The cycle of violence in Gaza cannot go on

The relentless Israeli bombing of Gaza for the past few days goes unabated. In fact, it is increasing by the hour and the death toll is rising. Most affected are children and women.

What is different from previous airstrikes using supplied sophisticated lethal American weaponry is the precision targeting of civilian homes, charity organizations, hospitals and dispensaries.

There is no end in sight as Prime Minister Netanyahu stated “we do not know when this operation will stop. Over 185 Palestinians have been killed as Israelis pound what is described as the largest open prison camp.

Refugees have fled to United Nations Relief Work Agencies (UNRWA) shelters on cars, scooters and donkey carts.

It was hell, said a Norwegian doctor working in the camps. Neither the United States nor its closest European ally Britain has said anything constructive. On the country, bland statements calling on both sides to exercise restraints were made after both countries stated loud and clear that Israel has a right to defend itself.

Gaza is a concentration camp

The question is: defend itself against whom? The Gazans have been blocked from all sides. Gaza is a concentration camp. Its tragedy is its people want to live freely. They cannot.

Adding to their woes is the impotence of the Arab countries, each of which is embroiled in its own miserable condition.

And the Western media also has as usual covered up the Israeli atrocities. The BBC and CNN are the main culprits. Their allegiance to Israeli interests contradicting all honest journalism ethics has gone beyond the pale of decency.

In fact they are “open mouth pieces of the Zio-Nazis of Tel Aviv,” said a Western diplomat.

What can we do?

What can we do to help the people of Gaza? Through personal appeals to our friends in the West and relaying to them pictures of the horrors inflicted on the Palestinians, making our voices heard through the Arab communities in the diaspora and boycotting some of the goods – this is all that we can do.

We should strive to let the people of Gaza know that while Arab officialdom is helpless, we as a people are not. So let us not talk but contribute all what we can. However, much we do we cannot wipe away the scars, the trauma and the hurt of the people of Gaza.

As for Israel, the more they continue their murderous policies, stray away from the path of peace and indulge in bloodletting the more they will become vulnerable. They should expect car bombings, suicide bombings, killing of innocent civilians and a host of other retaliatory actions. “We improvise our own delivery systems as we don’t have F16 warplanes and missiles,” said a Gazan. The Israelis have no one to blame but themselves then.

For what goes around comes around.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on July 15, 2014.

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Khaled Almaeena is a veteran Saudi journalist, commentator, businessman and the editor-at-large of the Saudi Gazette. Almaeena has held a broad range of positions in Saudi media for over thirty years, including CEO of a PR firm, Saudi Television news anchor, talk show host, radio announcer, lecturer and journalist. As a journalist, Almaeena has represented Saudi media at Arab summits in Baghdad, Morocco and elsewhere. In 1990, he was one of four journalists to cover the historic resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia. He also traveled to China as part of this diplomatic mission. Almaeena's political and social columns appear regularly in Gulf News, Asharq al-Aswat, al-Eqtisadiah, Arab News, Times of Oman, Asian Age and The China Post. He can be reached at kalmaeena@saudigazette.com.sa and followed on Twitter: @KhaledAlmaeena