ISRAELI ATTACK KILLS CIVILIANS IN GAZA

After seeing fotos of the carnage in Gaza to ordinary Palestinian civilians (credit to the BBC), and after reading about the lack of fuel, electricity, food and medicine because of the Israeli blockade, I don't see how the U.S. government, specifically Bush, Cheney and Rice can maintain the charade that it is Hamas that is causing this.

The BBC uses eyewitness accounts to tell the story. Here is just one of them:

"I spent two hours today looking for somewhere selling bread. After that I gave up, because even if I'd spent ten hours I still couldn't find any, even the biggest bakeries were empty.

"Most of the time I stay at home looking after my mother, grandmother, wife and child, younger brothers and sister. I only leave for important things like bread.

"My family is very scared actually. They listen to the local radio and say "Oh, our turn is coming soon, the Israelis are coming."

"Israel is destroying every building that they think may belong to Hamas or any Islamic movement, even if it includes some normal civilians.

"But I think they are escalating things in vain - with no benefit."

I call upon Israel to stop the war planes and the missiles and immediately end its attack against men, women and children in Gaza.

Furthermore, I want Israel to open up all of its borders to allow necessities of life to flow in.

Israel has not solved its problem with the Palestinians by denying them food, medicine and electric power. If it can't kill all the Palestinians by its blockade, it is now trying to do so with tanks and bombs.

Israel claims it is just defending itself from Hamas rockets. But its response has entirely been disproportionate - constant terrorizing of the Gazan civilian population.

And it has refused to negotiate with Hamas, a democratically elected government, by sitting down and resolving the grievances. Israel has denied the just claims of the Palestinians that it has been starving them to death. Instead Israel relies on the instruments of war.

I also condemn those in Gaza who are shooting rockets into Israeli villages and towns. But I blame Israel for its refusal to negotiate, its reliance on bombs and its disproportionate response taken out against ordinary Palestinians on account of the actions of a few.