Many governments and the mainstream media give a very incomplete and one-sided picture of the causes and conduct of the war in Gaza and Israel. It’s often said that ‘The first casualty of war is truth’ (and the rest are mostly civilians!)
For this who would like a more complete picture, here are some highly-regarded sources that I found useful:
- What Preceded This Bloodshed in Israel and Gaza Was Not “Peace” — It Was Apartheid (by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba) | Truthout
- Israel Responds to Hamas War Crimes by Ordering Mass War Crimes in Gaza (by Alice Speri) | The Intercept
- Who is to blame (by Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler) | Mondoweiss
- No Lessons Learned (by Dr. James Zogby)
- Gaza Academic – World Leaders Pledging Allegiance to Israel Are Complicit in Genocide | Democracy Now
- The U.S. Must Commit to Ending the Violence — Not Stoking It (by Phyllis Dennis) | Truthdig
- Statement from the Oldest Peace Group in the U.S. on the Outbreak of Another Gaza War | FOR-USA
And a comment from Israel, published in Haaretz:
“It’s not easy for Israelis to think about Gazans’ rights in a week when Hamas committed crimes that are still impossible to digest and our whole society is mourning and crying. But Gaza’s catastrophe won’t wait for the end of our seven-day shivah.
Consequently, this needs to be said: Israel has held millions of people under a brutal blockade for more than 15 years with the support of the entire Western world. That is inhumane and inconceivable, and every solution to this bloody conflict ultimately includes respecting the rights of all people, both in Gaza and Sderot, to live with security and human dignity. And that begins with respecting the most basic rules as set down in the international laws of war, which are designed to reduce the harm to civilians.”
— Adv. Michael Sfard