Lili's post

About Gaza. Well, generally I am filled with disgust, followed by frustration, and then I disguise it with indifference. Some solidarity, some militant desires, some fire. Some ashes. We're going a little crazy here in the office, but its even more frustrating to see the futility of an entire band of international human rights lobbyists, who were told by partners in Brussels to "forget about pressuring the EU" or the EU itself, whose new presidency (czech just took over EU presidency with 2009) who originally made the statement that what Israel is doing is self defense...

On the other hand, its inspiring (if you overlook that while im watching my colleagues in action ambulances and mosque are getting bombed indiscriminantely)- to see how creative their initiatives are becoming. Again, though, its disullisioning to see how SLOW the process is, if only because, for example, the strikes began (very calculatedly) during xmas and new years holidays. Ugh.

I wrote a few posts about it on my blog, lacking most coherency. Israel Palestine has always been an issue wherein i cant gather enough energy, or repress enough rage to actually go into detangling geo-political or strategic theories or whatever. its usually my cue to start dreaming of dematerializing and travelling as molecules of energy to another universe and a prettier existence. But I'd miss my family and chocolate too much. And then I feel bad about having unlimited access to chocolate, while others havent had access to heating oil in over a year and that while their plight evokes escapist fantasies in me, for them, there is hardly means for escape. And it goes on, you see..so if anything, if you've been there, you should be the one telling ME more balancing insights.

Who's going to make it?

I've always had a particular qualm about spreading pictures of bloodshed. Mostly because in this part of the world, in this particular conflict, the images have been exploited and compromised, repeatedly, mutilating the mutilated twice over.

This picture on the left resonated with me, the man reportedly screaming over his two sons and nephew and wailing "they've killed my family. Im an orphan"...

Again, its deceptive to reproduce his words and pretend that that deepends my understanding of his strife, or makes my sympathy more authentic. I've seen men on their knees for their children, I've seen them held back by their relatives, I've seen it in funerals, I've seen it after accidents, I've seen it underneath my own house, and inside other people's houses. but I havent' seen this. And I couldnt shake the image, I couldnt turn away from a father who is rendered an orphan while his babies lay lifeless on a cold hospital floor. And I can't blink while the number's still rising.

"Shake and Bake"

Israel denies the use of illegal phosphorus shells in Gaza...even though it admits to using it two years ago in Lebanon..then its also very convincing when they say that they use "only weapons allowed for under international law" and clearly, they are very stringent about the non violation of international law.. and war crimes and above all: PROPORTIONALITY, of course...so there's really no reason to doubt their word. Well who am I to complain? The Security Council seems to think that both parties should end military activities and meanwhile, the first week of the new EU presidency by the Czechs (France never looked so good) has already managed to cause conflicting statements and misunderstandings after the EU came out looking like it was condoing the attacks as actions of "self defense". Egypt, on the hand, steadfast in protest about having international observors sharing its gaza borders, probably because then they'll see all the African migrants the border police shoot dead trying to cross over to Israel. Other Arabs took more drastic measures such as cancelling new years parties leaving Nancy Agram with an unexpectedly free evening, and playing Quran instead of back-to-back old episodes of Friends. When the UAE takes away your sitcoms, you know the international community is in shambles.

http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/