Gaza Shmaza

Literally the words out of a fellow diner’s mouth at my
favourite restaurant in Los Angeles.

“Gaza Shmaza”. And
then, he proceeded to explain this strange phrase to his very uncomfortable
looking date, by saying something along the lines of, what’s happening in Gaza
is so far away, it doesn’t really affect us here.

Doesn’t really affect us?
I didn’t need extendable ears to hear the very loud silence that
followed this rather surprising statement.
Clearly, this man’s dinner partner thought that perhaps what was and is
happening in Gaza does actually affect us here¦.either that, or she didn’t
think politics should be discussed over dinner¦.or, she was speechless at the
sumptuousness of the meal set before her.

I don’t really know, but the man’s remarks certainly gave me
plenty of food for thought.

I don’t pretend to understand the insanely complicated
matter regarding relations between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle
East. Nor do I ever think that one side
is always right, the other wrong.

But I have read up a bit more on the matter in recent weeks,
and most of the articles I’ve come across seem to agree on one point: the human rights violations taking place
against the people of Gaza is a crime of vast proportions, and it seems that
time and time again, Israel is allowed to get away with these crimes”in the
name of national security.

The other side”and remember, there’s always another
side”claims that Israel must protect itself from rocket fire and what-not by
Hamas, and I agree that self-defense is most certainly necessary. However, what doesn’t seem necessary is the
degree to which Israel has retaliated against the citizens of Gaza, the
majority of whom are so-called casualties of war.

The loss of life on BOTH sides is tragic, yet death is as
much a part of life as anything. But it
seems that hardly anybody is asking why the
rockets are flying over the border into Israel from Palestine to begin with. The answer is because the Palestinians are
living in what is virtually a giant prison”an occupied territory. Some argue that even this is not a reason for
violence”that Hamas should not attack Israel, no matter what.

It seems very difficult however, to define right or wrong
under the blanket of occupation. Israel
is an occupying power in Gaza”with its artillery pointed toward the occupied
people. If those in power, and Israel
has had this power for 40 years now, do not allow basic human needs to be
met”such as food, medicine and supplies to enter Gaza”then are the people of
Gaza to accept this without any type of response?

I don’t know the answer.
Which is why this is so frustrating for me, and for many others. My heart goes out to the innocent people
suffering on both sides of the issue.
Many in the international community are protesting the actions of
Israel, including some high-ranking liberal rabbis and organizations in
America.

The only answers I seem to have at the moment are the
horrifying statistics I received in an e-mail from Amnesty International”one of
the most important organizations out there, and one I proudly support.

I was informed that over 1000 Palestinians have been killed;
approximately 400 women and children have had their lives taken away from them;
4500 have been injured and are unable to receive proper medical aid; 750,000
souls lack access to clean water and there are about a million people in Gaza
without electricity. Thirteen Israelis
have also lost their lives”including three civilians.

How, I wonder bleakly, will there ever be peace amidst such
violence? No matter your political
leanings, we cannot, as a global community, share Mr. Diner’s view of the
situation. What is happening so far away
in Gaza does most assuredly affect us”in more ways than any of us can
imagine”not the least of which is that violence will only breed more violence
in a vicious and all-too familiar bloody cycle.
Israel is not made safer by its actions in Gaza”no more so is America,
or the rest of the world.

To dismiss the human suffering and law-breaking taking place
on both sides of this issue is a form of apathy we cannot afford. Evil does not stay safely tucked into a nook,
far, far away. Human rights violations
that happen to some people, could very well happen to other people.

We are all human, we
are all capable of suffering, and so to stay quiet in the face of such
suffering should not be an option¦for any of us. It’s not an option for me. Please, take a moment to visit Amnesty
International’s website, to learn in any way you can about the plight facing
the people of Gaza, or of other countries in the world where horrors are taking
place that will, I hope, get you to think about what you can do to help.

This is about more than right or wrong, retaliation or
defense¦.this is simply a matter of compassion, and humanity.