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WHAT'S happening in Gaza is, of course, a humanitarian tragedy for the Palestinians; but it is also a political tragedy for both Arab and Jew.
Until the bombardment started, Hamas, the Islamic radical movement which controls Gaza, was arguably an organisation in decline. As the Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab points out, opinion polls showed that by November last year, support for Hamas among Palestinians had fallen to 16.6 per cent, compared with nearly 30 per cent two years before.
Hamas was blamed by many Palestinians for not turning up to last year's Egyptian-led talks to try to forge some sort of Palestinian unity. It needed to restore its popular standing, return itself to the position of heroic resister and protector; and what better way than by provoking Israel into heavy-handed military action against it?
Israel has duly, and characteristically, played into Hamas's hands in a way that must have been beyond the militants' wildest dreams. Of course Tel Aviv should not have to tolerate rocket attacks on its citizens; but to retaliate as it has is a little like the British government responding to an IRA bombing with airstrikes on Belfast.
The parallels, I concede, are inexact. The IRA sought only the expulsion of Britain from Ireland. Hamas seeks the destruction of all Israel. What can you do with people like that, ask my Jewish friends? Not strengthen them, that's for sure.
I have long believed that for the Palestinians the use of violence has been an unimaginably stupid blind alley - not least because the force Israel can bring to bear against them is always so much greater than the force they can bring to bear against Israel. That is something only too clearly and horrifically demonstrated in Gaza today.
Yet it is clear, too, that the events of the past two weeks have also succeeded in Hamas's aim of damaging Israel. Indirect talks between Syria and the Israelis appear dead; ditto direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and the Turkish-sponsored peace initiative. Yet such means are simply the only way in which Israel's long-term security can be protected.
You shouldn't take my word for it. In September, a leading Israeli politician said the same thing, adding: "We must reach an agreement with the Palestinians, meaning a withdrawal from nearly all, if not all, of the [occupied] territories... I'd like to know if there's a serious person in the State of Israel who believes that we can make peace with the Syrians without, in the end, giving up the Golan Heights.
"We must make these decisions, and yet we are not prepared to say to ourselves, 'Yes, this is what we must do' ... With [the Israeli military] it's all about tanks, about controlling territories or controlled territories, holding this or that hill. But these things are worthless ...The true threat we are facing today in the north, south, and east is from missiles and rockets."
These statements, in an interview with the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, are by Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, the same man now presiding over the carnage in Gaza. In that September interview, Olmert claimed to see "a window of opportunity" for talks, "a short amount of time before we enter an extremely dangerous situation".
In every possible respect, he was more right than he knew.
He's a prat – but we knew that
BREAKING NEWS on a par with the religion of the Pope or the sanitary habits of bears in woods: Prince Harry is a bit of a prat. By 2006, you'd think he might just have learned something from the publication, the year before, of pictures of him dressed up as Nazi. Instead, he films himself calling a fellow soldier a “Paki”.
I particularly enjoyed Saturday's St James's Palace apology, a mere three years after the event — which sounded more as if they were apologising for the fact that the News of the World found out about it. Nor did I entirely buy the claim that Hazza's use of the P-word was “a nickname ... without any malice”. Immediately afterwards, he goes on to pronounce the soldier's name, Ahmed, in a mock-Pakistani accent, and it certainly didn't look as if Ahmed was in on the joke.
But the outrage really does need to kept in proportion. It would not be a good thing if every stupid young bloke was held accountable for every word he said to his friends. This story doesn't prove Harry is a despicable racist, unfit to wear his grandmother's colours. It proves no more about him than we've always known.
An ex-mayor's sad knees-up
IT WAS probably wise of Boris to wait until this morning to open the DLR's Woolwich extension, even though this is actually day three of the new service. There are still a few, shall we say, teething problems.
Entering the station yesterday, I put in a £20 note for a £5.10 fare, only to trigger a Vegas-like haemhorrage of coins bursting out of the change slot and burying my shoes. The machine had decided to give me my change in the form of 308 5p pieces. A DLR man called Ronnie offered me a shopping bag but I took an IOU instead.
Maybe it was revenge for my attack on public transport in last week's column. Or maybe it was just the curse of Livingstone. On Saturday, in his new role as the sorest loser in the history of the world, Ken staged his own separate, unofficial, ex-mayors-only DLR opening ceremony at Woolwich, two days before Boris's. How stratospherically sad is that?
