One year ago, Israel began its aerial bombardment of Gaza, which over the course of the three-week offensive resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and a third of them children. Three Israeli civilians were killed as well as 10 Israeli Defence Forces members. The pretext of the attack was rocket fire by Hamas, but little is mentioned of the strangling blockade imposed by the Israeli government since Hamas took power, and that the first violation of the ceasefire was by Israel on November 4. Images from Gaza of destroyed homes, scarred children in hospitals and entire families killed while not being allowed medical attention flooded the international media. Yet one year later, has anything changed?

Despite widespread public outrage at the Israeli invasion and the disproportionate nature of the attacks, Israel continued its blockade of Gaza. UN reports in the months following the invasion showed that between half and two-thirds of Gazans were "food insecure", only half the cooking gas needed was allowed in, the main power plant received enough fuel to operate at only about two-thirds of its capacity and, in June 2009, 28,000 people were still without piped water. The World Health Organisation said the blockade has led to the "worsening of the health conditions of the population".

The hope of any political intervention by Western leaders seems bleak at best. The Goldstone report, compiled by South African Richard Goldstone, chief prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, who is also a self-confessed Zionist, was accepted by the UN Human Rights Council; however, it was rejected by the US. The US House of Representatives claimed it was "irredeemably biased", even though the report also accused Hamas of war crimes. The UN Security Council rejected any discussion of the report, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed government officials to draft proposals for changing the international laws of war.

While it could be claimed that the endorsement of the UN Human Rights Council is a step forward, more than words are needed. A positive development was the arrest warrant issued in the UK for Tzipi Livni, who was foreign minister at the time of the invasion, which caused her to cancel her trip to London. However, members of both the UK parliament and government expressed their dismay at the court's decision. Foreign Secretary David Miliband stated that he would seek to "avoid this sort of situation arising again" and the UK government is now urgently looking into reforming the laws that allowed the courts to issue such warrants. While political leaders look to their interests, the people in Gaza are denied justice.

This tacit support for Israeli policies that contravene international law is not limited to Western governments. The Egyptian government has begun construction of an underground wall made of super-strength steel to prevent the smuggling of supplies from Egypt to Gaza. For many Gazans, the underground tunnels are a lifeline, as they are used to smuggle their basic needs.

However, there may be hope yet. Following the 2008-2009 invasion, the ‘Viva Palestina' charity was formed with the intention of running aid convoys to Gaza. This citizen-led initiative, which started in the UK and spread to the US and Turkey, showed the growing disapproval of people at the inaction of their governments. Yet perhaps the biggest manifestation of citizen-led initiatives since the invasion is the Gaza Freedom March. The coalition, made up of over 1,300 people, includes people of all faiths and is mobilising an international contingent for a non-violent march from Cairo to Gaza and on to Israel on December 31 to end the illegal blockade. The diversity of those participating is a positive indicator that public opinion does not accept the illegal actions of Israel nor the support that their governments give. For example, Ann Wright, a retired US Army colonel and former diplomat, stated, "We will not be silent [about the] unlawful actions of our governments in this illegal siege of Gaza." Desiree Fairooz, a schoolteacher, remarked, "How can I speak of children's rights here in the United States and knowingly ignore the role of my own government in the destruction of Palestinian children in Gaza and elsewhere?"

The coalition regards this march as part of a broader strategy to end the Israeli occupation by targeting its blatant violations of international law — from the demolition of homes to curfews and torture. Anti-war activist Gael Murphy, one of the organisers of the march, has stated, "We cannot sit by and watch as our governments conspire with Israel to keep the innocent people of Gaza Strip imprisoned indefinitely."

However, the coalition is facing some setbacks. The Egyptian government, citing security reasons, has banned the march from taking place. Despite this, event organisers have said they will not be not deterred. One year on, as the blockade of Gaza continues and with no end in sight, it seems the Gaza Freedom March is a sign of hope.

 

- Jinan Bastaki is a UAE writer based in Dubai.