An Israeli rocket killed Hadeel Rhabin, 7, on Monday, April 10, as she sat in her home watching TV with her family. A cement beam spared her baby sister’s life by protecting her from the blast. Twelve neighbors and other family members were injured. The blast demolished their home. Such incidents have been occurring regularly since Israel decreased the “safety range” allowed for shelling near inhabited areas, endangering Palestinians seeking refuge in their homes.

Since the Israeli disengagement from Gaza last August, there have been no reported Israeli deaths by makeshift Qassam rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. But in recent weeks, more than 20 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza alone by Israeli retaliatory strikes. Five of these were either bystanders or civilians. A 12-year-old girl, 16-year-old boy, and 7-year-old boy were among the dead. A senior officer in the Israeli Army declared April 11, “we may have to continue this shelling for a month or more, but the goal is to break them in the end.”

On Monday, April 17, nine people were killed and dozens more injured as Sami Salim Hamad, 18, a Palestinian, blew himself up in a restaurant in Tel Aviv. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, stating that the attack was a response to the killings in Gaza over the past weeks; Hamas said it was “self-defense.” In response, acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, “we will continue to act with all means at our disposal to thwart further such incidents.”

Hours after the attack a 16-year old boy was killed in Northern Gaza by Israeli rocket shells; two others were hospitalized.

The cycle of revenge will concede no results. But the current rules of the cat-and-mouse game allow the cat to strike where it wants, when it wants, as long as it claims to do so in self-defense. If this cycle of violence is ever to be stopped, the root of the problem, rather than the symptoms, must be addressed.

The root of the problem is that disengagement from Gaza was no solution. Under international law, Israel continues to be responsible for the well-being of a people who they are besieging and whose land they occupy. When these issues are neglected, Israel harms both Palestinians and itself by its role in the perpetuating the unrest of the Occupied Territories, which increase Israel’s security concerns. Any threats from Palestinians further give Israel carte blanche to act in defense of its own citizens at the cost of Palestinians.

The Gaza Strip is not a viable living space under the current conditions. All economic borders are controlled by Israel - which they close for any threat - leaving the Palestinians completely at the mercy of Israel’s security concerns. According to the U.N., every day the borders are closed, Palestinians lose $500,000. Sixty-five percent of Gazans are refugees, landless, and therefore reliant on laboring for others. Since Hamas took over the Palestinian Authority, Israel has sealed its borders to Palestinian day laborers, making the latter heavily reliant on humanitarian aid. UNRWA director John Ging said April 14, “from a humanitarian perspective the outlook here in Gaza is bleak. … We are once again facing imminent food shortages.”

The Quartet - mediators in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the United States, the European Union, the U.N., and Russia - have demanded that Hamas recognize the state of Israel, to recognize all previously signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and to revert to policies of non-violence.

But as long as these conditions persist, Palestinian factions will almost definitely continue their violent resistance. On March 31, Ismail Haniyeh, the newly elected Palestinian prime minister, wrote in the Guardian, “The message from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to the world powers is this: talk to us no more about recognising Israel’s ‘right to exist’ or ending resistance until you obtain a commitment from the Israelis to withdraw from our land and recognise our rights.”

Shortly after the Tel Aviv bombing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attacks, saying they were against Palestinian national interests. In the opening ceremony of the Israeli Knesset, only hours later, Shimon Peres, senior member of the Kadima party declared, “we must refrain from pushing the Palestinian people towards extremism.” He went on to say, “we have strayed, even if inadvertently, from the path marked out for us by our values, and we must rectify what has been distorted.”

As Palestinian leaders must condemn violent actions, so must Israelis acknowledge the illegal actions that hurt Palestinian civilians. Self-defense is not an indisputable justification. Furthermore, as Peres so insightfully said, “the well-being of the Palestinian population is an Israeli security interest”, and therefore Israeli responsibility and concern must be taken for Palestinian economic matters.

Words must be followed up with deeds, otherwise the non-game of cat and mouse, Apache and Qassam will find no end, and will only escalate.

Philip Rizk is an Egyptian-German Christian working with the Foundation for Reconciliation in Gaza.  Source: Sojourners 2004 (c)