Reader views (12)
Stephen Rothbart, Prague
As you lived through the IRA bombings in London, would you have advocated sending the army to inflict the same kind of destruction on Belfast as Israel inflicted on Gaza?
- Frances Deimel, Torquay, Devon, Uk, Torquay, Devon, UK
I see that A. Jones posts from Stockholm. Good. Hope it remains that way.
- Matt, Telford England
Do I understand correctly that calling someone 'Paki' is an insult?
Could you immagine the uproar if the equal opportunities commission had come on the radio/TV to announce that to call someone 'Aussie' was an insult!! The Australian nation would have every right to feel totally offended.
I can understand if the BBC coined the phrase "Aussie Bashing", or the News of the World reported on the words "Aussie *******" then that would be deeply offensive to all Aussies - but Government Ministers declaring the word "Aussie" an insult would itself be a far worse insult to the Australian Nation.
Unless of course you had links to a Nation that hated the Australian Nation...
Enemies of Pakistan must be laughing their socks off at the implication that being called a 'Paki' is deemed an insult in this country. What a massive home goal!
- Phil, London, E1
Not sure why Gilligan paid a £5.10 fare at re Woolwich Arsenal as only fare of this value only covers zones 1-2. Woolwich is Zone 4.
As for his using £20 note to pay a cash fare in Woolwich no wonder he got his change in 5p pieces they are not used to dealing with wealthy Islingtonians in this part of London.
Anyway depending from where he started it only costs £6.30 for a zone 1-4 off-peak travelcard!
Perhaps the machine dispensed fools gold as only fools use cash to pay fares on TFL.
It was lucky Boris did not open station after lunch as a signalling fault occurred when I tried to return to Bank Station. It's not just WCML that has teething problems.
With the extension to Dagenham Dock on hold Boris should get TFL to re-assess the plan to extend from the Cramped Bank Station to Charing Cross/Victoria which would use the abandoned Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross and other sections of abandoned tunnel along the way.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Actually Mr. Jones, thanks to the vitriolic and hysterical reactions of some of the demonstrators around Europe, nowhere in Europe is entirely safe for us Jews right now. That is and was why Israel came into being, despite the best efforts of your heroic Germans.
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague Czech Republic
Stephen Rothbart throw his vitriolic Jewish hatred on the Arabs from a safe distance in Prague.
- A. Jones, Stockholm
As ever the Palestian people have been betrayed by their leaders. From the Mufti of Jerusalen to Yasser Arafat, self seeking and nilhilistic philosophies have created violence between the Jews and the Arabs with the suffers inevitably innocent civilians. Just as Hezbollah learnt not to beard the lion so will Hamas. The Palestian people will not forgive the death and destruction Hamas has brought to on their heads.
- Gary Banks, London, England
thank you, mr a. jones. may i suggest the Guardian's CiF, where commenters often match your elevated writing style and capacity for reasoned argument.
- Stephen, United Kingdom
A. Jones: so Britain was unique in re-wrting the map of the world was it? The 'heroic Germans' of course had no colonial daventures, nor did the Dutch, the Belgians, the French or the Spanish or Portuguese. Of course not! Your reference to the 'heroic German people' suggests a rather unusual political position.
- Dectora, London UK
To A.Jones of Stockholm. If you knew anything about the history of the lead up to both wars, you would understand that in both cases we were drawn into fighting rather than the focus of aggression. In both cases Germany did not wish to fight us. Your ignorance of that marginalises your other points.
- Jim, London
The disaster and massacre in Gaza-Dachau is courtesy of the British who in the olden days with the backing of the Grand Fleet went around the world and attached all land it could lay its hand on whether it was sugar plantations in the West Indies, gold and diamond mines in South Africa or oil in Iraq and Persia and some real estate to just dump off criminals. Now the Grand Fleet is no more thanks to the heroic German people who twice stood up to the arrogant island people for the benefit of smaller Europesan states. And England now in the process to be downgraded to a third rate state.
- A. Jones, Stockholm
Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion as to what the Israelis should do about 8,000 rockets landing on their homes to the deafening silence of the UN, and for that matter Andrew Gilligan. Especially when that opinion is given from the safety of a London office, some way from where the bombs were falling.
I think more innocent Muslims died this week in internal sect driven disputes with attacks and suicide bombings than were killed by accident in Gaza, yet there are no demonstrations about that from the 'Arab Street,' and not a whisper from Annie Lennox or the UN, Red Cross or Dr. Mads Gilbert, supporter of 9/11 attacks on Twin Towers. How strange.
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague, Czech Republic
