(01/28/09) - How the World Saw the Gaza Conflict
This time around, Hamas and Israel both lost the public relations war.
Gabriela Perdomo – No one would argue that the most recent outburst of violence in Gaza between Israel and the militia-and-political-party Hamas was in any way an advance towards a brighter future in this troubled region. But if by a twisted logic one were to find a positive spin to those horrifying three weeks, it is that people and nations around the world are sickened by the crudity of this conflict, and therefore the international community is more certain than ever to endorse dialogue as the only way out of this mayhem.
Gabriela Perdomo – No one would argue that the most recent outburst of violence in Gaza between Israel and the militia-and-political-party Hamas was in any way an advance towards a brighter future in this troubled region. But if by a twisted logic one were to find a positive spin to those horrifying three weeks, it is that people and nations around the world are sickened by the crudity of this conflict, and therefore the international community is more certain than ever to endorse dialogue as the only way out of this mayhem.
The Israeli government led by Kadima party chairman Ehud Olmert and the Israeli army had been planning an attack against Hamas in Gaza for months. Knowing that a truce was to expire, and that Hamas had announced it would resume the launching of Qassam rockets into southern Israel—as it had been doing since mid-2007—Israel was certain to launch its own operation.
"Cast Lead" began with aerial attacks on Dec. 27 targeting Hamas objectives, including not only its members but also their government’s headquarters, the Islamic University, and Hamas-built infrastructure. Hamas, which has been in charge in Gaza since it took power by force in June 2007, lived up to its threat and resumed the launching of rockets. On Jan. 18, amidst mounting international pressure for a truce, both parties involved declared separate ceasefires.
The death toll—1,300 on one side (Gaza); 100 times less on the other (Israel)—was expectedly massive since the gory images and tales of suffering Palestinians had fast spread around the world.
The operation and the pictures went on for long enough that people everywhere had the time to form an opinion about it. According to a Forsa poll in Germany, 30 per cent of people there blame Hamas for provoking the situation in Gaza, 13 per cent place responsibility in the hands of Israel, and 35 per cent blame both sides for the confrontation. The French have a similar view, according to a CSA survey showing that 23 per cent of respondents blame Hamas, 18 per cent blame Israel, and 28 per cent blame both. In a YouGov poll, four-in-ten Britons share the view that both Hamas and Israel are equally to blame for the violence in Gaza.
Even in the United States, where people tend to be more supportive of Israel, there is significant criticism against the military mission. In a poll by the Pew Research Center, while most Americans blame Hamas for starting the war, a quarter of them also say Israel’s offensive in Gaza went too far.
Also in North America, an Angus Reid Strategies poll found that Canadians are very critical of both sides involved in the recent war. Four-in-ten Canadians call Israel’s actions "unjustified", and a greater number doubt claims by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) that it tried to protect civilians in Gaza. Most Canadians, on the other hand, say that Hamas’ responsibility in this particular conflict is unquestionable.
Adding to the voices of disapproval by civilians in Europe and North America, anecdotal evidence shows that both Israel and Hamas lost a great deal of credibility and clout after their most recent confrontation. Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas; children in Peru last week stained dolls’ faces with red ink to protest the suffering of their equals in Gaza outside Israel’s embassy in Lima; Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Israeli military campaign "a dark stain in human history". The list goes on, including the harsh words of United Nations (UN) secretary-general Ban Ki-moon describing the "heartbreaking scenes" of devastation he encountered in Gaza after the fighting ended.
Israel will likely face further international scrutiny, as it will be forced to defend its alleged use of white phosphorous in heavily populated areas in Gaza. Ban has called for an investigation into this matter, which could point to a breach of war laws.
If the world was sickened by reports of the fighting, there is also evidence that Israelis and Palestinians have had enough, too. In northern Israel, left-wing parties reportedly gathered a crowd of 150,000 people calling for a truce and denouncing violence against Palestinian civilians in early January. An article by BBC reporter Quil Lawrence describes how, in the aftermath of the ceasefire, only a handful of Hamas loyalists came out to celebrate in their "victory" rally, and suggests that Hamas’ popularity is quickly eroding amongst suffering Palestinians.
The next few months will see Hamas trying to reassert its power grip on Gaza now under even more scrutiny by the international community. A new Israeli government will be coming in to deal with the permanent threat of violence against its civilian population. The legislative election will take place on Feb. 10.
As a tense calm returns to Gaza and southern Israel, the recent conflict will slowly fade away from the global daily news. But, hopefully, memories of this war will quickly return when the threat of yet another confrontation arises, and this time a new carnage will be averted.
