they can explain how the area comes to be so well-stocked and regularly replenished with rockets and missiles?
Clearly Hamas has supply routes into Gaza, but is choosing to use it to import weapons rather than supplies for its own people. Can its sympathisers in Ireland please explain why this might be? – Yours, etc,
THOMAS RYAN BL,
Mount Tallant Avenue,
Dublin 6W
Sir, – The long list of eminent signatories to the letter regarding the conflict in Gaza (July 28th) state that “We are witnessing the third major Israeli military offensive in Gaza in six years”. They forget to add “all three offensives initiated by rocket fire on civilian targets in Israel by Hamas, the elected government of Gaza, which refuses to recognise Israel and seeks the destruction of all Jews.” It’s called balance. Incidentally, when did trade union leaders assume the role of judgement on world affairs on behalf of their members? Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Monalea Park,
Dublin 24
Sir, – Paul Williams (July 26th) excuses Israeli conduct on the ground that they have given the Palestinians plenty of warning by dropping leaflets, sending texts and trying to avoid civilian deaths. Why then have so many Palestinians been killed – the vast majority of them civilians? One might also ask where they can escape to. They are blockaded on all sides by Israelis, so where are the escape routes available? Yours, etc,
GEMMA HENSEY,
The Quay,
Westport