Occupied Territory? Not Hardly!
Dear editor:
“Occupied Territory.” That is a favorite saying spouted by many politicians, pundits, news reporters and haters of the State of Israel, the country created by the United Nations in 1948, that rose from the ashes of Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau and other killing camps. That tag, used in almost every news story description of the Gaza Strip and by Jimmy Carter, is not only a misnomer, but wrong and a bias used against a country that has defended itself time and again against a region filled with hatred and threat.
In 1899 the Hague Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land stated that “territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation applies only to the territory where such authority is established, and in a position to assert itself.” This description was used and recognized by the United States and its allies during the prosecution of the Nuremberg Trials at the end of the Second World War.
Does this describe the Gaza Strip? Not at all. Sounds more like Iraq and U.S. Forces than Gaza.
The Gaza Strip, home of millions of Palestinians, at one time was occupied by the State of Israel as a result of its War of Independence, the Six Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. But today Israel’s troops do not occupy the territory and its government has no rule or government function over it. Whether we like it or not, Hamas, which the United States and others consider a “terrorist organization,” is the duly elected government of Gaza. It has its own army, police force and a representative government. The only time the Israeli Defense Force is involved is with an incursion to counter the Hamas controlled daily missiles shot from Gaza into nearby cities within Israel. But these defensive moves by Israel do not qualify as “occupation” by any standard, including the Hague Convention. One could same the very same things about Fatah and the West Bank. “Occupied territory? Hardly.
And if you want to talk about closing borders, Israel has not closed Gaza’s, but rather its own for safety and protection, which any country is free to do. Egypt has done the same with its border crossings into Gaza. Has anyone accused Egypt of “occupation?” And what about the fence being constructed along the U.S. border with Mexico protecting its border? Is it “occupying” our Southern neighbor?
Let’s face it. If Israel was oil rich the world would treat it differently, and kiss up or make nice as it does with the potentates and rogue states of the Gulf Region.
Maybe Israel should follow the example set by the United States, which took and occupied most of our country from Native Americans. (The only legally purchased property bought would be Manhattan Island which was sold for $24 worth of beads. One cannot include the Louisiana Purchase, for this was buying conquered and stolen property from a third party, France.) Following America’s lead they would conquer all Palestinian territory and then years later “allow” them to open casinos.
“Occupied Territory.” That is a favorite saying spouted by many politicians, pundits, news reporters and haters of the State of Israel, the country created by the United Nations in 1948, that rose from the ashes of Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau and other killing camps. That tag, used in almost every news story description of the Gaza Strip and by Jimmy Carter, is not only a misnomer, but wrong and a bias used against a country that has defended itself time and again against a region filled with hatred and threat.
In 1899 the Hague Convention on the Laws and Customs of War on Land stated that “territory is considered occupied when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. The occupation applies only to the territory where such authority is established, and in a position to assert itself.” This description was used and recognized by the United States and its allies during the prosecution of the Nuremberg Trials at the end of the Second World War.
Does this describe the Gaza Strip? Not at all. Sounds more like Iraq and U.S. Forces than Gaza.
The Gaza Strip, home of millions of Palestinians, at one time was occupied by the State of Israel as a result of its War of Independence, the Six Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. But today Israel’s troops do not occupy the territory and its government has no rule or government function over it. Whether we like it or not, Hamas, which the United States and others consider a “terrorist organization,” is the duly elected government of Gaza. It has its own army, police force and a representative government. The only time the Israeli Defense Force is involved is with an incursion to counter the Hamas controlled daily missiles shot from Gaza into nearby cities within Israel. But these defensive moves by Israel do not qualify as “occupation” by any standard, including the Hague Convention. One could same the very same things about Fatah and the West Bank. “Occupied territory? Hardly.
And if you want to talk about closing borders, Israel has not closed Gaza’s, but rather its own for safety and protection, which any country is free to do. Egypt has done the same with its border crossings into Gaza. Has anyone accused Egypt of “occupation?” And what about the fence being constructed along the U.S. border with Mexico protecting its border? Is it “occupying” our Southern neighbor?
Let’s face it. If Israel was oil rich the world would treat it differently, and kiss up or make nice as it does with the potentates and rogue states of the Gulf Region.
Maybe Israel should follow the example set by the United States, which took and occupied most of our country from Native Americans. (The only legally purchased property bought would be Manhattan Island which was sold for $24 worth of beads. One cannot include the Louisiana Purchase, for this was buying conquered and stolen property from a third party, France.) Following America’s lead they would conquer all Palestinian territory and then years later “allow” them to open casinos.
posted by Sam Schoolsky | 5:14 AM
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