Regarding Israel and Palestine, and the new offensive in Gaza

Is it election time in Israel again? Is white phosphorus on the menu again? What’s the cause of this recent bloodshed? Is it because Israeli gunfire killed a boy or the assassination of a Hamas commander, or is it retaliation for all the rockets? Whatever the excuses, the dynamics of the conflict have changed and the ceasefire has been broken.

Gaza Ceasefire to Be Decided in Cairo, But Will Washington Reign In Israeli Occupation, Blockade?

Below you will find two videos I put together four years ago during the last major Israeli incursion into Gaza. The videos are just as relevant today as they were then, however, some major changes have taken place on the global landscape since 2008, three of which are: 1) Mubarak is no longer in power in Egypt; 2) the Arab Spring has altered the mindset and landscape of the Middle East and; 3) Palestinians are close to obtaining observer status at the United Nations.

“Zaki said that once the status of a Palestinian state is upgraded, the Palestinians would be able to pursue Israel for ‘war crimes’ in the International Criminal Court.

“’Once we become a recognized state, we will go to all UN agencies to force the international community to take legal action against Israel,’”

Two differing perspectives on the Israeli offensive in Gaza that began on 27 December 2008

From Vancouver, with Love: a prayer for Gaza from Elders of the Coast Salish Territory, January 2009