Gaza suffers due to global inaction

The hundreds of Palestinian civilians who have been killed did not deserve to die. Nor do the many more who will be killed as the Israeli aggression in Gaza continues. The United States should act to stop the fighting, but a lame duck US president has no sway over Israeli politicians in the middle of an election. Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak both hope to be the next prime minister, and they are fighting a serious challenge from right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu. As a result, no one wants to stop the war. The politicians need dead Palestinians to give them a larger share of the vote.

Preparations are underway for an Israeli land operation, and Hamas has called for a Day of Wrath today to mark seven continuous days of Israeli aggression. All yesterday, Israeli bombing continued, including hitting a mosque in Gaza, taking the casualties to over 400 Palestinians since the Israeli actions started last Saturday, of whom the UN says at least 100 were civilians. Over the six days, Palestinian militants have fired rockets into Israel, killing four Israelis. Both sides have ignored international calls for a ceasefire.

The world seems ready to simply watch hundreds of Gazans being killed, and the Israelis bargained on such a response. They knew that the Americans would not act, because they either got a tacit nod that there would be no interference, or the Israelis remembered that when they massacred hundreds of Palestinians over several months in the refugee camp in Jenin in 1992, nothing happened. US President George W. Bush called on the Israelis to stop or face the consequences, but the Israelis did not stop, and there were no consequences. This is not right, and Gaza should not suffer the same fate. America and the international community must act now.